Development of positive thinking. Tips and exercises

29.09.2019 -

Can positive thoughts impact us in more ways than just a smile on our face? Yes. Barbara Fredrickson, a PhD holder from Stanford University, is convinced of this. Fredrickson is one of the world's leading scientists studying social psychology. Her works were widely disseminated and received honorary awards. In 20 years scientific activity Barbara has conducted a number of studies aimed at examining the impact of emotions on human life in perspective. What conclusions did she come to? Let's find out.

How negative thoughts affect the brain

Let's imagine that you are walking through the forest and unexpectedly meet a wolf on your way. In such a situation, your brain registers a negative emotion - fear.

Scientists have long known that negative emotions program the brain to perform certain actions. For example, when you cross a wolf, you start running away from it. The rest of the world ceases to exist. You focus solely on the animal, fear and the desire to get away as quickly as possible.

In other words, negative emotions narrow thinking and limit thoughts. Looking at the situation objectively, you could try to climb a tree or defend yourself with a stick, but your brain ignores the available options. There is no other way out for gyrations when the eyes of a predator are looking at you.

Of course, millions of years ago, the instinct of self-preservation inherent in our ancestors helped them survive and continue the race. But in our modern society there is no need to worry about an unexpected meeting with a dangerous representative wildlife. The problem is that your brain is still programmed to respond to... negative emotions in the same way - by disconnecting from the outside world and deviating alternative options actions.

Why are composure and the ability to restrain one’s emotions the most important qualities of a good boxer? Because anger and emotions in battle narrow mental capacity and do not allow you to show tactical thinking. Are you looking at the list of upcoming tasks for the day, find it not very realistic and can’t start doing it? Yes, you were paralyzed by the horror of contemplating a long list of tasks. Feeling lousy because you don't take care of your health? Now all your thoughts boil down to what weaklings, lazy people and slackers you are.

In every similar situation, the brain closes off from the outside world and concentrates on negative emotions: fear, anger or stress. Negative emotions do not allow your head to look around in search of alternative options and opportunities that surround you. It's just a survival instinct.

How positive thoughts affect the brain

Fredrickson studied the effects of positive thoughts on the brain in a small experiment. She divided the test subjects into groups of five and showed each company a different video.

The first two groups were shown clips that evoked positive emotions. Group 1 was filled with a feeling of joy. The second five watched footage that created a feeling of pleasure.

The third company looked at images that were neutral in their emotional intensity or did not contain significant emotions.

The last two groups “enjoyed” the video sequence that generated negative emotions. The fourth five absorbed a feeling of fear, and the final five absorbed a feeling of anger.

Each participant was then asked to imagine themselves in a situation where similar feelings might arise and to write down what they would do. Each subject was given a piece of paper with 20 blank lines that began with the phrase “I would like to...”.

Participants who watched the fear and anger videos wrote the fewest responses. And the subjects who admired the images of joy and pleasure filled out a significantly larger number of lines, even in comparison with the neutral group.

Thus, when you experience positive emotions, such as joy, pleasure, love, you pay attention to more opportunities in your life. These findings were among the first to truly show that positive experiences increase feelings own strength and open up new possibilities of thinking.

But this is just the beginning. The most interesting impact of positive thinking comes later...

How positive thinking develops skills and abilities

The benefits of positive emotions are not limited to a few minutes of pleasant sensations. Positive experiences help you gain skills and develop resources to use later in life.

Let's look at a real example.

A child running outside, jumping in puddles, waving a branch and playing with friends develops athletics (physical skills), communication (social skills) and the ability to discover new things and explore the world around him (creative skills). Thus, positive emotions from play and joy develop in a child skills that will be useful throughout his life.

Acquired skills live much longer than the emotions that initiated them. Years later, the foundation is strong physical form can raise a real athlete, and communication skills can show the world a competent manager. The happiness that gave the basis for the skills has long passed and been forgotten, but the skills themselves are not lost.

Fredrickson refers to this feature as the theory of expansion and development. Because positive emotions increase your sense of self-power and give rise to thoughts, which in turn develops new skills that will definitely be useful in other areas of life.

As noted earlier, negative emotions have the opposite effect. They are the ones who slow down the development of new skills due to the existence of a threat or danger.

To conclude the above, a very logical question arises: if positive emotions are so beneficial for our future, how to become positive?

How to get into positive thinking

So how can you increase the amount of positive emotions in your life and apply the theory of expansion and development to yourself?

Any spark of joy, satisfaction and love will certainly do its job. But only you know exactly what will work for you. Maybe it will be playing the guitar, walking with a loved one, or carving a wooden gnome for your favorite flower garden.

Nevertheless, it is worth paying attention to some activities that are suitable for many earthlings.

Meditation. A recent study by Fredrickson found that people who meditate daily experience more positive emotions than those who do not meditate. As expected, meditation had a beneficial effect on long-term skills. For example, three months after the end of the experiment, people who meditated daily had increased attention and determination, and their health improved.

Letter. The study, published in the Journal of Research in Personality, examined two groups of 45 students. The first group throughout three days wrote about strong positive feelings. The other is on a regular topic.

Three months later, the members of the first team noted better mood, they were less likely to get sick and seek help from doctors. Just three days of writing about positive things resulted in improved health.

A game. Fit team sports into your life schedule. You plan meetings, negotiations, events and various responsibilities on your calendar, but why don't you find time for amateur sports?

When in last time did you indulge in experimentation and discover new things for yourself? When was the last time you planned entertainment? Is happiness less important than a Tuesday planning meeting?

Give yourself permission to smile and enjoy the benefits of positive emotions. Plan a futsal game with friends or a little adventure with your significant other. By doing so, you will experience satisfaction and joy, as well as learn and develop new skills.

What comes first: happiness or success?

There is no doubt that happiness comes from achieving success. For example, winning a championship, moving to a new high-paying job, or meeting a loved one will definitely bring joy and satisfaction into your life. But you should not mistakenly believe that happiness ALWAYS precedes success. Have you ever had the thought: “As soon as I receive (achieve) something, I will immediately be in seventh heaven”? In fact, there is no need to postpone your happiness until a certain event occurs. Be happy here and now.

Happiness is both a precursor to success and its result!

The life of happy people is like moving in an upward spiral. They enjoy everything that surrounds them. Thus, they develop themselves and their skills, which help them achieve success, and success itself saturates a person even more. greater joy. And so turn after turn.

So what's now

Positive thinking is not just a soft and fluffy term wellness. Yes, just being happy is great in itself. But moments of joy are also important for your mind, helping it to push boundaries and acquire skills that will become valuable in other areas of your life.

It is necessary to look for ways to build your happiness and bring positive emotions into life. Meditation, writing, playing, whatever, isn't just about momentary stress reduction and a few smiles. Exercise interesting things to do, kick the ball, throw yourself into experiments. Your brain will do the rest for you.

Greetings, dear readers! today again about how to think positively, because there is never too much positive thinking. I have a list for you that contains the best positive thoughts for every day.

How effective is positive thinking?

If we want to achieve serious changes for the better in our lives, of course, simply reading affirmations and thinking about our desires is not enough. Positive thinking can produce amazing results and bring the changes we need in life, but only under certain conditions.

If you read affirmations, and at the same time, without ceasing to complain about life and concentrate on problems, you will not see the desired results soon. It is not enough to read affirmations in the morning and forget about them, returning to your usual way of thinking. Affirmations are just the beginning of change. Affirmations are not just statements. Which you re-read regularly, but also what you think and mentally say to yourself. Your internal dialogue is a stream of statements, positive or not, but over time it forms strong beliefs, which materialize, creating your reality in which you live.

For positive thinking to lead to the desired changes in life, it is important not only to read affirmations, but also to think about good things throughout the day. This requires awareness to... Affirmations are seeds that you plant in your mind. But whether they sprout or grow depends on the soil in which they are planted. Therefore, the more time you concentrate on the positive aspects of life, the more often you experience joy and happiness, the faster you will see the desired changes for the better in your life.

Another important point in the practice of positive thinking is emotions. Arouse bright positive emotions in yourself - whether you read affirmations, visualize your desires, or simply tune in to a positive wave. The brighter and stronger your sensations, the faster your thoughts materialize and desires come true. Emotions and sensations are the key to creating the desired reality! This is the secret to fulfilling your desires and creating your new life - the life of your dreams.

For positive thinking to work and you get what you want, turn away from everything that does not suit you, upsets you, throw out of your life self-pity, complaints about injustice and blaming anyone for your current problems, as well as discussion negative news. Take responsibility for everything that happens in your life and start changing it. After all, it is within your power. Focus only on the good, and then there will be more and more of it in your life.

If you want more money, turn away from the lack of it, think about abundance, find prosperous people, communicate with them, observe them, become infected with their way of thinking and acting.

If you want more health, stop thinking about illnesses, pay attention to ways to improve and improve your health, do things that will benefit your body - healthy eating, moderate exercise stress, light good thoughts and the mood for recovery.

If you want a strong, loving family, stop thinking about problems in relationships, it’s better to look everywhere for examples of strong loving couples, they exist, you just need to switch your focus and you will notice them.

Negative thinking is just a habit and can be changed. You just have to want it and put in a little effort. By first consciously focusing on positive things, step by step you will train yourself to notice all the good things, letting the negative pass by.

Whatever you strive for, look everywhere for more and more confirmation of your positive thoughts, train your mind to concentrate on the good, and you will attract the best into your life. Positive thinking every day is the key to your happy and joyful future.

You can start with these positive statements.

Positive thinking every day - 30 sayings

If you want something bad enough, you will find a way to get it.
If you have a desire, then there are opportunities to make it come true
To achieve great success, you need not only to act, but also to dream
I will strive for the best and achieve everything I want!
If you feel that this is exactly what your soul desires. Don't listen to anyone, go forward to your dream!
Believe in yourself even when no one believes in you
Miracles are where people believe in them. And the more they believe, the more often they happen
Everything you broadcast to the world comes back to you multiplied.
There are no problems. There are only possibilities
Change yourself, and then the world around you will change
Your every thought creates, every word creates. You are able to create your own world with your thoughts
Your life is in your hands. You yourself are capable of creating your new reality, the reality of your dreams.
You are worthy better life and all the blessings that exist in the Universe. Open up to this flow
The universe is abundant, there is enough in the world for everyone.
Put love in everything you do, in every action you take.
All changes are for the better! Feel free to move towards something new
Thank the Universe for everything that is already in your life
Your thoughts are the key to making all your dreams come true!
Change your thoughts - and then the world around you will change
You can create the life of your dreams yourself. The power is within you.
Want to change the world? Another man? Own life? Start changes with yourself
If you can change something, change it; if you can’t, stop worrying.
Happiness is in the present moment - feel happy now!
When you really want something, the whole Universe helps to make your wish come true
Think about good things, radiate happiness, and your wishes will come true
You can create anything you want once you believe in it
Believe in the best, expect the best - and you will receive only the best in life
The greatest wealth you have is time. Appreciate it, invest wisely
Love yourself and accept yourself for who you are. The Lord created you this way, you are already perfect
Create yourself, create your life! Immerse your thoughts in your dream, and soon it will become your reality

Each of us is familiar with the feeling of oppression, when it seems that nothing can ever bring us joy and positive thoughts will not appear in our heads. However, some people are able to be in complete harmony with themselves. Initially, we can say that every free thought can become either positive or negative.

Man is not created for stress, haste and depression, all this comes gradually, and we ourselves allow all this negativity to come to us and our every free thought ends up in a cage of doubt.

Positive thinking is the basis for peace of mind

Every person wants to be happy and it is important to understand that the main source of happiness is within each of us. Attempts to change the surrounding reality will only aggravate the existing depression, feeding it with a fresh portion of disappointments. The reason for your bad mood should be found within yourself. Since the speed of thought does not allow us to focus on everything, we therefore highlight from the total mass only what we are accustomed to paying attention to.

In order to lift your spirits, you don’t need to go far at all, you just need to look into yourself and change the charge of consciousness from negative to positive.

This will not change the speed of thought, you just have to try to find positivity in everything that surrounds you.

Problems won't go away, that's the way it works modern life that there are often much more worries and worries in it than peace and joy. Unfortunately, given the speed of thought, all unimportant things at a given moment pass by our consciousness. And because of this, we drive ourselves into established social frameworks, and free thought becomes limited, preventing us from seeing the beauty and joy around us.

Positivity in everyday life

We take all the positive things in everyday things for granted, often without noticing how much the world amazing. But besides this, we relegate the beautiful and amazing to the rank of solution to the problem.

Presentation: "We must think positively!"

For example, when a young mother, instead of rejoicing and being touched by her child’s first steps, sighs with relief: “Well, thank God, his legs are healthy.” Each of us can be sad and fall into melancholy, but how quickly you get out of this state depends on how positive your thinking is in general.

The speed of thought in this case plays into your hands, but only if you have “accustomed” your consciousness to positivity.

For everything that happens to us, only we ourselves are responsible; anyone can change their inner mood. Thus, we take full responsibility upon ourselves, ceasing to go with the flow of life and begin to change something in it.

Humans are prone to mistakes and negative emotions, and at such moments the number of troubles seems to double. And yet we can say with complete confidence that our thoughts attract energy that is kindred to themselves. This is why it turns out that problems “grow like a snowball.” And here the speed of thought only aggravates the situation; the more negative you isolate from the stream of consciousness, the more problems you attract.

The most important thing is to learn to cope with your negativity. First of all, you need to figure out where it comes from.

Presentation: "Positive Thinking"

You should sit in silence and “get to the bottom” of the source of the problem, while trying to change it better side. After all, it is precisely because of the disorder in the mind that greatest number negative.

Using Positive Thinking

An extraordinary lightness of thought will become your permanent state if you remember the following:

speak positive thoughts;
periodically write down positive statements in bright colors;
use written reprogramming, to do this, write down a positive thought and a negative thought that arises to it, repeat until the negative thought turns into at least a neutral one.

Creating a positive way of life at first glance is not difficult, you just have to want it and believe that it is possible.

You shouldn’t forget how the speed of thought will affect your reality; if you manage to slow down this process a little in the process of analyzing your problems, then it will be much easier for you to solve your problems.

However, everyday worries will not disappear from life. This means that we should try to think in such a way that free thought does not turn into a “prisoner” of negativity. And then an extraordinary lightness in thoughts will appear.

A big and warm hello to everyone! One of the best, in my opinion, human character traits is optimism. Maybe someone will disagree with me, but I sincerely believe that our lives depend on how we see the world, how we think. In previous articles, I wrote about visualization. In them I told a little about how force works positive thought how she is able to attract goodness and good luck. And today I would like to talk to you about how to change your thinking in positive side, how to learn to see the good instead of the bad.

At the moment I am trying to instill this habit in myself. I’ll tell you honestly, it won’t work out the first time, but gather your will and continue to change yourself. Soon you will notice that those things that annoyed you will not be so bad. There are several techniques to help you learn to think positively.

Optimism, as a character trait, can be instilled and made an integral part of your life. It will not only give inner peace, but will also affect a person’s overall lifestyle. Agree, it is always more pleasant to communicate with cheerful, satisfied people who see and notice more good moments. It is to them that one subconsciously reaches out, tries to make friends, relies on their opinion. It’s a pleasure to communicate with them, to find mutual language. Positive thinking is very beneficial not only for you, but also for those around you.

Aggression and pessimism, on the contrary, destroy and humiliate dignity. Even if a person is talented, smart, handsome, but is a pessimist by nature, then despite his positive qualities, he will remain an unhappy, lonely person, dissatisfied with life.

A huge number of studies have been and are still being conducted around the world that confirm that people who think positively complain less about their health and have a longer life expectancy than pessimists. In addition, the risk of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension decreases. This cannot be said about those people who see more bad than good. Scientists have found that their mortality rate is 16 percent higher. And this is not a small amount. So if you want to live long, get sick less and feel happy, you need to not only lead a healthy lifestyle, but also be an optimist.

As I have already said in previous articles, thought has a power that attracts similar energy to itself. That is, if you think about good, then you attract good, if you are tuned to negativity, then you attract negativity. This phenomenon is clearly visible in people during the treatment of any disease. There were cases that seemed hopeless. But in some incredible way they extricated themselves from very difficult situations, while believing that recovery will come.

There are a number of other positive trends that scientists have observed. An optimist is less prone to stress. He quickly finds a way out of difficult situations. Manic anxiety and worry go away. They are more successful in career and love because they often take conscious risks, believing in the best and in themselves. Pessimists, on the contrary, are more closed people, dejected by life, afraid to take risks, try something new, develop, because they are afraid to lose, knowingly setting themselves up for failure.

I think that each of us wants to live happy life. To do this, you need to look at the world a little with different eyes. There are several ways to practice positive thinking. But this does not mean that you, like a fool, should take situations lightly and unrealistically and not pay attention to problems.

How to learn to think positively

First, you need to start changing your attitude towards yourself. We often treat ourselves very strictly and demandingly. Reproaching for every failure or mistake. Moreover, we tend to exaggerate, to inflate the problem to enormous proportions. This is fundamentally wrong. Everyone makes mistakes; negative emotions towards oneself are the first sign of a pessimist. Make it a rule to minimize self-criticism. Respect yourself and accept yourself for who you are. Surely you have many positive qualities, focus on them, do not torment yourself, do not engage in self-flagellation. This will not lead to good.

If you notice that you are thinking negatively, stop yourself, point yourself in the opposite direction, see the good. Never tell others bad things about yourself, don’t show or tell negative qualities to people, love yourself, be kind.

Use settings. The use of attitudes can radically change thinking, directing it towards positive side. They are able to develop positive thinking. At the same time, negative thoughts will have no place in your mind. At every opportunity, if you feel overwhelmed by bad thoughts, drive them away with the help of attitudes. Program your brain in a positive way. Write on a piece of paper several versions of positive statements that help you achieve a sense of calm and tranquility, for example, “I can...”, “I will do...”, “I will learn, it’s not difficult at all,” “I can handle it,” “ I happy man”, “I will succeed” and so on.
Learn to see the positive aspects in any situation. Even if an unpleasant event happened to you, be able to find something funny and cheerful. It is better to perceive every failure as an experience, and it, in turn, is priceless. Try to smile and laugh more often. It is a talent to see the positive in the negative. This incredible ability will exalt you and make you more resistant to depression. Be less sad, and you will have more strength for new achievements.
Learn to take care of yourself, your health and beauty. Confidence will come by itself. Internal contradictions will disappear, giving more space for positive thinking. Create a habit of exercising physical exercise, develop, read books, study.
One of the main rules of positive thinking is the rejection of external suppressive factors. Communicate only with kind people, which please you, do not irritate you. A healthy friendship with a cheerful person will reflect on you. Break off all contact with those who spoil your mood. Minimize the negativity that comes from outside. Surround yourself only with reliable partners, true friends, faithful, positive ones.
Be grateful. Take some time each day to remind yourself of all the good things in your life. Give thanks to yourself and others. If you are unhappy with something all the time, you will begin to make a negative impression, and people will turn away from you. And a grateful attitude will attract people and positive energy to you.
Don't waste time on empty worries. You are not God and you cannot control everything in the world. Rid yourself of the anxiety that comes from an uncontrollable situation. It is impossible to change the world, some circumstances, and this is quite normal phenomenon. Thus, stop wasting your precious energy. Such circumstances are not worth being overwhelmed by negative energy.
Keep a notebook where you write down your successes and victories. Review your posts regularly and praise yourself for your success and achievements. This, firstly, is a very powerful motivation, and secondly, self-esteem rises, and, consequently, positive thinking occurs more and more often.
Throw away in front of the unknown, this of course applies to the delivered ones. Many never achieve them, worrying, experiencing fear, which does not allow them to develop. You will succeed, believe in yourself.
Use creative visualization. I wrote about her too. Be sure to read the articles.

Now you know how to learn to think positively and in the right direction. You change, your life will change. Change can also affect loved ones. Tell them about your secrets of happiness, perhaps they need it now. What methods do you use to become an optimist? I wish you good luck and prosperity!