As we move into the new year, a positive mindset can help you meet your goals in 2023 rather than feel discouraged after a month or two. Your optimism will give you hope and perseverance despite difficulties or failure. If you are not naturally a positive person, becoming one is possible – a positive outlook can be learned.
The Value of Positive Thinking
Positive thinking has many benefits. It can help you find calm in stressful situations, feel happier and nurture relationships. Positivity can also foster constructive and creative thinking as a substitute for dwelling on problems. Finally, it can help you look for the good in all situations.
How we think and behave can alter the pathways used in our brains. This is called neuroplasticity. Altering our pathways by practicing positivity results in us becoming happier, more resilient people. We do this by becoming aware of negative thoughts and tendencies and choosing to replace them with positive ones.
Cultivating a Positive Mindset
Cultivating positivity is done with intention and reflection. For example, journaling is a great activity to increase awareness of your thoughts and steer them toward positivity. Mindful meditations also help identify negative thoughts, clear your mind and allow you to return to those thoughts later if necessary. Likewise, flipping your negative thoughts into positive ones can be done through positive self-talk which helps you deal with stressful situations, and positive affirmations help guide positive thoughts and actions through declarations of things you plan to accomplish.
A few other practices to grow a positive mindset are:
- Practice gratitude. Be grateful for the little things that give your life more meaning and satisfaction.
- Cultivate mindfulness. Live in the present moment, not worried about the future or regretting the past.
- Surround yourself with positive people. Their positive outlooks will eventually rub off on you.
- See challenges as opportunities. These are prime times to grow.
- Accept your limitations. Set realistic goals, and celebrate your successes. Focus on what you are doing well.
- Follow a healthy lifestyle. Stay healthy with habits like daily exercise, a nutrient-rich diet, seven to nine hours of sleep and lowering stress daily. These practices will give you energy and lift your mood.
- Participate in acts of kindness. Helping others can give you a sense of purpose as you connect with others and to a greater good. It also gets your mind off your negative thoughts and troubles.
- Enjoy positive activities and feelings. Laugh, smile and sing. These can help you relax and trigger brain pathways to positive emotions.
Start the New Year with Positivity
Positivity expands our awareness, opens possibilities and helps us grow. These changes are the very things we often look to a New Year to bring us. When our state of mind is more positive, we are better able to handle everyday stress constructively, leading to many health benefits and healthier habits. Becoming a more positive person starts with how you think and leads to purposeful positive actions. Building a positive mindset takes time and intension. Think of the possibilities waiting for you in 2023 as you look at your life through a positive lens.
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