The occasional negative mindset is a natural part of the ebb and flow of our emotions. However, when it becomes your default state, it can significantly impact your work and personal life.
Your mental health must be managed and monitored, and if you feel yourself in a constant “down” state, it’s important to find ways to shift your mindset. To help, we asked members of Forbes Coaches Council how they turn a pessimistic attitude into a more optimistic one. Follow their advice the next time you’re in a negative state of mind.
1. Combine Gratitude With Acceptance
Combining gratitude with acceptance is a transformative superpower that positively impacts our health. I’ve seen it transform good teams into great teams and effective leaders to inspiring leaders. There is always something to be grateful for and many are surrounded by tremendous blessings. Even with chaos, heartbreak and stress, gratitude can be a go-to. Practice being grateful for something exactly as it is; it can lead us to change what we can and accept what we need to let be. It gives us the space to see mistakes, hard times and missteps as invitations to develop a growth mindset that celebrates imperfections and breaks down the defenses that keep us comfortable but prevent necessary growth.
2. Avoid Mass Media
I try to avoid mass media as much as I can because pessimistic news is spreading faster and can foster a negative state of mind. The first 30 minutes of the day are especially important as they program your state of mind for the remainder of the day. I use my smartphone’s flight mode button, which I call the “productive button,” to help me focus on my goals with an optimistic point of view.
3. Listen Carefully To Your Feelings
If you are struggling with a negative thought, get in touch with the “feeling” coming from the thought. Know that the feeling and thought is “energy” in motion emanating from you. Believe you have the power to shift it whenever you want and don’t rush to get rid of it by replacing it with a positive thought. Bask or bathe in it to find what it is telling you. Thank the thought and smile for the gift it gave you.
4. Do Not Skip Over ‘Hard’ Feelings
Optimism is not about jumping to silver linings while stepping over the feelings of fear, anxiety, pain or grief. Acknowledge that your feelings just are with no judgment if they are good or bad, and know you have the ability to influence them through the choices you make and the perspectives you hold. Reminding ourselves we are “in a choice” is key.
5. Spot Your Strengths
Get clear on your core strengths. You’ll get further faster when you leverage what you’re great at than when you focus on what you lack. The “just think positive, fake it til you make it” approach is at best a surface-level temporary quick fix. You’ll have more success and be less stressed when you strategically use your strengths to be at your best in your professional and personal life.
6. Write Out ‘Can’ Vs. ‘Can’t’ Lists
Thinking through and even writing down what can work versus what can’t work is a very effective way to shift your mindset. You are then looking at lists instead of thinking through negative thoughts. For every negative “can’t,” write an opposing positive “can.” Asking yourself “if I do” versus “if I don’t” is the same process.
7. Practice Gratitude
A negative state of mind breeds more negativity. Don’t allow yourself to feed that beast. Rather than getting locked in a cycle of negativity, take time to make a list of ten things, present or past, for which you are grateful. Psychological research found that simply reading a list of positive adjectives brightens your mood, but reading a list of negative adjectives darkens it. Try it. It works!
