The power of positive thinking has been studied, talked about and documented time and again. But how do we stop ourselves from thinking negative thoughts if we don’t even realize it’s happening?
It seems that we just can’t help it. For example, a usual response from someone who asks; “How are you?” is typical “Oh, not too bad.”
What we can do, according to experts at mindbodygreen.com is retrain our brain. At one point, we trained our brains to think the way they do, so there are ways to retrain ourselves to think positively.
Here are a few tips:
1. Pay attention to your thoughts. Even if it is just for 10 minutes. After all, you can’t fix a problem you don’t know about. Once you observe your thinking, you will know where to start.
According to UCLA neuroscientist Alex Korb, acknowledging what is making you angry and putting you in a bad mood is the first step in triggering your brain in helping you calm your thoughts and be more positive.
2. Make a gratitude list. On one of those off days, sit down with a piece of paper and come up with five things you’re grateful for. Is the A/C in your car the perfect remedy for the summer heat? Are you reading a good book? Believe it or not, all these things and more are something to be grateful for.
Making a gratitude list can alter your mood and keep you focused on the positive in life.
3. Listen to music: Music can trigger a release of dopamine into your brain. This is associated with a pleasurable feeling and subsequently can turn a frown upside down in the span of a three-minute pop song. Basically, as you’re following a tune, you are anticipating what’s going to happen next and, according to neuroscience, the reward for doing so is a little shot of happiness.
