What we think, we become (so keep your thoughts positive!)

‘I’ve had a lot of worries in my life and most of them never happened’ – Mark Twain

Do you sometimes tell yourself that something bad is going to happen? Or something you’re looking forward to is bound to go wrong? Do you overthink things? Maybe you even look for problems that aren’t there. Overthinking is very easy to do and lots of us are prone to doing it at least occasionally. But what if it begins to take over your life? What if you actually begin to sabotage things just because there ‘might’ be a problem? What if this means you never fully enjoy yourself because you’re always worried about what might happen?

Worrying and overthinking might be easy to do but they really aren’t helping anyone. Maybe the pessimists amongst us will say that you need to think about the negatives so you are fully prepared and, to a certain extent, they have a point. But an optimist will still check whether something is safe before they do it! They will still think about the possible outcomes but instead of being convinced it won’t work out and worrying about all the possible scenarios, they are more likely to enjoy whatever it is and be in the moment.

One way to try to stop the negative thought process is called reframing. I mentioned it in my post about optimism a few weeks ago which you can find here if you missed it! https://wordpress.com/post/happyhealthymeajourney.com/162

Reframing is a really good way to begin to think differently. You may not find it easy to begin with and you’ll probably keep forgetting but it’s definitely worth doing! Basically every time you think something negative, turn the thought around and think about it in a positive way, visualising a good outcome.

It might be something you’re putting off, for example: “I know I should sort out my car insurance but I’m bound to get in a muddle and get it wrong” could become “I’m really looking forward to the sense of achievement I’ll have when it’s done and ticking it off of my to do list”. Or maybe it’s a fear of something, for example “I’m really frightened about going for this job interview, I’m not going to get the job anyway so maybe I won’t even go” could become “I’m really looking forward to showing my skills and experience and, if I don’t get the job, it’s great experience for next time”.

You might have negative thoughts about other people or yourself, maybe you feel people are talking about you. Whatever it is, there is always a way to reframe your thoughts. Even in the most difficult of situations, there is always something to be grateful for so rather than saying “why me?”, try “I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow”.

Whatever it is, reframing your negative thoughts into positive ones can really help make you feel better about life in general, not just the specific thing you’re thinking about. Having a positive mindset is proven to be good for both your physical and mental health.

I think this quote is well worth reading and thinking about:

Watch your thoughts for they become words; Watch your words, for they become actions;
Watch your actions, for they become habits; Watch your habits, for they become your character; Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny; What we think, we become.

So the tiny tweak this week is to try and catch yourself thinking something negative and to reframe the thought before it can go any further. Just like negative thoughts become negative actions, so positive thoughts become positive actions. The more positive thoughts, words, actions and habits we have, the more we will become positive, happy people who not only feel better within ourselves, but who radiate happiness and positivity to those around us.

Until next time xx

If you’ve enjoyed this post please hit the like button and let me know in the comments. Have you tried reframing? What success have you had? I’d love to know!