How To Have A Positive Outlook

Are you a negative person or stuck in a negative mindset? This year has been really hard for a lot of people. Maybe you haven’t seen your parents or other family members, maybe you have struggled with being stuck at home. You could even still not be back to work and your struggling financially.

I know exactly how you feel. We were so used to being on the go with activities and then the world shut down. It was hard on the kids just as much as it was hard on parents and all adults. Slowly the world seems to be trying to get back to normal if that’s even possible right now.

If you don’t have a positive mindset it can throw you into a serious depression. It can take a toll on you mentally and even physically. We all need to stay healthy and positive right now. I had finally sit down and work on my own mindset because I could feel myself going down negative lane.

Anything and everything that could go wrong during a world wide pandemic has happened at our house. I feel like we have been bleeding money and that is a mental drain itself. When I felt myself spiraling into such a negative mindset with everything that’s gone wrong here I really had to think hard about changing it.

It’s far from easy but you have to start some place. If you are stuck driving down negative highway in the fast lane then you need to print and read these tips for a positive mindset. Read them every day until you start to slow down and become a little more at ease with where your at with life.

15 Ways To Have A More Positive Mindset

You are in control of your life; your thoughts and actions. The choice to have a positive or negative outlook is completely up to you. If you are tired of dwelling on the negative and want to start thinking more positively, these ideas may help. 

  1. Everyone should have a purpose in life. If you’ve never thought about your purpose or have lost your focus, think about how to bring more meaning and purpose to your life. Knowing why you are here, in this life, gives you something to focus on and strive for. 
  2. If you’ve been wallowing in self-pity, making excuses for the things going wrong in your life. Stop. Even if you don’t yet have the tools, skills or resources necessary to improve your life, you can stop making excuses and complaining.
  3. Practice gratitude. Keep a gratitude journal and document every day something you are grateful for. The more you focus on the positive, the less room there is for negative.
  4. Practice mindfulness. When you live in the present, you have no time for dwelling on past events or worrying about future ones. You are able to be one with your thoughts and actions.
  5. Instead of thinking in terms of winning or losing, where it’s either black or white. Either you succeed or fail. Think in terms of riding the horse or falling off, getting up and trying again. You either achieve your goal or you learn from your mistakes, hone your skills and then you try again. 
  6. Before you point out all the things wrong with something, have some solutions in mind. Be proactive, a problem solver, not a criticizer.  
  7. Break negative self-talk. The way you think about yourself directly affects how you view everything else. When a negative thought enters your mind, immediately swap it for something positive. 
  8. When possible, use the word “get” instead of the word “have”. I “get to spend time with loved ones” instead of “I have to visit my in-laws”. “I get to work in a climate-controlled environment” instead of “I have to go to work today”
  9. Start believing in yourself. Be proud of your accomplishments. Think of one positive thing about yourself every day and take pride in it. Don’t let your inner critic control you.
  10. Use “Yes” or “Yes, and…” statements instead of “Yes, but…”. For example, if you were asked, if you like chocolate cake. You might be tempted to say “Yes, but it’s not good for me.” Instead, you could say “Yes, I do!” or elaborate, if you’d like, with “Yes, it’s my favorite treat.”
  11. Distance yourself from negative situations, especially at work. When things get heated, if it doesn’t directly affect you, step back and let others handle it. Know you are doing your best and you are not responsible for fixing everyone else’s problems. 
  12. Take great joy in small pleasures; a bite of rich chocolate, watching a sunset, spending quiet time with a loved one, walking barefoot in the sand or mud. These small things can bring so much pleasure to your life, if you let it.
  13. Take a break from toxic people; those who are never happy or constantly complaining. Don’t let their unhappiness pull you into the same mindset. 
  14. Smile, laugh, dance and sing. The freer you are with these actions, the more positive you will feel. 
  15. Make happiness happen. Don’t wait for something or someone to make you happy. Take action to make yourself happy. Happiness is an attitude. 

I hope these help you as much as they have helped me. I’m finally starting to feel better with where I’m at in life and realized that there’s a whole lot that’s just out of my control. Theres things I’ll never be able to fix or do and that’s ok. We all need to keep on keeping on. If I can do it so can you!

Don’t forget to pin this post to come back to or print these tips to read every day. You could even share them with someone you know who is going through a hard time and could use a little uplifting!