Retraining Your Mind to See the Good in Any Situation

Sometimes it is easy to see the glass as half full. It is easy to get down and out because things aren't going your way. It feels like the life of your dreams is too far out of your reach.

This is when cultivating a positive mindset is the most important, and makes the biggest difference. To make any real changes in your life, you have to first make changes in yourself and your thinking.

If you just let yourself get caught up in the negative spiral of your thinking, it just feels like everything is out of control. But, you need to remember, there is one thing you always have control over, and that is your thinking.

You get to decide how you react to your circumstances. You can either get angry and upset, or you can maintain a sense of calm and start problem solving. When you decide to be calm and look for solutions, chances are that a solution will present itself.

Life is what you make of it, and your attitude makes a huge difference in the way you see things.

When you are feeling negative, it can help to take some time away from your thinking and do something that will bring you clarity. Some examples include:

• Journaling

• Practicing Gratitude

• Mindfulness

• Meditation

• Yoga

• Deep breathing

• Going for a walk

• Spending time with a pet

• Having a warm cup of tea or coffee

• Calling a friend

• Listening to a podcast

• Watching a motivational video

• Reading a book

All of these things can help you get out of your head for a while and stop ruminating on negative thoughts. This way, you have a break from what was upsetting you, and you can come back to it with a calmer head.

Continuously working on your mindset every day can also help you to return to a calm space mentally more quickly. If you say daily affirmations and practice gratitude, these things can help you create a positive mindset more easily.

As you get used to inputting positive messages into your mind, it will become easier to release negative thoughts more quickly when they do arise. You train your brain every day, so that when stressful situations come, you will have coping strategies already in place.

Remember, you don't have to respond immediately. If something has upset you, chances are, you can take a break for a few minutes to reset mentally before responding. If it is a conversation you are having, you can ask for a break to mentally reset. If it is an email or phone message, you can return to it later.

There are other situations that you do have to respond more quickly, but even with these you have time to take a few deep breaths to reset before you reply. Even those few seconds to breathe deeply will make a big difference in the way you respond to a difficult situation.

Remember, the more you work on your mindset in a daily basis, the more quickly you will be able to reset when you get upset. Your mind is like a muscle, and if you exercise it regularly, you will be more mentally fit, and have a more positive mindset overall.