5 Positive Thinking Exercises to absorb into your lifestyle

Throw out Negative Thoughts

The most effective positive thinking exercise is to recognize and remove negative thoughts when they pop up. If you catch yourself mid-way though a destructive thought, replace this thought with mental images and affirmations that are positive and happy. That way, whatever problems you are facing will feel much smaller and insignificant.

Create a gratitude journal

Gratitude is immensely powerful; it allows you to appreciate and be thankful for the things, people and experiences in your life. This positive thinking exercise involves writing daily entries in your diary of things that you are thankful for. Do not limit yourself to be thankful for only the good things; be thankful for the downtimes as well, after all, they are a part of your learning exercise and there lies something positive in them if you look hard enough.

Collect Smiles

One is that a smile is a reflection of happiness and happier people experience a lot of positive outcomes. Therefore smiling is linked with life benefits because it shares a room with happiness. A smile is a contagious thing. Give to the world and the world will give back to you. Smile at the world and the world will smile back at you. You will brighten the days of those around and make a difference in their lives simply by smiling. Reflecting back on these happy moments from your day can finish your day on a high, no matter how frustrating and stressful it has been.

Surround yourself with positive people

This is more a lifestyle adjustment than a positive thinking exercise, but a valuable one. You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with, and if these people are negative and uninspiring, it is likely that you will absorb this mental state too. Try to surround yourself with happy people and you’ll soon see their positive thinking, optimism and good attitude rub off on you.

Smile, even when you don’t feel like it

Just as our thoughts can affect our mental state, so can our actions. Smiling even when you feel absolutely miserable is a quick way to send your brain a positive message despite what negative thoughts you have rolling around in your head. If you want to take it a step further, consider going out of your way to do something nice for someone else. The positive actions you do will lift your spirits and can snap you out of a negative mindset.