Positive thinking, or an optimistic attitude, is the practice of focusing on the good in any given situation. Positive thinking doesn’t mean that you ignore all negativity, but rather you acknowledge it without dwelling on it. People who are able to think positively can create a positive narrative around their life. Instead of focusing on everything that has gone wrong, a positive narrative creates a more optimistic outlook.
Turning Positive Thinking into Positive Action
Positive thinking is the first step toward breaking out of negative thought patterns, but to create lasting change, you need to turn thoughts into action.
Identify Areas of Growth: Once you begin practicing positive thinking, you may notice areas in your life where you’d like to see some change. Perhaps you’ve created a positive mindset where you realize that you have the skills to excel at your job. The positive action would be to take on more responsibilities at work.
Keep a Gratitude Journal: When you sit down each day or week to write down the things you’re thankful for, you’re forced to pay attention to the good in your life. Negative thought patterns can lead to black and white thinking, where you begin to believe that one setback means that you’re failing overall. When those feelings arise, you can look back through your gratitude journal to remember all the positive things in your life.
Start Small: Making changes in our life can feel overwhelming. Even if you believe that positive things will happen, how can you possibly make all the changes you want to make? Start small. Set simple, achievable goals for yourself. If you’d like to work towards making new friends, set a goal to attend one local event or class in a month. You’re not trying to make a whole new friend group, but rather setting the goal to create opportunities to meet and connect with others.
Surround Yourself with Positive People: Make sure those in your life are positive, supportive people you can depend on to give helpful advice and feedback. Negative people may increase your stress level and make you doubt your ability to manage stress in healthy ways.
Check In: Periodically during the day, stop and evaluate what you’re thinking. If you find that your thoughts are mainly negative, try to find a way to put a positive spin on them. These self check-ins can help you regulate emotions and maintain a positive perspective on life.
blueFire PulsaR Can Help
At blueFire PulsaR, We help young adults step out of their comfort zone, improve their self-esteem, and help our clients build their confidence through self-success. Our program helps create positive changes and improvements through engagement and adventure. We have a supportive environment that encourages clients to push themselves physically and emotionally to create lasting changes.
Life is a journey. Our comprehensive multi-faceted and clinical approach in the wilderness helps young adults and their parents navigate this journey in a positive direction. We believe that through a balance of self-assessment, insight-oriented therapy, outdoor living, adventure activities and academic focus these young adults will find their true selves. For more information please call (208) 565-2764.