Practice positive psychotherapy. Positive thinking, development

17.07.2019

One day, University of Kentucky professor Susan Segerstrom tested her students' level of optimism and rated it on a 5-point scale. After 10 years, she inquired about the level of income of graduates. It turned out that each point turned into a $ 35,000 difference in their annual earnings. Not bad, huh? We figured out why this happened, and selected exercises to develop positive thinking.

What are positive and negative thinking and how they differ

Thinking positively does not mean eradicating negative emotions from your life altogether, as esoteric teachings often advise. Troubles still happen, and it is impossible to prohibit responding to them and even harmful to the psyche. But it is quite possible to find pluses, lessons and opportunities in the situation. Take an example with American inventor Thomas Edison who said, “I have not failed. I've only learned 10,000 ways that don't work. "

The essence of positive thinking is the ability to find a reason for joy at any moment in life and to perceive failure rationally, analyzing the reasons and accepting it as a valuable experience.

Dan Kennedy, American business coach and coach, author of the bestselling book "How to Succeed in Business by Breaking All the Rules":
- Forming positive thinking is really useful and desirable. But blind, stubborn optimism from scratch is stupidity.

The power of positive thinking is undeniable. Optimists are productive and earn more money (Journal of Career Assessment, 2008). People with a positive outlook on life are less likely to get sick- this was discovered more than 30 years ago by psychologists Lawrence Scheyer and Charles Carver (Health Psychology, 1985).

A positive way of thinking makes not only the person himself more successful, but also his subordinates. In the book Profit from the Positive, Margaret Greenberg and Senya Mamin talk about a study conducted on a group of 53 managers. When their leaders were in a good mood, the teams worked more efficiently and showed higher sales.

There are still many advantages to positive thinking: you can enjoy life, be interested in new things, be healthy, cheerful and confident, look good and achieve success.

Negative thinking- this is the lowest level of development of thinking. The stronger it is, the more problems in a person's life. Unlike positive thinking, negative thinking has dangerous consequences. Unwillingness to learn new things and unpreparedness for change, dissatisfaction with the present, nostalgia for the past, expectation of the worst, greed, condemnation of others. A negatively thinking person never knows what exactly he wants - he is always not satisfied with everything.

Which path do you choose? The answer seems to be obvious, but how to learn not to notice the negative? Are there any methods for developing positive thinking?

10 effective methods for positive thinking

So, being an optimist is beneficial. But what if you are prone to pessimism? In this case, psychologists have come up with special exercises for the development of positive thinking. They really work. This was confirmed by professors at the University of North Carolina (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2008). We have compiled a selection of 10 easy exercises for every day.

Reframe

Reframing is the interpretation of negative situations in a positive way. For example, the decline in employment at work made it possible to rest or engage in self-education. The positive aspects can be less significant and even absurd - the main thing is to find them at all. A detailed description of this technique is given in the book Kiss the Frog! Learn to turn problems into opportunities " Brian Tracy, global expert in personal development.

Write down positive events that happened during the day.

It doesn't matter how significant they are and in what area of life they happened. The more, the better, but it's worth starting with at least 3-5. Then indicate what actions led to these events. For example, the acquaintance with a useful business partner took place thanks to an accepted invitation from friends to go out into the countryside with them.

Considering any event as favorable is a great advantage in everyday life. This view of the world allows you to make the most of your inner talents, fill your life with joy and harmony. The development of positive thinking is a task that every person can do. By applying the methods and doing daily exercises, the habit of thinking constructively will be formed within two months.

What is positive thinking?

Positive thinking is a way of human mental activity, in which any result of an activity or event is perceived as something that has a positive potential that carries in itself:

life experience;
success and luck;
resources to fulfill your own desires;
new opportunities;
ways to achieve great results.

The ability to see good reflects a person's attitude towards himself, life, the world in general, and also towards other people. This serves as a source of personal growth and spiritual development, contributes to the discovery of creative abilities and the formation of a sustainable sense of inner harmony.

Benefits of positive thinking

A person who practices this way of thinking in life gains a number of advantages.

These benefits can be obtained by anyone who sets himself the goal of mastering a new way of thinking.

How to learn to think positively?

To develop the habit of thinking positively, you need to realize the benefits of this way of thinking and purposefully practice a new way of thinking - creativity.

It is important to realize that any thought is material and all events in a person's life are the result of their actions.

Thought is something that a person can change. This requires:

constantly monitor your thoughts;
observe events in your life;
learn to see the relationship between thoughts and situations;
practice daily, doing exercises to develop a positive way of creative thought.

Daily and purposeful work on yourself will allow you to master new ways of thinking within two months.

Methods for developing positive thinking

Learning to think positively is a science that everyone can master if they wish.

These simple methods of developing positive thinking, if practiced every day, will help you train positive thoughts.

By practicing these techniques in your daily life, positive thinking will be formed day by day. The experience of most people shows that the period for the formation of new thinking habits takes 30 to 60 days.

ideas for the development of positive thinking

The following exercises for the development of positive thinking help to develop a new way of creative thought.

"Gratitude". Practicing sincere gratitude for everything in life helps to activate positive energy and improve mood. This can be done mentally, or it is better to write down in a notebook every day everything for which a person is grateful to God, the world and the people around him.

This training will teach consciousness to choose good moments in life and drive out negativity from the brain.

"Cleansing Speech". Having carefully followed your daily speech, you need to exclude all phrases that contain denial, negativity, doubt. Consciously rebuilding his speech in a positive way, a person forms the habit of thinking in life-affirming images.

Additionally, it is advisable to write out life-affirming aphorisms and positively charged phrases.

"A pact with the past." The burden of past grievances and failures, a mental dialogue about past negative events absorbs a huge amount of time and mental energy. During these periods, the brain does not create anything new, but evokes old images and emotions.

To change this situation, you need to one by one restore the undesirable event in the past, forgive all its participants and let go. To enhance the effect, you can use a balloon in which you place a note describing the unpleasant moment, inflate and release it in the open air.

"Five pluses". This practice teaches you to see auspicious roots in any unpleasant event. It is necessary to write down an event that is regarded as negative and write 5 benefits from its occurrence.

Sorting through one memory after another and transferring them to the rank of positive, the memory and brain are freed from unwanted assessments and filled with confidence and positive.

"Tactile anchor". This exercise exploits the subconscious mind's ability to avoid pain. The rubber band on the wrist serves as a tactile anchor. Every time your thoughts become negative, you need to pull back and click yourself on the wrist. In the future, the brain and subconscious mind will independently avoid unwanted thinking.
"Purple bracelet". Effective training that focuses on tracking negative thoughts and consciously changing them.

The bracelet is put on the right hand, if the brain rolls over to complaints, criticism, disappointment, gossip and other negative mental images, then the bracelet moves to the other hand. The goal is to keep the purple bracelet on one hand for 21 days.

Performing these simple exercises, there is a reconfiguration of consciousness in a positive way and stable habits of favorable thinking are formed.

Thus, positive thinking, as a way of mental activity, can be developed by every person. Daily practice and constant control over your thoughts for 2 months can completely change your life.

Positive thinking development training

“Joy and happiness are like a grain thrown into the ground. It is necessary to water it abundantly before the sprout sprouts, and work tirelessly so that this sprout does not wither, but grows and gives fruit. "

The tasks of this training can be used as a whole block or included in trainings for the prevention of crisis conditions in adolescents as a fragment.

Purpose of the training- to open, activate, automate positively colored reactions to various, including stressful situations in the life of adolescents.

Training Objective- to teach adolescents to independently find and use the reserves of positive emotions, positive verbal and effective forms of communication in difficult moments of life; teach some techniques of self-regulation of emotional states.

Stage 1 - acquaintance. For targeted positive training, it is proposed to come up with a training name that contains some kind of positive characteristic, for example, "Veselchak" or "Entertainer". Further, throughout the training, address each other in this way.

Stage 2 - exercises.

Dictionary of Good Qualities. In a circle, recall and name all the synonyms and shades of qualities "good" and "beautiful" (or "joyful"). What life phenomena are these qualities applicable to? Try to find as many objects as possible to use these synonyms. Reflection: what feelings, associations, memories arise when pronouncing the words "magnificent", "charming", "adorable", etc. How does this vocabulary affect the mood and state of mind?

Exercises for physical activity. You can use some kind of outdoor game, such as "Train", "Confusion" or the like.

Justification. One of the most effective ways of self-defense is the "removal" of stress through the muscle channels. At a minimum, during a period of neuropsychological overstrain, it is necessary to look for various reasons in order to increase physical activity: running, sports, refusal of transport, various games. In addition, the therapeutic effect of games, for example, increases from the presence of a communicative component in them that trains interaction skills.

"Unfinished sentences".

The first step: we run one or two sentences in a circle, and they are overgrown with a snowball of sentences. Second step: a few sentences (4-5) on a piece of paper are distributed to the training participants for completion in writing. Then the presenter collects options for unfinished sentences (positive induction):

A great thought came to my mind ...

I like in myself that I ...

I want to bring joy ...

Any weather is blessing, even today on the street ...

Most of all I get pleasure from ...

It makes me feel warm when I think about ...

It helps me a lot in life ...

When it's hard for me, I console myself with the thought of ...

To bring joy to my parents, I could ...

"Calm Birbal." An Indian legend tells about Birbal, a negligent adviser to the king Akbar, who once was late for the king for as much as 3 hours - he slept. To justify himself before the king, Birbal said that he could not calm down the child in any way. Akbar did not believe that the child could not have been calmed down faster. Then Birbal invited the tsar to act as a comforter, and he "wept", depicting inconsolable grief. After an hour of fruitless attempts, Akbar gave up and forgave his advisor.

The participants of the training choose "Birbal", which in turn they try to calm down, using various means of comfort: a word, a touch, any stimuli. Birbal then chooses whose consolation was most convincing and effective.

"Portrait in pink tones". It is proposed to remember the person to whom you feel dislike. One should try to write his verbal portrait using only positive vocabulary, that is, leaving negative qualities "in mind", write only about those that can be assessed as positive. You can change the task somewhat by suggesting to write a portrait of an unpleasant person from the position of those who love him.

For younger adolescents, it is proposed to choose a movie hero or a literary character as an object, and also write his "portrait". Discuss whether the attitude towards a person changes after such an essay.

"Chain". An exercise aimed at training the non-verbal transmission of emotionally positive information. All are built in a column, in the back of each other's heads. The presenter shows the latter an affectionate word ("bunny") written on a piece of paper, or a phrase ("I like you"). He turns to himself standing in front of him and with gestures and facial expressions tries to convey the meaning of what has been written. Through the chain, non-verbal information is transmitted to the end. The last one in the column must say what the previous players told him.

"We will survive this trouble ..."... Some unpleasant situation is chosen, which happens, as a rule, suddenly. For example, a vase has broken, keys are missing, you stumbled. Usually in such a situation we unconsciously use not quite normative statements, at best we swear. In the presence of strangers, these words of ours can let us down very much. Therefore, it is necessary to practice reacting to sudden troubles in a different way, using positive verbal formulas. For example: “Ok, let's see what we can do ...”, or “Just think, how important it is…”, or “This is the trick…”. Participants themselves come up with options for reactions. Of course, these formulations sound with an intonation of annoyance, ironic, even irritated, but here a chain of dependence is involved: word - action - state, which readjusts from experience to search for a way out.

"Mirror". The same chain of dependence turns on when we consciously ask our face this or that expression. Rehearse a casual smile in front of the mirror, establish yourself in it, get used to it. Imagine posing for a photo graph for a magazine cover. Then, while controlling your smile, remember some unpleasant situation that happened to you. “Keep smiling.” Ditch the memory, switch to something good. Reflection: is it difficult to control facial expression if it contradicts your thoughts; Has outward goodness influenced the perception and assessment of the past trouble?

"Desert Island". You are on a desert island. Who will be most looking forward to your return home? Who will you worry about the most? What business can no one complete except you? Imagine that you have trained carrier pigeons at your disposal. To whom of the training participants would you write a letter with an appeal for help? Why?

The final stage is devoted to discussing their impressions of the training. Exercise "Compliments" ends the communication. Ask if their training name influenced the children's well-being.

Department of Education of the Irkutsk Region

Regional state educational institution for orphans and children left without parental care, orphanage "Harmony"

Cheremkhovo

Training "Formation of positive thinking"

educational psychologist:

S. I. Papenko

2010

No one is responsible for the problem

But everyone is responsible for the decision.

The problem of forming positive thinking (introductory speech by a psychologist).
Viewing an excerpt from the film "The Secret".
Exercise "Fresh Thoughts" (art therapy).

Divide the sheet into two halves. With the subdominant hand, draw a wilted bouquet of flowers on the left half of the sheet.

We close our eyes and imagine what this bouquet symbolizes for us.

Without opening our eyes, we imagine that we are swimming in clean water (swimming in the river, standing under the shower, etc.).

We open our eyes, on the right side of the sheet with a subdominant hand we draw a revived bouquet, refreshed with water, renewed.

Fresh water refreshes flowers, fresh thoughts - our life. We draw a conclusion for ourselves - what needs updating in ourselves. The subdominant hand (untrained) is connected with the soul, with the heart, brings out the unconscious.

Exercise "Who am I?"

(This technique is used when working with unmotivated clients).

On each of the eight pieces of paper we write the answer to the question: "Who am I?"

We arrange them from top to bottom - from the most important to the minor ones.

The psychologist gives one minute for the participants, looking at each leaflet, starting from the bottom, to reflect on what this part of their personality is for them and what would happen if they lost it.

If after that there is a desire to shift the leaves, then we shift.

Why did you change it?

Exercise "Positive Future".

(This is a very subtle psychotherapeutic technique).

Participants are randomly divided into groups, the main condition is a high level of empathy in each subgroup. It doesn't matter if they know each other or not.

Assignment: to imagine ("see") a positive future for any member of the subgroup.

Free expression in the circle of members of subgroups about the presented ("seen") positive future of each of the subgroups. The one about whom they are talking should not comment on what was said, but simply thank.

Exercise "Image of my happy future."

The exercise is carried out in a free form.

Can:

a) draw in the form of a map, or a crossroads, or - in a free abstract form, in the form of an image (art therapy);

b) make a "visualization board" (see the film "The Secret");

c) write a draft of your future life. Indicate those areas of your life where you would like to improve: - what we have at the moment; - what we want; - our resources (we focus on them; what we cannot change - we accept it as it is);

d) write a letter "I am in ... years";

e) imagine that your life is a novel in which the next chapter is happy; write this chapter;

f) create a notebook or notebook in which we will write down verse quotes that help us in our life, inspire us, help to carry out our plans.

Remember: the written word is amplified many times over.

Exercise "Situation Assessment Scale".

This exercise is from cognitive psychotherapy, but in it we go from the opposite to the positive.

100 points 0 +100 points

A school where at the point -100 points we imagine the worst thing that can happen to a person (but he is still alive). Then, without changing the situation, we reduce the "horrors" we have invented by half (-50 points).

On this scale, let us put down an assessment of our situation.

Exercise "Draw a conflict" (art therapy).

We choose a real conflict situation with a specific person.

On one sheet we draw schematically our conflict with lines. It is necessary to draw with both hands at the same time, the right hand is "I", the left is "my opponent". They put the sheet aside and turned it over.

On another sheet, we change hands, and again draw the same conflict.

We read this biography in the first person.

If after that there is a desire to change the drawing, we change it.

On a new sheet, draw a symbol - how we would like this situation to be resolved, how the conflict would end - always on the positive.

This is our social training. Conclusion: in a conflict, one must show tolerance and condescension.

Exercise "Question to the heart" (art therapy).

We relaxed, asked the question that worries us the most at this time, to ourselves. We address it to our mind.

Let's draw or write the received answer (with a subdominant hand).

We address the same question to our heart. Let us turn to our hearts as the source of wisdom.

We draw or write the answer on another piece of paper.

We prescribe the phrase with the subdominant hand: "I accept myself as (as) as (as) I am!"

The heart has its own brain. The signals received from the heart are many times stronger than from the mind.

Algorithm for positive thinking.

1). A useful name for the situation (it can be humorous; a quote; a metaphor - whatever. The main condition: the name must be positive.)

2). Helpful explanation of the situation: finding out the causes of our problem. Any explanation, even the most improbable, will do.

This stage may not exist.

3). "Memories from the Future".

Let's imagine there is no problem. How will you feel at the same time?

4). Identifying resources.

What worked well in these or similar situations? What resources, qualities, etc. do we have for this?

Write them down in a column.

5). The problem as a teacher.

For example, you are already old. How would you tell your grandchildren about this situation. What did she teach you?

6) .Gratitude.

Let's imagine that our situation was successfully resolved. On this occasion, we are organizing a holiday (you can think of a name for it). We invite to the holiday everyone who had anything to do with our situation, we sit everyone at the laid tables and sincerely thank each of them for something (we need to find something for which we can thank those who were in our situation a "negative hero" ). We sincerely wish you all health, happiness, etc.

Positive thinking can help solve problems and improve the quality of life. But not the best circumstances arising in life make you immediately forget about this wonderful method. How to think positively in the face of any difficulties?

There is only one answer: only by making it a habit. Special exercises used both in trainings and independently will help in this.

Positive thinking is the most important success factor. How to learn to enjoy life and see the positive? You need to train your brain to be dominated by positive thoughts. A person must be aware and constantly monitor not only what his body is doing, but also what his brain is doing. All negative thoughts that arise must be immediately replaced with positive ones. Over time, this will happen automatically.

Thinking in positive terms doesn't mean being a frivolous optimist or a nigga. A positive-minded person perfectly understands the realism of what is happening around him, but concentrates not on problems, but on ways to solve them. If there is no decision or it does not suit you, you should calmly accept it, draw a conclusion for the future and move on. There is still a lot of good ahead.

How to learn to think and live positively? In order not to be disappointed, you should not have high expectations. It is real to evaluate yourself better. You can take a chance and enjoy this game, regardless of the outcome.

But the very first thing to do is to assess whether anything depends on you personally. If it does not, then, relatively speaking, an earthquake and its consequences in the other half of the globe should be perceived simply as information. But the rain outside the window should make you think that you need to take an umbrella with you. Then you will avoid damage to your clothes, bad mood and colds.

Techniques to help develop positive thinking

Surround yourself with the same positive people.... Two individuals, in contact, inevitably experience mutual influence. If you constantly listen to complaints and negative monologues about how hard life is, then it will be difficult to tune in to the positive. By the way, you can read ""
Spend less time watching decadent shows on TV about disasters, crises, criminal offenses. Both good and bad are always happening in the world. Of course, it is necessary to be aware of the current events, but you should not concentrate too much on them. Watch comedies, read good books.
Write down all your little joys. As you reread, try to re-experience the same emotions and high spirits. Look at your family album more often. After all, the best moments of your life are captured there.
Smile! A person begins to smile when he feels good. But it works the other way too. If you smile at first, then a good mood will follow.
Practice meditation. This fosters awareness. And having such a quality, a person is able to control his life.
Say affirmations. You can even create small affirmative posters and hang them on the wall.
Visualize. An article has been written about this "". See yourself as a winner in any situation. You can create in your imagination a picture or a small video with yourself in the lead role.
Feel more grateful for all the good things. what's going on in your life.
Listen to pleasant music often.

Feel free to add to this list of ways to start thinking positively.

Accept what cannot be changed

How to learn to think positively and live if not all dreams come true? Understand that not everything can be changed. You cannot choose other parents, change your current age, your height. If this is not accepted, then you will have to suffer every day from the presence of these factors, and this is a direct path to neurosis.

In addition, you need to accept and love yourself. To love even in failure. Try to do only what you like. Do not pay attention to criticism of other people, even those closest to you. Comments are not always made with good intentions. Sometimes it's just a drain of negativity or elementary envy.

Complex"Ugly duckling "

Often, parents, fearing to spoil their children, never praise them, but not a single mistake is ignored. It is possible that they were also raised by their own parents.

How to start thinking positively in this case? You should analyze your life, look at yourself with your own eyes, and not be guided by the statements of your parents and teachers. Perhaps you will see a completely successful, positive person who deserves quite flattering characteristics. By the way, remember if you have a habit of responding to compliments with denial. Get rid of this complex, and add compliments to your list of positive qualities.

The acquisition sincere rest

How to learn to think positively and stop fighting life? For this, it is necessary to stop dividing events into “bad” and “good”. A logical attitude towards life events is not always beneficial. The loss of a job, which seems like a disaster, can turn into a career takeoff in a new place and the acquisition of financial well-being. Divorce will allow you to meet true love.

Finding positive moments in every event is the answer to the question: "How to learn to think positively?" You need to accept the world as it is. You shouldn't fight with life - it will win anyway.

Revision rules

Most of the stress is generated by rules that we ourselves have invented, or heard in kindergarten. You should not set boundaries for yourself, and then suffer because of this. Many installations are outdated long ago and require revision. From grandchildren, we ourselves have turned into grandparents, and, not realizing this to ourselves, we continue to behave as before. This gives rise to internal conflict and neurosis. How to think positively in this situation? We'll have to work on ourselves.

It is necessary to develop positive thinking. Exercises specially designed for this will help you do this in an interesting, playful way.

Exercises to train a positive attitude

Exercise "Evoking various emotions." Sit in front of a mirror and look closely at your face. You should feel like you are seeing him for the first time. Try to portray different emotions one at a time. Accompany this with appropriate cues, observing the changes in the sound of your voice. Track your inner feelings.
Exercise "Change of emotions". Induce negative emotion in yourself. Feeling unpleasant sensations in myself. Change your negative emotion to a positive one. Listen again to your feelings. The skill of how to think positively appears.
Exercise "Replacing Expectations." Imagine that you are facing a test in which you will not look your best. Replace this picture with another one where you will be the main winner. This exercise is an exercise in how to think positively.
Exercise "Get to know your hand." This exercise trains your ability to observe your sensations. Concentrate your attention on your right hand. Feel its weight, temperature. Whether it is dry or wet. Whether there is little vibration. Is there a feeling of creeping. Repeat this exercise with your other hand.
Exercise "Feel the taste of food." It consists in not eating mechanically, but enjoying delicious food. When eating, distract yourself from extraneous thoughts. Concentrate on your sense of taste. Eat slowly, take your time, and try to get a feel for each ingredient. Chew food thoroughly, savor it. Become a foodie and taster. The skill of getting pleasure from any business that you do is acquired.
Exercise "Fantasies without limits." This exercise helps to liberate the mind. Select a part of your body, such as the ring finger on your right hand. If you want to get married or get married, imagine putting an engagement ring on that finger. Feel the chill of metal, feel your heart beat faster. Add ambient sounds, pleasant smells. Remember these feelings. To make a habit of positive thinking, these exercises must be repeated regularly.
Exercise "Relaxation". Make yourself comfortable with your eyes closed. Focus on your inner feelings. Begin to quickly clench and unclench your fists. Raise your arms to shoulder levels and continue the exercise. When you feel that your hands are tired and there is no strength to continue, put the rivers on your knees and relax. Work on your feelings for a while. Remember the state of pleasant relaxation. Now, in stressful situations, you can remember these feelings and reduce tension.
Exercise "Awareness of your positive x qualities ". This exercise teaches you how to start thinking positively. When we think about our accomplishments, it gives us confidence. But we often forget about past successes to build on. You need to get used to constantly reminding yourself how significant and successful you are. Take a piece of paper and a pencil. Divide it into three parts and head them: "My merits", "Where I am strong", "My achievements". Complete these columns. Try to remember them. It won't work the first time, so re-read it regularly. Now, in moments of uncertainty and doubt, imagine him before your eyes. Straighten your shoulders and raise your head - you can do anything!
Exercise "Developing Faith in Future Achievements." Repeat the previous exercise, but make a list of those qualities that you are just about to develop in yourself.
Exercise "Understanding Financial Achievement NS". Financial stability is an indispensable component of the concept of success. It is difficult for a pay-to-pay person to maintain self-confidence. Article on the topic: ““. To do this, you need to have positive thinking, exercises for development, which have been developed by psychologists, must be applied in practice. Imagine yourself as being successful and financially independent, and the benefits that it brings. You can imagine the shopping you can now get, vacationing at fashionable resorts, doing charity work. Of course, do not go beyond the bounds of reality, after all, few become oligarchs.
Exercise "Tips of smart people." Let's say you have some important decision to make. You hesitate because there are pros and cons. Introduce yourself to the company of people you respect. They can be people you know or people you just heard or read about. Socrates can be with your smart colleague. Voice your problem to them, and then carefully "listen" to their advice.

Output

Developing the ability to think positively is essential to a successful life. To do this, you need to study the advice "how to start thinking positively" and do not forget to perform the special exercises developed for this.