Positive thinking is perhaps the best way to deal with stress and cope with difficult situations. There are several practical ways through which we can bring positive feelings to our lives and 12 of them are described below.
1. Get involved in activities that bring pleasure
Pleasure can reverse the negative feelings and makes us more resistant to them.
Try out activities that calm the soul like hiking, taking a warm bath, listening to music, relaxing under the sun (the sunlight produces vitamin D which seems to be associated with seasonal depression), eating a nice meal, and hanging out with friends.
We can also get pleasure through challenging activities like sports, music, art, dancing and voluntarism.
2. Believe in yourself
Focus on your positive experiences, the present, the positive attributes of your character, the good things in your lives, to what you already have, to what you have achieved so far and to how well you feel with yourself.
The more you feel that your contribution in this world is important, the more you can find a meaning in life.
3. Be happy and enjoy the positive experiences without guilt
What does it mean to allow ourselves to enjoy the positive experiences without guilt? It simply means to:
- Enjoy a good meal without having to think about calories or the extra fat.
- To enjoy a trip to the country without thinking about the things we have to do tomorrow.
- To play with our child and get dirty without worrying how we will get rid of the stain.
4. Smile as much as you can
The human brain does not distinguish the difference between a genuine and a fake smile. Thus, when someone is faking a smile, his brain responds in the same way that it would have responded if he had been truly smiling!
5. Be creative!
Explore your creativity and put it into action. Creativity brings greater satisfaction and mental exaltation.
We need to recognize our creative dreams and follow them. It is necessary to find the practical ways through which we will live our dreams together with those we love and put them into practice.
Someone can be creative by making a painting, preparing a beautiful dinner, planting flowers, decorating their home, etc. Of course the important thing is to enjoy what we are doing.
6. Hang out with positive thinkers
Seek to socialize with people who are happy and have a positive approach and avoid all those who bring out a bad vibe. Sociability, in its positive meaning, and a wide network of friends increase the satisfaction levels in our lives.
7. Participate in groups that have common interests with you
When we feel that we are part of a group, in other words that we belong somewhere, we have a greater sense of security, sharing and meaning in life.
8. Take care of your physical condition.
A good and healthy diet combined with some mild exercise, increases the energy levels in the body, enhances vitality, improves the feeling we have for our body and therefore makes us happier.
Healthy people love themselves enough to follow a healthy lifestyle.
9. Separate your needs from your desires
10. Say “stop” to the negative thoughts
People who do not insist on unpleasant thoughts are certainly much happier. If you tend to stick to unpleasant things, you need to practice saying “stop” to the negative thoughts.
11. Set small realistic goals each day
By managing to fulfill these objectives, we will get positive feelings and a positive perception of ourselves as well.
We can also set bigger goals, the accomplishment of which will bring us happy feelings. The process towards achieving our goals can give us the feeling that we deserve it and also that the target we set was worth it.
Our greater goal can be achieved through the accomplishment of smaller daily objectives.
12. Find personal sources of satisfaction and joy
In this difficult time where values and modern lifestyle falter and are being reviewed, it appears to be an urgent need to redefine the meaning of life, to turn to personal sources of satisfaction and joy and to protect ourselves from daily difficulties.12 Positive Thinking Techniques by Alex Chris