15 Ways to Train Your Brain to Think More Positively
What we think has a big effect on how we feel and what we do. Training our brains to think positively can improve our mental health and overall well-being.
- Tricia Quitales
- 5 min read
This article discusses 15 useful ways to change your attitude. These tips will help you change the way you think by making you more grateful and challenging negative thoughts. The techniques are simple and easy to use in everyday life, helping people change their negative thoughts into positive ones.
1. Practice Gratitude Daily
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Being thankful every day can help you stop focusing on what you don’t have and start noticing what you have in abundance. Every day, thinking about what you’re grateful for can instantly make you feel better. This practice changes how your brain works to look for the good in things, making it a habit to enjoy the little things.
2. Challenge Negative Thoughts
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When negative thoughts come up, question them by asking if they’re true or if there’s a different way to see things. Staying to more realistic or positive thoughts can help you get out of a negative cycle. Your brain learns to automatically think in healthier ways over time.
3. Surround Yourself with Positive People
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The people you hang out with greatly affect how you think. Putting yourself around positive, uplifting people can help you think more positively. These connections give you support, encouragement, and good vibes that make you feel better.
4. Practice Mindfulness Meditation
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Meditation helps you focus on the present moment, which can help you think less negatively. Regular practice trains your brain to notice your thoughts without judging them and letting go of bad feelings. Being mindful helps you accept things as they are and breaks you out of cycles of worry.
5. Focus on Solutions, Not Problems
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When things go wrong, it’s easy to focus on the negatives. Instead, train your brain to focus on finding answers. Focusing on what could happen and what you could do creates a mindset that helps you solve problems instead of dwelling on them.
6. Affirm Yourself Daily
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If you want to change how you think about yourself, positive affirmations can help. Repeating things like “I am capable” or “I am worthy” can eliminate self-doubt. Doing this every day helps you believe in your abilities.
7. Get Active and Exercise Regularly
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A great way to improve your mental health and mood is to work out. Regular exercise makes the body release more endorphins, which are “feel-good” hormones that naturally make people happier. When you move around a lot, your brain learns to connect physical activity with good feelings.
8. Limit Negative Media Exposure
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The media you watch and read can change how you think and feel. Being around bad news or social media all the time can make you feel anxious and pessimistic. Limiting the amount of negative media you watch and mixing it up with positive content can help you think more positively.
9. Set Achievable Goals
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Setting small, attainable goals gives you a sense of success, making you feel better. Reaching a goal, no matter how small, makes you feel stronger in believing that you can do it and are making progress. Feeling like you’re making progress makes you optimistic and trains your brain to think about success.
10. Surround Yourself with Positive Affirmations
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Having positive things around you can help you think more positively. Sticky notes with affirmations can be placed all over your home or office to help you stay positive. These constant visual cues teach your brain to think about the good things in life.
11. Embrace Failure as a Learning Opportunity
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Instead of being upset when you fail, see it as a chance to learn and improve. If you see failure as a chance, it will have less of an effect on your emotions. This change in point of view helps you keep your mind on the lessons you’ve learned instead of dwelling on your mistakes.
12. Keep a Positive Journal
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If you want to keep a positive journal, write down the good things that happened during the day. Thinking about the good things helps your brain learn to find the good in everything, even when things are bad. Developing this habit can help you feel more grateful and hopeful.
13. Laugh More
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Laughter is a great way to improve your mood and make you feel good. Endorphins are chemicals that make you feel good and help lower your stress. You train your brain to connect happiness with fun times by adding more laughter into your life.
14. Visualize Positive Outcomes
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Through visualization, you picture yourself reaching your goals and succeeding. This technique trains your brain to prioritize your goals and see success ahead by picturing the good things that can happen. It motivates you and connects hard work with good things.
15. Celebrate Your Small Wins
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Celebrate every little win, even if it doesn’t seem like much. Recognizing progress makes you feel better and keeps you thinking positively. This habit lets you focus on your successes instead of dwelling on your failures.