Formation of positive thinking. How negative thoughts affect the brain. Active listening method

Positive thinking- this is a type of mental activity in which, in solving absolutely all life questions and tasks, the individual sees mainly advantages, successes, successes, life experience, opportunities, own desires and resources for their implementation, and not shortcomings, failures, failure, obstacles, needs etc.

This is a positive (positive) attitude of the individual towards himself, life in general, specific circumstances occurring in particular, which will have to happen. These are good thoughts of an individual, images that are the source of personal growth and success in life. However, not every individual is capable of positive anticipation, and not everyone accepts the principles of positive thinking.

The Power of Positive Thinking N. Peel

Peel Norman Vincent and his work on the power of positive thinking among similar works takes not the last place. The author of this work was not only a successful writer, but also a clergyman. His practice of positive thinking is based on a close intertwining of psychology, psychotherapy and religion. The book "The Power of Positive Thinking" Saw is the basis for other practices about the power of thoughts.

Saw's philosophy is to believe in yourself and your thoughts, in your own abilities, given by God. He believed that self-confidence always leads to success. He also believed that the great importance of prayer lies in the ability to generate creative thoughts and ideas. All the sources of strength that are necessary for the development of a successful life are asleep in the human spirit.

Throughout life, people are defeated day after day in the struggle with life's circumstances. All their lives they strive upward, while constantly complaining, always with a feeling of persistent discontent, invariably complaining about everyone and everything. Of course, in a sense, in life there is such a thing as bad luck, but along with this there is morale and strength that a person can control and anticipate such bad luck. And people, in general, simply retreat before life's circumstances and difficulties, having no reason for this. Of course, this does not mean that there are no hard trials and even tragedies in life. Just don't let them get the best of you.

Individuals have two paths in life. One - is to allow control of your own mind, obstacles and difficulties, until such time as they do not become the prevailing factors of individual thinking. However, having learned to get rid of negativity from his thoughts, having refused at the level of reason, to promote it and letting the strength of the spirit through all thoughts, a person is able to overcome obstacles that usually force him to retreat.

The effective methods and principles described in the book, as Peel said, were not his invention. They are given by the greatest Teacher of humanity - God. Peel's book teaches you how to put Christian doctrine into practice.

The first and most important principle of positive thinking, described in the work of N. Peel, is based on faith in yourself and your talents. Without a conscious belief in their abilities, a person cannot become a successful person. Feelings of inadequacy and self-inferiority interfere with the realization of plans, desires and hopes. And the feeling of self-confidence and self-confidence, on the contrary, leads to personal growth, self-realization and successful achievement of goals.

It is necessary to develop in oneself a creative self-confidence and faith in oneself, which must be based on a solid foundation. In order to change your thinking towards faith, you need to change your inner position.

Peel recommends in his book the use of mind-clearing technology at least twice a day. It is necessary to clear your mind of the accumulated fears, hopelessness, failures, regrets, hatred, resentments, feelings of guilt. The very fact of making a conscious effort to clear the mind already gives positive results and some relief.

However, cleansing the mind alone is not enough. As soon as it is cleansed of something, it will immediately be filled with something else. It cannot remain empty for a long time. A person cannot live with an empty mind. Therefore, it should be filled with something, otherwise the thoughts that the person got rid of will come back. Therefore, you need to fill your mind with healthy, positive and constructive thoughts.

Throughout the day, one should, as Peel recommended in his writings, practice carefully selected soothing thoughts. You can recall the pictures of the past creative and positive attitude, for example, the shine of the sea in the moonlight. Such soothing pictures and thoughts will act on the personality as a healing balm. You can complement peaceful thoughts with articulation. After all, the word has a significant power of suggestion. Each word can contain both healing and, conversely, illness. You can use the word "calm". It should be repeated several times. This word is one of the most melodic and beautiful. Therefore, pronouncing it aloud, a person can induce a state of inner peace.

Also, it is important to read prayers or passages from the Holy Scriptures. Bible words have extraordinary healing powers. They are one of the most effective methods for gaining peace of mind.

It is necessary to control your inner state so as not to lose vital energy. A person begins to lose energy in those cases when the mind begins to get bored, i.e. gets tired of doing nothing. A person should not get tired. To do this, you should get carried away with something, some kind of activity, immerse yourself in it entirely. A person who constantly does something does not feel tired.

If there are no pleasant events in life, then the individual collapses and degenerates. The more the subject is immersed in any kind of significant activity for him, the more energy there will be. There just won't be time to get bogged down in emotional turmoil. In order for an individual's life to be filled with energy, emotional mistakes must be corrected. Constant exposure to feelings of guilt, fear, resentment "eat up" energy.

There is a simple formula for overcoming difficulties and solving problems with prayer, which is prayer (reciting prayers), positive representations (painting), and realization.

The first part of the formula is to recite constructive prayers every day. The second component is painting. An individual who expects success is already determined to achieve success. Conversely, an individual who presumes to fail is more likely to fail. Therefore, one should mentally depict success in any undertaking, and then success will always accompany.

The third component is implementation. To guarantee the realization of something significant, you must first pray to God about it. Then imagine the picture as an already occurring event, trying to clearly keep this image in consciousness. It is necessary, as it were, to transfer the solution of such a task into God's hands.

Peel also believed that many people create their own misfortunes. And the habit of being happy is developed through the training of individual thinking. You should make a list of joyful thoughts in your mind, then every day you need to pass them through your mind a number of times. Any wandering negative thought should be immediately stopped and deliberately deleted, replacing it with another, joyful one.

Positive mindset

The modern life of an individual is filled with stressful situations, anxiety and depression. Emotional loads are so high that not everyone is able to cope with them. In such situations, almost the only way to resolve is a positive way of thinking. This kind of thinking is the best way to maintain inner peace and harmony.

The first thing to do in order to master positive thinking is to understand one important thing - each person creates his own happiness. Nobody can help until the person himself starts to act. Each subject himself forms an individual way of thinking and chooses a path in life.

The first principle of a positive mindset is to listen to your inner voice. You should deal with all the problems that gnaw in order to think positively.

The next principle is to set goals and prioritize. The goal must be clearly presented in order for the future to seem simple and clear. And then you need to mentally model the future in great detail. Visualization is the ideal tool to help you achieve your goals.

The third principle is smiling. After all, it is not for nothing that it has long been known that it is laughter that prolongs life.

The fourth principle is to love the difficulties encountered along the path of life. Difficulties were, are and will always be. In spite of everything, one must learn to enjoy life, to enjoy it.

The fifth principle is the ability to live in the here and now. You need to appreciate every fraction of a second of life and enjoy just the moment. After all, the same moment as now will never happen again.

The sixth principle is to learn to be optimistic. An optimist is not a person who sees only good things. An optimist is a person who is confident in himself and his strengths.

Today there are a huge variety of techniques, recommendations for achieving positive thinking. However, the most effective is the training of positive thinking, which allows in practice to learn self-control, a better understanding of others. Positive thinking training helps to acquire such a significant personality quality as cordiality, helps to learn to look at life more positively.

The psychology of positive thinking

Every day all people experience different emotions and feelings, think about something. Each thought does not pass without leaving a trace, it affects the body.

Scientists have proven that the intensity of thoughts of various emotional colors, changes in the moods of individuals can change the chemical composition of blood, affect the speed and other signs of the work of organs.

In the course of numerous studies, it was recorded that negative thoughts reduce the performance of the human body.

Aggressive emotions, feelings that cause irritability and discontent have a detrimental effect on the body. Very often people mistakenly think that in order to be happy they just need to solve all the pressing problems. And they try to solve them, being under the influence of negative emotions or in general in depressive states. And, of course, problems are almost never solved.

As practice shows, in reality everything happens the other way around. To effectively solve problems, you must first achieve a stable positive emotional state and attitude, and then overcome obstacles and solve problems.

When a person is under the influence of negative emotions, his consciousness resides in the area of ​​the brain responsible for the negative experience of the individual and the negative experience of all his ancestors. There simply cannot be answers to questions and solutions to problems in this zone. There is only hopelessness, despair and a dead end. And the longer a person's consciousness is in this zone, the more the individual thinks about the bad, the deeper he gets bogged down in a quagmire of negativism. The result will be a hopeless situation, a problem that cannot be solved, a dead end.

For a positive resolution of problems, it is necessary to transfer consciousness to the zone that is responsible for the positive experienced individual experience and the experience of ancestors. It is called the zone of joy.

One of the ways to transfer consciousness to the zone of joy is positive affirmations, i.e. affirmations such as: I am happy, everything is going well, etc. And you can come up with a statement that will fit the individual preferences of the individual.

If from day to day you try to stay constantly in a positive mood, then after a while the body will rebuild itself for recovery, find ways to solve problems.

Intense and constant positive emotions in the human body include programs aimed at self-healing, healing, the correct functioning of all organs and systems, a healthy and happy life.

One of the methods to train yourself to think positively is to keep a journal in which you should write down all the positive events that have occurred during the day.

You can also use the practice of N. Pravdina in the formation of positive thinking, based on the power of words. Pravdina views positive thinking as a source of success, prosperity, love, happiness. In her book, The ABC of Positive Thinking, she tells how you can permanently free yourself from the fears lurking in your mind.

Pravdin's positive thinking is such an individual's attitude to himself, in which he does not force himself to be a victim, does not reprimand himself for mistakes, does not rub constantly past failures or traumatic situations, communicates with others without conflict. This attitude leads the individual to a healthy and happy life. And the book "The ABC of Positive Thinking" helps subjects to realize all the greatness and beauty of life without negativity, to fill life with inspiration and joy. After all, the way of thinking determines the quality of life. Pravdina proposes in her writings to take responsibility for your life to yourself. Such a transformation should begin with the words that people say.

The main thing is to understand that a kind attitude towards oneself and love generates similar vibrations in the Universe. Those. if an individual thinks of himself scornfully, then his whole life will be like that.

The art of positive thinking

Positive thinking is a kind of art that can give each individual a mentally harmonious and healthy state, as well as peace of mind. The power of thought is the greatest power on the planet. A person becomes what he thinks about. By giving direction to the thought process in the direction of the positive, the individual is able to evolve to crazy heights. The opposite tendency will be seen if the thinking of the individual is directed in the negative direction, i.e. such a person can go not along the path of progress, but along the path of degradation. Positive thinking is when the mind is immune to the influence of angry states, the influence of hatred, greed and greed, or other negative thoughts.

The art of positive thinking in Tibet is based on people's perception of themselves as material, as creatures of blood and flesh, but in fact they are the consciousness used by the human body to express itself, to satisfy mental and physiological needs. Each subject reacts completely differently to the environment and circumstances. It is this reaction that is the basis of the future. That is, it depends only on each individual what awaits him - problems or happiness, joy or tears, health or illness.

There are several basic concepts in the Tibetan art of positive thinking. Tibetan positive thinking is based on three basic concepts such as energy metabolism, mental pollution, and the relationship between body and mind.

The concept of energy exchange implies that absolutely every emotion leaves a mark in the subtle body of the individual, which subsequently affects the further direction of human thoughts. Therefore, emotions are divided into those that give energy and those that take it away. In order to minimize the emotional impact and gain harmony, you should immerse yourself in the state of meditation and invite your mind to transform them into positive ones. So, for example, make mercy out of anger, and gratitude out of sorrow.

It is impossible to completely eliminate all negative thoughts, but it is really possible to transform them into positive ones. Tibetans believed that negative emotions polluted the brain. These include greed, envy, anger, arrogance, jealousy, lust, selfishness and imprudent actions, thoughts. It is from them that you should get rid of in the first place. Since all pollution affects a person in terms of mental, physical, spiritual health. All human experiences affect the individual in particular and the world around him as a whole. Therefore, it should be taken as an axiom that the human body and the brain are quite closely interconnected. In this connection, a completely new reality is born.

In the art of Tibetan positive thinking, there is a twenty-eight-day practice of increasing the power of thoughts. 28 days is enough to develop the inner potential to bring about the desired change. The author of this technique recommends starting the practice on Thursday. This is due to the fact that, in accordance with the teachings of Bon, this day is considered a day of prosperity. And the practice should be finished on Wednesday, since Wednesday is considered the day of the beginning of action.

The essence of the practice is immersion in a meditative state. To do this, you need to diligently relax in a sitting position on a chair or floor, then focus on your problem situation and imagine its destruction. Those. the individual who practices presents his problem and imagines how he destroys it. During meditation, the problem can be burned, torn, broken. This should be presented as clearly and vividly as possible. After the individual destroys the problem, a lot of negative emotions will emerge in his brain that are associated with it, but they should not be paid attention to. The main thing is to eliminate the problem.

We are glad to welcome you, dear readers! Positive thinking is a way of life where a person feels happy and able to work. He looks for opportunities, not limitations, which is why he usually achieves success and realizes his goals. Such people are called the lucky ones who were born and were “kissed by fortune”. But in fact, each of us is capable of becoming a darling of fate. You just need to change a little the course of your thoughts, and today we will look at what exercises you can use to do this.

What is it and how does it work?

The instincts of self-preservation work in such a way that, by narrowing the consciousness of the individual, concentrate it on one thing - trying to survive. The so-called tunnel thinking arises.

To make it clearer, I will give an example. Imagine that you notice a wild boar in the distance in the forest. What will be the first reaction? Run away, of course, if you are not a hunter and find yourself in such a situation for the first time. So, you will run as fast as you can, without really noticing anything around.

Although, if you think about it, you could climb a tree, call the rescuers on your cell phone, and so on, which, in fact, will be more effective. But due to the limited consciousness due to fear, you are not able to look for options.

Likewise, you are unable to look for opportunities when you only think about the negative. The brain is simply disconnected from the outside world, drawing your attention inward. Now imagine if athletes, for example, boxers, were afraid during the fight and thought that they would definitely lose? Would they be able to assess the situation and think over tactics, focusing on the current situation? I doubt, as well as that they would have been accompanied by success in their careers.

Research scientists

Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D. from Stanford, after numerous studies that she conducted over 20 years, came to the conclusion that, while a person experiences pleasant emotions, such as joy, tenderness, peace, happiness, etc., he is capable of not only to notice the mass of the provided opportunities, but also develops, acquires skills.

A person, on the other hand, is pessimistic and unlikely to try something new, experiment and follow his interest. And then her life will seem gray, monotonous and boring. And this leads to apathy, depression and various diseases. This is human psychology, the body is sensitive to any experience, and the excessiveness of any of them can violate its integrity.

So, from the restrained anger, teeth crumble, and a head hurts, from innuendo - it bothers the throat, shoulders - when there is too much responsibility ... You can learn more about pessimists from the article.

It will allow you to concentrate on something pleasant, to feel satisfaction, relaxation, saturation and harmony. With constant practice, health improves, thoughts return to normal, if chaos was previously created. You also get inspiration to create and change your life for the better.

Yoga, in addition to mental balance, will benefit your figure, strength, flexibility and endurance are unlikely to be superfluous. You can master the basics thanks to the recommendations specified in.

2. Limit TV and news viewing

It seems to sound strange, because a modern person must "keep his finger on the pulse" and be aware of all the events taking place in the world. But tell me what information will give you that a maniac was caught in some country or a terrible accident happened, someone was killed or raped? If these circumstances do not concern you personally, by the nature of your service, for example, then why should you dive into negativity?


Something that you will definitely need to know, other people tell you, believe me, the important will not pass by. If you try to give up watching the news for at least a few days, you will notice that more and less thoughts have appeared about how cruel and unjust the world is.

3. Refuse "NOT"

Stop using the "not" part in conversation and, in general, build sentences using negative words. Remember from the article that thoughts are material? Therefore, what we think and say is attracted. So instead of the usual “I'm a failure” or “I can't do it,” tell yourself that you will definitely cope with the problem, and everything will work out.

4. Environment

Tell me, how to be happy or happy if there are people around who do not know how to value life, enjoy it and only do what they condemn? We are social beings, and society, no matter how desirable, leaves its mark on the worldview, character and interests of a person.

5. Gratitude works wonders

If you learn to find reasons why you can boldly say thank you, at least to yourself, even to your enemies, then we can say that you have finally gained the ability to think positively. In this life, no one owes us anything, and we need to be able to take care and goodness not for granted, but with gratitude.

For example, a child whose mother left after birth grew up feeling hatred towards her for this act, for the fact that she deprived him of her love and attention. And he lives, especially not trusting anyone, embittered and thirsty for revenge. And in his memory he constantly keeps the image of a terrible mother, which takes away energy.


Tell me, what good does it give him? How does it help? If he thought that he was grateful for the fact that she gave him life, although she could then simply have an abortion, then he would free himself from accumulated feelings, he would become freer and happier. It’s difficult, I don’t argue, but it’s quite possible. Forgiveness and the ability to appreciate even the little things make life much easier, filling it with new colors.

6. Book

Louise Hay has written tons of books that have helped change the lives of millions of people. And today I want to recommend one bestseller "Live positive", it consists not only of theory, but also practical tasks, completing which step by step, you can overcome the barriers that prevent your happiness.

7. Orientation towards the future

All events in our life, pleasant and not so pleasant, give us the opportunity to gain experience, which is why it is important not to devalue them, but to take them into account. The problem arises when a person, as it were, gets bogged down in it, brings it into reality, ignoring it. Well, for example, after the betrayal of a loved one, you can decide that all men are unfaithful, not noticing the really honest and worthy in their environment, believing that they will never find female happiness again.

The essence of this exercise is that you should look for at least a few resources that you have acquired, despite the tragedy of the situation, and let it go, concentrating on how you see your future. Stop giving energy to the past, dream and fantasize as often as possible, enjoy the present and what you are doing.

8. Advantages

This method takes two weeks to complete. You need to keep a small notebook where every day you will write down 10 of your qualities that you like, or at least resources and help in something. At the end of the term, you will have on hand a characteristic consisting of 140 points, most of which you will find in yourself in the course of execution.

Because the personality is actually multifaceted, and if you think that you are cowardly, surely in your story there were situations where you showed courage, but for some reason did not appropriate it as a quality.

9. Diary


Start keeping a diary, only it is worth describing not just every day, but the cases and situations that made you feel good. As a result, you will get an autobiographical book that you can reread in difficult moments, or when you realize that you are already forgetting some stories. And the process itself will imperceptibly turn you into a joyful person.

10. Black and white

Imagine someone annoying, disgusting, angry, hateful, and so on. Have you presented? And now the most difficult thing - name at least 5 qualities of this vile individual that he possesses, and you like, or cause respect, recognition.

The essence of this exercise is to show that sometimes we judge one-sidedly, dividing the world into black and white, and such categoricalness can make us unhappy. So you will be able to look at him in a completely different way, and, perhaps, even begin to cooperate with him.

For example, as a friend, he may not be very good, he gives out secrets and may well betray, but as a specialist in some area he is considered the best. So why focus only on the negative when you can consider resources and lean on them?

Attend various trainings. Of course, they have disadvantages - this is short-term motivation. But there are many more advantages. I go through various trainings every year, both online and offline. Many tools taken from these trainings help in everyday life.

Of course, information can be found for free, but value is lost and the material is not absorbed as efficiently. Another thing is when a paid training, and even one that takes you out of the comfort zone, then the information from it is taken to the maximum and consolidated by practice, one might say it is recorded on the "subcortex".

For women, I would suggest looking these trainings... In general, there are many of them now, look on the Internet and choose according to your taste.

Conclusion

Being happy is a whole art that is not so difficult to master. Introduce a little humor into your life, and perhaps you will become easier to relate to everything. Start small and gradually develop into an optimistic person. Finally, I want to recommend the article, suddenly it turns out to be useful. Inspiration and joy to you!

The material was prepared by Zhuravina Alina.

Very often, what happens in consultation with a psychologist, a person can do on their own: master positive thinking, visualization, active listening is real and according to the advice from the book. Another thing is to introduce useful psychological exercises into a habit. Here, the psychologist most often acts as just a stimulus - like a gym for those who do not get their hands on fitness at home.

Psychological exercises for every day

It is not for nothing that mathematics is among the entrance exams to the Faculty of Psychology. Our sciences have a lot in common! In psychology, including family psychology, there are many different exercises. I suggest you familiarize yourself with some of them. Everyone will be able to use them in their family.

  1. My favorite method, which I put first, is "How amazing!"... It consists in the fact that your every reaction to an unexpected event (good or bad) begins with the phrase "How great!" And it doesn't matter that things are "not a fountain" and those around you will not understand you at first. Such a reaction of the environment will even play into your hands - the brain in a panic will begin to think about why this is great. You can also strengthen the effect of the method - immediately say: "This is so great, because ..." And then your brain will save you!
  2. Introducing a mandatory procedure "5 joys of the day"... You, your partner, your children, your parents - anyone you want to take part in it. In the evening, you tell each other five pleasant events of the day. Their importance is not important, it is important that they bring you joy. This will teach you to notice good events and not focus on bad ones, as well as share good news with loved ones first of all.
  3. Introduce self-rewards... Give yourself a nice little thing or a meaningful gift at least once a month. It is important to promise it to yourself in advance and wait for its acquisition.
  4. Another exercise - visualization board... It is a poster or stand on which images of what a person wants to get from life are placed. She is a powerful weapon in the fight for the dream. The main principle of its action lies in the correct formation of images of one's own dreams and visualization of the desired.

In the center of the board, place your photo in which you are sincerely happy, experiencing joy. And then start posting pictures or drawings around you of what you want to get out of life or what you want to achieve in it. To create a visualization board, select life-affirming, beautiful, bright and expressive pictures depicting what you want.

For each sector, select a separate photo: for the marriage sector - a picture with a picture of a happy family; for the career sector - the image of a successful businessman; for the sector of material wealth - a car, a house, a summer residence; for the sector of spiritual life - photos, for example, of countries where I would like to visit ...

On the visualization board, you need to place images that reflect the final result of your efforts, dreams that have already come true, and realized opportunities. If desired, the images can be accompanied by short comments (written in the present tense).

  1. With all our desire think positively we ourselves subconsciously block the achievement of the goal! Here we are like repeating “I am healthy and happy”, and at the same time the thought “how can I be healthy when there is an epidemic around” runs through. Or “where to come from fortunately with such a euro rate ”.

Let me tell you about one great exercise. Wake up in the morning and say to yourself mentally, or better aloud: “It's great that this day has come. I allow (I allow, I command - you can choose any word that you like) myself to live this day the way I want! I will achieve all my goals. " And if that same negative thought arises in your head, you say: "And I forbid such thoughts and all obstacles to be in this day!" Then count out loud "one, two, three" and clap your hands! This exercise is good for children too! It is worth starting the day with it, and ending with “five joys”.

It is important to have a plan for the day, and it is better to adopt it the day before. But don't set yourself boundaries and boundaries! After all, often something does not work out precisely because we ourselves are afraid, slow down, do not realize our capabilities. Try to do this exercise for at least 21 days, or rather, make it a habit.

  1. By doing visualizations, activating the power of thought, daydreaming, people often turn this activity into obsession... They think they are twisting in their heads. If we imagine at this moment the brain, as a separate being, then it sits and thinks: “Help! How long can you think about it? This has not happened yet, and there are already so many problems! " And he does everything to prevent this obsessive "nuisance" from happening. Well-meaning, of course.

I suggest you the following method of struggle... Open the notes in your phone and select a date exactly one year from now. Write in there all your dreams in a fulfilled form. And close, with a reminder that will work in a year. Everything! Forget it, don't go into the record. If it works - evaluate the result. You will surely be surprised!

Today there is a lot of debate about whether it is good to live in a positive world, or, more precisely, to try to artificially create one for yourself. I am sure that the efforts spent on ensuring that there is peace, tranquility and a positive attitude in the family will return to you like a boomerang, manifested in your children. They will grow up in a friendly atmosphere and become self-confident people. And this is very cool!

Active listening method

This method is as follows - sit down and talk. What for? I hear this question often. This is the way a person is arranged that it is difficult for us to live without feedback from others. If a woman stands all day at the stove, she expects a kind word about herself, an assessment of her work. When a spouse goes to work, spending days there, he also expects feedback - in the form of wages.

A positive, engaging pregnancy book? Recently, I got bored to look for exciting, positive, some kind of psychological or psychological help to myself: 6 exercises and active listening. Instead of consulting a psychologist - positive thinking.

Discussion

This thinking has long been state-owned. From the first three months, everyone knows and monitors about such apartments: the police, housing and communal services, the municipality, the clinic, the government ... They help each other to arrange these apartments for those who need them.
Ours is already the third term, as the main municipal deputy, occupies just such an apartment. [link-1].
Only those on the waiting list do not know about it.

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.

Man is a product of his thinking, what he thinks, so he becomes.

Mahatma Gandhi.

Often I hear such phrases from others: “be positive”, “you need to think positively” and others. But do people really understand the meaning and essence of how to think positively and why? Putting on the mask of a positive "superman" and being one are completely different things. Looking around, you can see the faces of people who express various emotions, for example: concern and joy, sadness and happiness, anger and peacefulness, boredom and interest ... But to see genuine happiness or satisfaction in the eyes is a rare occurrence. "Being positive" is in trend now. And few people want to communicate with a negative person or a sad crybaby. And yet everyone understands something of their own under the positive. Many can “put a smile on their face”, but not everyone can plant a smile, happiness and positiveness in their hearts. You can put on a mask of positiveness as much as you like, if at the same time “cats scratch at your soul”, and you engage in self-flagellation or self-deprecation, then the mask will forever remain a mask and sooner or later will fall off. All these are just different ways of deceiving, we can successfully deceive others or even ourselves, but this will not change the fact that it is best to come to positive thinking and high-quality internal and external changes through self-awareness and deep inner work.

Let's take a look at how to think positively, how positive thinking can affect your life, and why thoughts materialize when you think positively.

How to think positively and achieve peace of mind

How often do you hear the phrase “thoughts are material”? And indeed it is. Many of you must have noticed that when the mood is "on the rise", then life becomes easy, simple and pleasant. All problems are solved as if by themselves, there are positive-minded people who are ready to help and support, everyone around is friendly and nice, and the world seems to be smiling at you. And vice versa, when the mood and thoughts leave much to be desired, then life is not a joy, the space around begins as if to confirm your sad thoughts and contributes to their realization. This is why it is so important to think positively! Positive thinking helps to change your life for the better, to achieve inner peace and harmony.

Recently, I had to communicate with a large number of negatively minded people, I really wanted to help them and make it clear that sometimes their troubles and sufferings flow and materialize from their own head. Trying to convey the idea of ​​positive thinking and looking at people, I saw the following: some people say: “Yes, everything is bad with me, but Vaska's neighbor is still worse and this makes me feel good (easier), because my problems are in comparison with the problems of others not so scary - you can live. "

Others say: "Everything is bad for me and I do not care if others are bad or good, I only care about my own life, my problems and my worries."

Still others say: “Everything is bad for me and will not get better, all the good things have already been chopped off by those rich people who are furious with fat, or those sectarians who are out of their minds, or those who have a higher salary, or those who have grass greener on the lawn, and so on. "

And there are also those who understand the power of positive thinking, but cannot cope with their thoughts, saying something like the following: “Yes, you need to think positively in order to change your life, but I don’t know how, because I have a lot of problems; I don’t know where to start, or I don’t know how to remake myself, change myself, or where to take time to work on myself; Yes, you need to think positively, because Katya over there thinks positively, and everything works out for her and everything is fine with her, so I can, but just what can I do for this? And for this you also need to do something? And I am lazy (difficult, scary, no time) "... Where did you recognize yourself?

Now, based on the categories described, let's figure it out, how to think positively to change your life.

So, let's begin ... We found out that people can plunge into negativity in different ways, some begin to elevate themselves above those who are worse off than themselves, others envy those who are better, others are generally indifferent to everything and everyone except their own person. Shantideva's words are immediately remembered:

« All the happiness that is in the world comes from the desire for happiness to others. All the suffering that is in the world comes from the desire for happiness for oneself»

Based on these words, we can conclude that the more you desire and do good to others unselfishly, the more good then comes back to you, and in the end everyone is happy and everyone wins. But for this you need to say goodbye to such defilements as envy, anger, pride, laziness, fear, and bring more altruism, compassion and awareness into your life.

An analytical and evaluative approach to this or that situation, sincere belief in the best and awareness of the law of Karma also helps to achieve peace of mind. I know that when negative events happen to me, negative karma simply boils away. This process can be accelerated or slowed down, but you still have to exhaust karma. And when positive events occur in life, then I understand that this is a reward for my good deeds and actions. It helps to let go of any worries and move on, working on yourself.

Of course, sometimes awareness is not enough to sensibly assess the situation and draw the right conclusions from the lessons that have happened. Then I switch to "standby". I just do what I have to, what I have to do, block out negative thoughts (I just don't let them get into my head) and do practices that can ease the inner state, such as hatha yoga, taking a hot bath, or listening to yoga lectures. and a healthy lifestyle, reading spiritual and developing literature. Internal heaviness and fatigue gradually recede, it becomes easier physically and energetically, there is a desire to do something for the good and strength for realizations and conclusions.

Sometimes the following phrase inspires me: “If there is a goal - go to it, if you can't go - crawl, if you can't crawl - lie down and lie in the direction of the goal”. The main thing is not to give up, difficulties are always temporary, and if you give up and give yourself some indulgence or 100 indulgences, it won't get any easier, you just have to go through these lessons and this path again, because every indulgence, weakness or negative thought is a step back from the goal, from a feeling of inner happiness and integrity. This does not mean that you do not need to relax and rest. But even relaxation can be chosen such that it will both delight and reinforce a positive attitude towards life, and at the same time bring good.

All this helps to shift the focus of concentration from one's own sufferings and experiences to actions to change and rework the current situation. When you realize that everything that happens to you is the result of your actions and actions in the past, then the question no longer arises: “WHAT IS THIS FOR?”, Now you can stop and understand WHY this situation came to you, and draw the appropriate conclusions. With the realization of these simple things comes peace of mind and balance, because everything happens as it should be, but there are always ways to change your life, karma and thoughts for the better, redirecting your actions in a more benign direction.

How to start thinking positively

In fact, to start thinking positively, you just need to start! Start celebrating positive things in life: celebrating what makes you happy instead of celebrating what makes you sad; focus on what you have, instead of desiring endless blessings and feeling envy; it is important to praise yourself for your successes, even the smallest one, but also to accept constructive criticism adequately in order to change the negative points! You can also make a list of positive thoughts that support and inspire you. Getting started can be difficult, but anything is possible! Try to start the day with a smile and gratitude for the precious birth, and in the evening before going to bed, remember what good happened in your life today and what good you did. Gradually, you will learn to celebrate the positive, without even thinking about it, you will see the good in people or see in their actions an example of how to behave, and how not to, to learn from even unpleasant situations. The feeling of guilt before this world, other people and ourselves will be replaced by the awareness of your causality and calmness. What if think positively, thoughts materialize in a positive way, and life in general will become easier and more enjoyable.

A very important point in positive thinking - do not paint yourself vivid pictures of how you are doing well and how wonderful you are, how wonderful everyone around you and how you love everyone, and they love you. Thinking in pictures means leaving your energy and part of yourself in the imagination. In fact, when our attention is stuck in something that is no longer there (the past), in something that does not yet exist (the future) or simply in a non-existent present (imagination), then the energy simply flows into nowhere, and there is no sense from these visualizations, but on the other hand there is harm. It doesn't matter for our mind in what reality you will be happy, real or imagined, and it will happily dream up everything for you! And when you return to real reality (I apologize for the tautology), it will hurt from the realization of the discrepancy between the imaginary and the real, sad from the useless waste of time and psychic energy. Be mindful of visualization and meditate. To really start changing life, raise your consciousness to a different, qualitatively new level, stop running away from reality, accept it as it is and start acting! Any action begins in the head, allow yourself to think positively. The world will not collapse if you become a little happier! Define a goal, create a plan for achieving that goal, and start thinking positively as you achieve it! Start small and work your way up. Feel small positive feelings within yourself and big positive thoughts will appear. Then you will understand how to think positively in any difficulties. In this practice of positive thinking, as in many other activities, experience and practice are important. After all, if you want to pump up the press, then you will perform exercises to strengthen it and make great efforts to achieve your goal, and in this particular case, in order to learn to think positively and do it right, diligent practice is required.

How to force yourself to think positively

Our life is sometimes unpredictable, and sometimes it is impossible to predict when and where the next lesson will lie in wait for you. How to think positively in the face of any difficulties? Start small, because "a 1000 mile journey starts with one step."

  1. Learning to let go of the negative. The practice of yoga and concentration will help you with this. When we practice asanas on the mat, it increases our awareness and releases hidden energy resources. Redirect your energy to a good channel - learn how to concentrate on an object, a candle flame, water ... The practice of concentration helps you to be more collected and teaches you to control your attention. This way, you will learn to quickly and painlessly switch to positive thinking.
  2. Learning to accept the positive. The problem with some people with a lack of positive thinking is also that they consider themselves unworthy of the best. Therefore, it is extremely important to accept yourself as you are without excessive self-flagellation. Try to assess yourself in terms of the positive qualities and qualities that you need to work on. Highlight the main thing and start working on yourself, praise yourself for your successes - this will help form a habit of positive thinking and save you from a number of unnecessary complexes. Accept the positive and change the negative. There is such an eastern wisdom: "If you do not like the situation, change it, if you cannot change, then change your attitude towards it." Indeed, if you are unable to change something, then what is the point of lamenting about it?
  3. Learning to ask the right questions to ourselves. Listen to people who complain about life ... What are they talking about? Of course, about YOUR unhappy life, about YOURSELF! Do you think these people have nothing more to tell? Of course have! Try to ask a question to such a person: "What good happened to you today?" And the person immediately switches his attention to the positive. You need to ask yourself this question more often. If the answer is not satisfactory, then ask another question: “What can I do to change the situation? What lessons did I learn today? What conclusions can be drawn? What can I do to be happier? What is true happiness for me? What can I do for family, friends, the world to experience happiness? " By answering these or similar questions, you will realize many interesting things about yourself.
  4. Learning to rest. Internal work, like external activities, can be tiring, so make sure you provide yourself with quality rest. Do yoga, take a walk in nature, chat with like-minded people. At the same time, relaxation is not lying on the couch in front of the TV, various parties with the use of intoxicating and intoxicating substances, as well as communication with people that lead you to degradation and even greater immersion in negative thoughts. If you want more energy and a better quality of life, get the right rest.
  5. Learning to do well for ourselves. Do the things that benefit you. This is where the ability to ask the right questions will help us. For example: eating 5 chocolates might be delicious, but how good is it for your body? Eat right, get enough sleep, and practice energizing practices. Try to associate with sane, positive people who have a positive influence on you.
  6. We learn to praise ourselves, to celebrate the good in ourselves. Frequently celebrate the positive events in your life and your good deeds that have benefited other sentient beings. This will become the guarantor of your good mood and inner lift. Over time, you will find that it will be difficult for external factors to influence your mood in a negative way.
  7. Learning to do good to others(selflessly). Try to just smile at people. Studies have shown that when we meet a smiling person, we involuntarily begin to smile ourselves, as if we are "infected" with his good mood. It is always pleasant for me to see a return smile, and at the same time my own happiness does not diminish if I share it, but it becomes very pleasant in my soul from the realization that it has become easier for someone, and he will go into the world with a better mood and, possibly , will also "infect" someone with happiness. Over time, you will want to do good things for other people more and more often.
  8. Learning to celebrate the good in others. To make the world brighter, kind and pleasant, try to celebrate their good qualities in the people around you, thereby giving them the opportunity to show themselves from their best side.
  9. We recharge in nature. For me, yoga and nature are the best recharging and inexhaustible sources of energy. With the help of yoga, you can change your inner energy and raise it up, and in nature you seem to be saturated with the energy of the sea, forest, ocean, mountains, rivers, earth and clear sky ...

I hope you find this story helpful and help you start thinking positively through self-awareness. Get started! And you will understand for yourself how to think positively and live to the fullest.

What good happened in your life today?