Do you need to overcome negative thoughts?

Here we are at the end of another financial year – and you may be questioning where has the year gone and what is going on in the world.  So much change, so much to keep up with!

All this may be overwhelming, and it may start to drag you down.  You could start to feel sorry for yourself, or maybe you are worrying more, or questioning ‘what’s the point?’ On reflection, maybe you didn’t achieve what you wanted to so far and maybe the world news is just putting you in a funk!

Negative thoughts can be toxic, can build up and quickly make us feel depressed, sad, lost and sometimes hopeless.

Here are a number of suggestions to overcome negative thoughts, which might help you move to a more positive frame of mind:

1. In every situation there is a silver lining – Ask yourself what is the one good thing you can identify in this negative situation?  What is the one thing you could learn from this? Or as I often suggest to clients, what is the gift in this negative situation?
2. Replace the negativity in your life – What are the 3 top sources of negativity in your life right now?  What can you change about these 3 sources?  It is OK to take small steps when dealing with this.  Alternatively, you can keep reminding yourself of tip No 1.
3. Talk to someone – keeping negative thoughts bottled up is not helpful.  Find someone you can share or vent with.  And then see if you can together find a more positive approach to relieving the negative thoughts to move forward.
4. Are you making a mountain out of a molehill? – think through the negative thought.  Are you making the issue bigger than necessary?  Think would it matter in 3 or 5 years?  What about next year or even next month?  What would a friend or family member say?  When we focus on a problem or issue, it becomes all-encompassing and is no longer in perspective. Asking yourself whether the issue is really in perspective is an important way to manage negative thinking.
5. Be grateful for what you do have – this is my favourite No. 1 negative squasher!  List what you have to be grateful for and remind yourself of these things every day. I get my clients to write them down at the end of every day.  You will be surprised what happens to your thinking.
6. What about going for some exercise? – Endorphins are a wonderful recharger.  When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins, which interact with the receptors in your brain.  These trigger a positive feeling in the body and improved self-esteem, providing a more positive and energized outlook on life.
7. Pay it forward – If you want to feel positive then bring positivity into someone else’s life. Do an act of kindness and/or generosity; give a compliment; help out, etc.  By adding positivity to someone else’s life, you too can start to feel better and more optimistic again.
8. Start tomorrow with a positive tone – set yourself a reminder the night before of a positive action you are going to take the following day.  Make sure you can see it clearly the moment you wake up.  Repeat it to yourself a couple of times during the day if you want.  Savour it!

Each of these tips will help take those negative thoughts away.  Give it a go – what have you got to lose? Let me know which ones you think help you the most.  If you want to talk about it more, give me a call.