The power of positive thinking

Amid changing priorities, crunching deadlines and tending to your family, it’s sometimes hard to find time for anything, and thinking straight may not even seem like an option. But with so many pressures weighing upon your shoulders, wouldn’t it make sense to think positive?

Unfortunately, staying positive when you’re under pressure isn’t always as simple as we would like to think. But even the happiest, most unstressed person will find solace in positive thinking as a stress management technique.

The important thing to remember is that positive thinking comes from within. To think positive, you need to be at one with yourself. You need to be doing things in your life that make you feel good about yourself. This could be anything from taking a bike ride to taking a brisk walk before dinner.

Anything that makes you feel good about yourself helps clear your mind, so you can focus on positive things.

Try to think positive whenever you can. Not only will positive thinking make you feel good about yourself, but it will give you the incentive to give life the that extra 10 percent.

In my own life, I’ve found that positive thinking has helped me stay focused and actually improved my morale. I also set realistic goals, and kept telling myself that they were attainable as long as I kept up my spirits and worked toward doing something productive.

What I found as a result was that I was much happier and more focused on getting something done. Positive thinking is not difficult, however.

Keep a “can do” attitude. As a stress management technique, staying positive can do wonders for your self-esteem. A lot of people tend to get down on themselves when they do something wrong or fall short of achieving their ultimate goal. This should be avoided at all costs. Negative thinking can actually keep you from doing your best and may slow you down when you’re under pressure.

When you find yourself falling into negative thinking, try thinking of something you have to look forward to in the future. This could be anything from having dinner out to a weekend outing at the park.

One thing to remember is that positive thinking aids in stress management in many ways. When you think positively, you are taking a step toward a good future.

Happiness promotes feelings of hope and self worth, which make it easier to deal with stressful situations.

As I said earlier, positive thinking is not difficult. All you need is to find the good in life.

Smile. Take time out of each day to smile. If you practice this on a daily basis, you will gradually find yourself feeling better. Smiling makes you more attractive. Your eyes smile, and you seem more approachable overall. And as they say, the eyes are the windows to the soul.

Take time for you. A lot of people get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that they forget to take time for themselves. This is especially difficult when you have a family, because someone always needs something from you.

When you’re so busy with other obligations, it’s often hard to find time to think positive, and oftentimes people feel guilty for taking a few moments to focus on something they want to do.

But the good news is that positive thinking is good for any situation. Getting outside in nature or going out to the mall can promote positive thinking as well. It gets you out of the house, which makes you feel good and may actually help clear your mind of everyday stressors.

It’s not healthy to stay in the house all the time. Take at least 20 minutes each day to go outside for reflection. Just be sure to wear sunscreen!

Other techniques that promote positive thinking include:

• Reading a book

Find a good book and read for a few quiet moments. Try to set aside 20 minutes to an hour each day to read, whether it’s a book or a magazine.

• Dress nicely

Sometimes you don’t feel like getting dressed up; sometimes all you want to do is throw on some sweats and go. But the truth is that wearing nice clothes that make you feel good. In addition, it will help you think positive and succeed in your everyday activities.

In my experience, I’ve found that a little positive thinking can be achieved by doing something productive. When you lounge around the house all day, you tend to feel stale and unmotivated. Staying active, however, keeps your mind alert.

People who stay active and involved in activities are generally happier all around. They have more energy and spunk. And the good news is that you too can be one of them!