A Positive Mindset ♡

(Keeping in mind all the serious issues in the world, this post is supposed to be for general stresses of life, a lighthearted, subjective information that is meant for a self-help guide or a light read and by no means is to cause any offense to anyone's opinion. Your pain and suffering is valid and by no means do I intend to devalue it by saying "Everything will be okay" or "You need to be positive".) 

I've been meaning to write on this topic for quite a while now, since it brought a massive change in me and my lifestyle. Out of all the years in my life, amazingly, the most worst one brought out a 180 degree turn to my mindset.

I'm aware that it's not easy to talk about or preach positivity when the world has become a darker dwelling and we are exposed to a lot of sadness, violence, injustice, abuse and everything immoral out there but a little sunshine won't hurt too much in a less serious case.

Aren't we all tired of a hectic, stressful life? Your life can be so peaceful & less exhausting if you just give this ideology a try. You will be less annoyed, frustrated or aggressive about everything, once you manage to instill a sense of positivity and rightness in your mind. It's so crucial to have a healthy and balanced state of mind, I feel like spreading this message to the entire universe to   lessen the darkness in it.

Therefore, I feel more than compelled sharing this piece of thought. I'm advocating to adopt a positive mindset in situations that are beyond our control. 

Unfortunately, I'm as guilty, I've abused half of my lifetime investing in bad energies, whining, worrying and stressing over having a negative outlook on life. Whenever I faced any hardship, I'd resort to panic, overthinking and complaining. Through out the worst years of my life, I've realized that nothing comes good out of a negative mindset. It's just a vicious cycle of self-torment and it's equally unhealthy for oneself and the people around you.

What can cause the opposite of a positive mind set?

Everything that is not positive.

Lets say,

• A consistent stressful environment
• Being surrounded by toxic people
• A low self-esteem, insecurities
• A congested mind, anxiety, depression
• Unfortunate situations
• Unexpected loss  
• Distressing global news etc
• Illness 
• A unique problem that is especially your burden only (We all have that)
• Or anything that doesn't revolves in the radius of tranquility.

Apart from all of that, our subconscious mind plays a big role in shaping our mindset. By now, the world that we live in is filled with lots of negative and stressful energies and we are constantly repeating the cycle of projecting it forward. It's not limited to our conscious mind, There are numerous outlets and subliminal messages contributing to constantly brainwashing our minds. It's trying to infiltrate our subconscious.
We have a duty to protect our subconscious from such dangers as well. 

"If you do not run your subconscious  mind for yourself, someone else will run it for you." -Florence Scovel Shinn

Bringing a change to ones mindset or perspective is rather difficult but not impossible. It's difficult because, for so long, we have conditioned our minds to allow a negative perspective and altering that requires effort and time. Biologically, the human brain is capable of numerous functions. Our brains are not static, which entails that we are capable of changing our minds.

We, through our minds, have the ability to control and manipulate our thoughts. And every single thought counts, consider the butterfly effect on this. This is where we can make a change.

How and where to start? What are our options?

• The first and most important step for changing your mindset is

'Acceptance'. Accepting that you are sensitive to situations that dismal. That, feeling sad, hopeless and troubled is human. It's okay to feel down as long as you don't make it a norm and constantly beat up yourself for things that are out of your control. Accept the inevitable dark side of life and let it flow in a different direction, a direction that doesn't meddles with your ability to react wisely, calmly & positively. Which you are capable of doing. Positivity will be your band aid for the hurt caused by this world.

 “Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery.”
― J.K. Rowling

• Introduce this idea to your mind, we are surrounded by germs all the time, some good, some bad. We get rid of the bad ones to stay healthy. A negative thought is a bad germ that you have to get rid of to maintain a healthy mindset. No matter how much germs you have collected and how heavy and dirty it feels, now is the time to throw them away. 
  
   “Mindfulness removes the emotional fogs of negative thoughts with the light of awareness.”
  ― Amit Ray
  

• Be flexible about this change, thinking that this transition to a new and positive mindset will be hard or exhausting will only hinder any progress. Affirm everyday that it is easy, which for sure is. Just give it a chance for once. 

“The human capacity for burden is like bamboo- far more flexible than you'd ever believe at first glance.”
― Jodi Picoult

• Stay away from the toxic side of social media and life. If you don't find a page or a post inspiring, unfollow it. If it doesn't serve you any meaning or peace of mind, cut it off from your life. There's absolutely no need to waste your energy on it.  

 “Some people insist on inviting me to their drama buffet... No thanks! My soul hungers for nourishment and growth; it doesn't lust for poison and depletion.”
― Steve Maraboli

Release the toxic and infectious-

Spreaders of misery,

Souls destroying souls-

And poisonous liars.

Awaken from the hallucinations-

And take back your heart.

Reclaim your self-esteem-

And leave the toxic be.”

― Giorge Leedy

• If you are an aggressive person, try and control your anger. Every time you see a situation unfit, think before reacting. Ask yourself quick questions like, "If I burst into a mad fury right now, will the world become a better place? "Would this person cease to exist if I throw a fit on them?" "Is this situation worth wasting my energy?" Try to peak at the bigger picture and analyze your reaction. Did going mad bring you joy or the people around you? Did it make the situation any better?Anger is not the right way to release bad energies. 

  "Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret." - Ambrose Bierce 

"It is wise to direct your anger towards problems -- not people; to focus your energies on answers -- not excuses. 
William Arthur Ward

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. Buddha
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/buddha104025.html?src=t_anger

Speak when you are angry - and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret. Laurence J. Peter
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/laurencej138443.html?src=t_anger

Speak when you are angry - and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret. Laurence J. Peter
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/laurencej138443.html?src=t_anger

Speak when you are angry - and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret. Laurence J. Peter
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/laurencej138443.html?src=t_anger

Speak when you are angry - and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret. Laurence J. Peter
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/laurencej138443.html?src=t_anger

• Feeling down & defeated is normal, it's a part of being human. Cry out your stress and frustration but don't dwell on sad things, don't allow that feeling to persist. Consider a sticky ball on the edge of a slope, a single push, it falls, accelerate and gathers up all the dirt along the way. Similarly, a single push to a negative thought is a call for chaos.
   “If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present.”
  ― Roy T. Bennett
  Every morning brings new potential, but if you dwell on the misfortunes of the day before, you tend to overlook tremendous opportunities. Harvey Mackay
  Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/harveymack528745.html?src=t_dwell
  Every morning brings new potential, but if you dwell on the misfortunes of the day before, you tend to overlook tremendous opportunities. Harvey Mackay
  Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/harveymack528745.html?src=t_dwell

• Cut off sad thoughts, flip it with a positive one. Whenever you catch yourself thinking a dismal thought quickly shift your mind to something you are grateful about. Once you make a habit of cutting off sad thoughts, it will become easier to accept pleasant ones.  

  “Stand above negativity! Dare to conquer toxic thoughts!”
― Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

• Do not overthink. Pray, meditate and be productive instead. Distract yourself with something positive. 

• Self-reflect. Consider the things that you are grateful for, the things you are blessed with and focus on the positive aspect of your life.

• Practice makes perfect, keep training your mind to remain calm in any situation.

• Get some exercise or take a walk, it will refresh your brain.

 “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
― Melody Beattie

• Drink lots of water through out the day and eat healthy, this alone can bring lots of change and will keep you hydrated and uplift your mood. Take Vitamins or supplements that you need, do consult a nutritionist or a doctor.  

Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments.
―Bethenny Frankel

Clean your space, declutter your room or your house. It's been found in a study that home tours correlate to daily patterns of moods. Clean, organized spaces reduce stress and increases productivity. 

“The state of our surroundings, tells the conditions of our soul.”

― Lailah Gifty Akita 

“Every aspect of your life is anchored energetically in your living space, so clearing clutter can completely transform your entire existence.”
― Karen Kingston

• Speaking of cleaning, cleaning yourself is crucial to maintain a healthy mindset. When your body is clean, your mind will start to feel clean as well. The essence of cleanliness will trickle down down your soul and make you feel more positive. Take a good shower daily and put on comfortable clothes.

 "Nine-tenths of our sickness can be prevented by right thinking plus right hygiene - nine-tenths of it!"
- Henry Miller

• Your oral hygiene can be as responsible to affect your mood as any negative situation can! A poor oral hygiene can lead to depression. Brush your teeth, floss, gargle with warm salt water and keep your mouth fresh, trust me on this, it'll 50% boost your happy vibes.

• You are not alone in this, there are thousands of people who are struggling to find a way to break free from a toxic negative life, search up groups or communities with the same objective as yours, connect with them and absorb all the inspiration they have to offer. 

  

“I think this is what we all want to hear: that we are not alone in hitting the bottom, and that it is possible to come out of that place courageous, beautiful, and strong.”
― Anna White

• Feed your mind with positive knowledge, self reflect, find good books and articles that have positive messages and keep reminding yourself about this new change. Even if you feel down, fake the feeling of happiness. Fake it till you make it. 

 “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.”
― Joseph Addison

 “The more you feed your mind with positive thoughts, the more you can attract great things into your life.”
― Roy T. Bennett

• Be vocal about positivity and good vibes. Spread the word, help other people out who are going through a bad phase. It'll be beneficial to you and for them.Teaching them about positivity will keep your objectives fresh, but don't force it on them and respect their personal thoughts as well, if they don't feel like talking about this topic, its alright to push it aside.

 “Always find opportunities to make someone smile, and to offer random acts of kindness in everyday life.”
― Roy T. Bennett

• Lastly, don't be too harsh on your soul, be open to change, some changes are really good, respect and allow yourself to be happy. Gift yourself the power of positivity. 

"Don’t be so hard on yourself for not having it together all the time, for not knowing all the answers. You don’t always have to be sure of who you are, otherwise there’ be nothing left to discover. You don’t have to know where you’re headed or have a clear vision of the bigger picture. Sometimes taking one tiny step at a time is more than enough. Sometimes slowing down just to feel the wind blow against you is the beauty of life right there. Wander, be unsure when it is natural to be. Let yourself breathe. We’re all rushing for no reason anyway." ~S.C Lourie

And that's about it, try taking baby steps and implement some of these steps to your life. I hope this post gives you the inspiration or idea to dig in on more positivity, let me know through your comments on what you do to keep a positive mindset, or share your inspiration about it. Best wishes !