Life sucks sometimes. There’s no getting away from it but it doesn’t help to wallow and focus on all the negatives. Human default position seems to be stuck in the negative. We all experience automatic negative thoughts which make us feel even worse. One thought leads to another and we end up spiralling down into a negative pit.
There are ways to stop doing this and here they are:
1) Being aware that you are engaging in negative spirals of thinking is the first step to counteracting them.
2) Ask yourself how this type of thinking is working for you? It most probably isn’t. Be aware and evaluate the process – you will soon realise that negative thinking is like internal poison.
3) Force yourself to think about the good things in your life. You may feel that there is very little but we can all find something to be happy about. There is always someone worse off than you. Focus on what you are appreciative of.
4) Write down a list of how you would like your life to be. Create a visualisation board if that helps – a board full of images of the kind of life you’d like. Next, write down steps to move towards those goals. Make them as specific as possible. Think big and eliminate fear and limited thinking from your ideal goals. Be imaginative…
5) Don’t compare yourself to others. We come into this world alone and we leave alone. We all have our own lessons to learn and we all have our own individual, unique pace and process to complete. I recently read this and is is very true and relevant here: “Life is like an exam. Some of us copy other people’s answers but they all end up failing as they don’t realise that we each have our own set of unique questions to answer in order to succeed.”
6) Take action. Nothing makes us feel better than doing something to change our situations. Be that top 10% that don’t just talk about doing things. See life as an adventure, don’t let fear stop you from getting out in the world.
7) If you really find it hard to think more positively, try distracting yourself. Get busy. Persistent low mood could be a sign that you are depressed. If it continues for longer than three months, go see your doctor to discuss the symptoms you are experiencing.
Don’t waste life feeling miserable and unhappy. There is always a way out. There are people out there that want to know you and whom you will feel magically close to. It’s all out there but our thinking can keep us small and afraid.
Don’t fear life…get stuck in and you will soon wonder what it was that made you fearful.
Mandy X
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
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