Positive thinking and mental wellbeing - never have a bad day again!
As a mindset coach, I have studied research and seen the effects of positive thinking in my life and those of my clients. It has literally changed hundreds of lives for the better.
More confident, content, and able to cope are three of the obvious ones.
Positive thinking means you consider the advantages, opportunities and solutions in situations rather than just going to where our brain wants to go to keep us safe – that negative place that’s not always even true. Considering the negative rather than dwelling there is a key mindset skill.
So positive thinking means approaching challenges with an optimistic and solution focussed attitude.
And the results?
Reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, which can in turn improve your physical health and quality of life.
A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that participants who were primed to think positively were more likely to find creative solutions to problems than those who were primed to think negatively. Another study found that optimistic individuals were less likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression than their pessimistic counterparts.
I have seen it time and time again with clients who consistently choose to think intentionally and positively that it increases their ability to enjoy life. Their approach means they see problems and solutions in a whole new way. They solve problems that they usually would leave, which in turn makes other things better. It can seem like a miracle.
The regular exercises they do, which take no more than 6 minutes a day, seems as if they have moved to a different part of their brain.
Although the brain doesn’t have completely separate wiring for positive and negative emotions there is research which shows there are distinct pathways for different types of emotions. You can train your brain to go there.
A study by Harmon-Jones, Gable & Peterson showed that in the front of your brain(pre-frontal cortex) two separate parts are used for negative and positive thinking. And some of us overuse parts, so it’s important to balance your practices. And that’s what mindset coaching brings.
Positive thinking is not about ignoring the negative, and I have seen some suggest that a positive approach is naïve. I suggest a totally negative one is equally as fragile .
Which one do you think you have a bias toward? Would you benefit from being more balanced?
DO YOU RECOGNISE YOURSELF AS AN OPTIMIST? PESSIMIST?
Either way, you can learn more about mindset coaching and how it can help you right below.
