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How can you stay positive and eliminate negative thoughts? originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.
There are studies that show how much negative bias our brains naturally have. In a given day, the negative things that happen will stay with us much longer than the positive things, even if the positive greatly number the negative. That’s just the nature of the mind. That said, there’s mindfulness practices you can do to retrain your mind to focus more on the positives.
- Think of something you’re grateful for. Personally, when I catch myself in a negative state of mind, I try bringing to mind a handful of things that I appreciate in my life, whether it’s a particular person, my dog Omo, or something that went well. Gratitude shifts your state of mind completely.
- Make positivity an intentional daily practice. You can remind yourself of what you’re grateful for on a daily basis every morning (reflecting on what you’re looking forward to that day) and in the evening (reflecting on moments of your day you were grateful for). Some people find it helpful to note these down in a brief journal entry. Eventually, gratitude can become a much more natural state of mind. Try this meditation.
- Try “Let It Go” meditation. One practice in meditation is letting thoughts come and go — and not getting attached to a particular one. Often, negative thoughts can overwhelm us and take control of how we’re feeling. If we simply observe them and acknowledge that it’s in the very nature of the mind to cling to them, they’ll begin to have less power over us. Try this meditation.
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