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5 Simple Ways to Combat Negative Thinking Forever!
- Kristi Hurley
- Jul 4, 2017
- 8 min read
Updated: Apr 6, 2023
Have you ever spent a few hours with someone who is really negative & crabby? Do you remember how that made you feel? Maybe drained emotionally, a little more crabby than before you saw them, short-tempered, tired? Maybe you even wondered why you spent time with that person?
It is important for us to think about the power of negative thinking & how it affects you & others around you! So let’s start by taking this quick quiz below to help determine whether your thoughts are more positive than negative! Nobody will see your answers so make sure to answer them honestly. 🙂
Quiz:
Do you think about what’s wrong in your life & the world more than what is right?
Do you complain often about the pain in your body, being tired, work, traffic, people, WHATEVER?
Do you criticize or judge people regularly?
Do you remember the last time you gave someone a compliment?
Do you like drama? Does drama follow you?
Do you blame others for everything?
Do you consider yourself a victim?
Do you ever take the time to be grateful during the day? Grateful for anything?
Do you get angry quickly about little things even if they are out of your control?
Are you quick to see the negative flaws in someone or do you see more of their positive traits?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are most likely more negative than positive! I know we all do some of these things once in a while, but if you are doing them more often than not, you need to make a change.
It is very important for you to combat those negative thoughts because they can be very harmful to your life & to others as well!
I talked about some of the effects that negativity has on you & others, in my post 8 Ways to Stop Complaining. You can get some great tips to help you stop complaining in that post. I encourage you to read it as it can be life changing for you & others around you!
Here are some of the scientifically proven effects that negativity can have on your physical & emotion health:
Chronic neck pain.
Lower back pain.
Headaches.
Stomach disorders.
Immune system problems
Weight gain/loss.
Sadness.
Depression.
Low energy levels/low motivation levels.
Depression
Heart disease.
Causes stress.
This only a partial list of side effects from thinking negatively!
Other reasons to combat negativity are:
Stops gratitude in its tracks!
Makes others uncomfortable & can effect their thoughts.
Easily becomes a habit.
Is the biggest killjoy there is!
It is contagious! Negativity spreads like wildfire so watch every word that comes out of your mouth!
Negative thoughts & behaviors create more negative thoughts & behaviors! It is a VISCOUS cycle so be very careful about what you are thinking!
Take away your happiness & any chance of it!
Now that you are aware of some of the side effects that negativity can cause, let’s talk about combating those thoughts for good!
If you haven’t already read The First step to Creating Happiness you may want to, as it outlines the importance of becoming aware of your thinking. This is the first step in being able to make changes to your thought patterns!
Unfortunately, changing your thoughts can be a process that will take some time, but will change your life when you do! I am sure you don’t want to be known as “that person” who complains or is negative all of the time, right? It is a lot more fun to be known as “that person” who is fun, loving & positive, I promise you!
If you are ready to change your lives, combat all negativity, have more fun, become happier, enthusiastic, healthy, energetic & create that life you have always wanted then it is time to make some changes! Lets start right now!
Here are 5 simple ways to combat negative thinking forever:
1. Be grateful every morning when you awake!
Before my feet hit the ground each morning, I take a moment to think about how grateful I am! I am grateful for my health, my family, their health, love, my home, our businesses, animals, friends, etc.!
I DO NOT start the day acknowledging my aches, pains, how tired I am, etc., because that attracts more of what I am thinking about! I only think of the good in my life!
I also take a moment to think about how I want the day to go! What does your favorite day look like? What do you want to happen in your day? You don’t have to lay their for 30 minutes thinking about it, just a few minutes every day really sets the stage for how your day will go!
The benefits of waking each morning with gratitude are immense! It is a perfect way to train your mind to be positive each & every morning & will increase your productivity, awareness, health, energy levels & happiness!
2. Shower with positivity, affirmations, & gratitude!
Every morning most of us have our morning routine, right? Whether it is showering, working out, getting ready for our day, we all have to do it! I decided many years ago to make the most of that time, so I use it to focus on what I am grateful for, I focus on my health, my dreams, & any goals that I have!
I LOVE doing this because it is time that is usually uninterrupted & time which we are focusing on ourselves! This is perfect because it is easy & doable & does not take any extra time out of our day to complete.
As I am showering, I go though all of the things that I am grateful for in my life right down to the hot water that I am using! Some days it seems that we have more to be grateful for than others. If you are in one of “those spaces” just start out by being grateful for the comforts in your life; electricity, your home, car, food, water, electricity, clothes, your health, clean air, this country, the sun, beds, you name it!!!
After using gratitude, I think about all of the things that I want to accomplish in my life! One by one I say “I AM healthy, I AM successful, I AM creating my dream home, WHATEVER your dreams are, focus on them! These are called affirmations & are so incredibly powerful when used with gratitude!
If you do them daily & really focus on the power of your words you can create ANYTHING that you want in your life. The boundaries are limitless I promise you! It takes daily dedication, patience, & determination but you will see an amazing difference in your lives if you give it a try!
I will be talking more in-depth about the power of using affirmations in a few weeks & I can’t wait!
You have to shower or get ready anyways, you might as well make the most of it & change your lives while doing it! It is AMAZING how something so simple & easy can change your entire life! 🙂
3. Throughout your day be AWARE of your thoughts!
Life happens, right? It can be a little crazy & ever-changing so you need to be aware of your thoughts & how you respond to things.
For example: If you are stuck in traffic do you get angry & frustrated? Why? Can you do anything about it? Not really. You might as well take a deep breath & focus on something you CAN control, your THOUGHTS! 🙂
Maybe you may see someone with a different hairstyle or clothes that looks outrageous to you; instead of judging them, remember they have nothing to do with you. It is THEIR life & that makes THEM happy so let them be! They probably look at you & would say the same! So BITE YOUR TONGUE & move on to something positive! 🙂
We are all different for a reason & no one has the same life or story, so don’t make fun or judge anyone! Those thoughts only come back to you later! So remember to cut those thoughts out of your mind immediately as you are only hurting YOURSELF when you think them! 🙂
As soon as your thoughts start going sideways make sure to redirect them to something positive, such as something you are grateful for, or focus on your dreams & goals! That is a much better way to spend your time thinking!
4. Put your Hazmat suit on!
My good friend Stephanie uses this term & I love it! Negativity is infectious & breeds more negativity, which can be dangerous for all of us to be around! So when you are around someone who is infected with negativity, envision yourself zipping up that Hazmat suit to stay safe & block all of their negative thoughts from getting to you! 🙂
I do this every time I am around someone who is really negative. Whether it is my kids, spouse, boss, co-workers, friends, or family complaining, angry, judging, whatever, I zip that Hazmat suit up before it starts infecting me! It is amazing how much better you feel when you don’t let it soak in to you! 🙂
So zip up that suit when you are filling those negative thoughts creeping in & keep focusing on what is positive & good in your life!
5. Lead by example.
Changing your way of thinking will change your life, but it takes time! Be proud of yourself each time you turn your thoughts around! This journey is one step at a time so enjoy it & soak in all of the lessons that you are learning!
There is one thing I want you to keep in mind; this is your journey & you should not expect your spouse, family, or friends to be as excited about it as you are!
I was SO excited when I started this journey because I saw how powerful it was & how it could change all of our lives. Unfortunately, my family did not see this the same way. My feelings were hurt & more feelings of negativity grew inside of me!
I soon realized that in order for things to change I would need to lead by example! I had to be “that person” that they loved to be around, “that person” that is positive, problem solving, & inspirational! When they saw me like that they automatically became that way too!
Thinking positive is far more powerful than being negative so it is incredibly contagious, which is GREAT!
Make sure that you change your environment to one that is positive & full of possibilities & over time others will follow, I promise!
I hope that you all were able to take away a few things from here that you will can implement into your daily lives. I am so passionate about this topic that I could truly write novels about it! It has changed my life & I know it can change yours too!
I will digging more deeply into this subject over the next few months because it where everything in you life stems from, happiness, love, good relationships, good health, etc.!
Are you guys ready to start changing those thoughts today? I want to hear how you are doing each day, what are your struggles, what are you accomplishments? How do you feel? Have you seen some changes already within yourself?
Let’s start this together today, let’s only focus on the good things in our lives like dreaming, our goals, our health, our relationships, friends, & our family!
Make sure to take the time to join in the fun & be the first to hear about what is new at The Giggling Life by Becoming An Insider! You will be happy that you did! 🙂
I know we can do it! We got this!
Much love to you all,
Kristi
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