Are you a Negative Nelly? Do you find yourself automatically jumping to the wrong conclusion, or expecting the worst to happen in every situation? If so, you’re probably stuck in the negativity trap. Here are some pointers on how to keep yourself from being trapped there forever.

Create your own path.

People who tend to follow others without even considering another path tend to end up in a sea of negativity. Why? Mostly because after you’ve done that for a long time, you start to wonder why in the world you aren’t doing things differently. This leads to feelings of regret and then anger and resentment towards other people who swayed you. To prevent this, forge your own path ahead. It’s not necessarily bad to listen to others’ opinions or follow sage advice, but be certain you are staying true to yourself as well.

Stay away from the nay-sayers.

It’s no big secret that hanging around negative people will eventually make you become one of them, too. If you don’t want this to happen, you have to be extremely cautious about who you spend time with. Are your friends negative? Do they get together often just to have gossip sessions about other people? Do they laugh at and make fun of others? You have to stay away from negative people, and people who do not support and encourage you and others. You can be sure if they are laughing with you when you’re together, they will laugh at you as soon as you turn your back.

Practice positive thinking.

The one sure way to make sure you don’t get trapped in negativity is to practice being a positive person every single day. This doesn’t mean you won’t ever have bad days. And in the beginning, it won’t be so easy to stay positive despite all the setbacks. But the more you practice smiling and speaking positively to yourself and others, the easier it will become, until eventually over time it will become second nature to you.

Additional Resource: The Power of Positive Thinking

• afraid to leave your home.
• afraid to talk to people you don’t know.
• afraid people you do know will judge you if they knew the truth.

Fear just builds constantly on itself until you reach a point where you are totally out of control and you don’t even know how you became that way. The good news is, fear can be conquered. It will take diligence and hard work, but you can do it. Here are some tips to help you start removing fear from your mind.

Redirect your thoughts.

The first step is to change your way of thinking. You can talk yourself into, or out of, many things. When you can learn how to change your thoughts, you will begin taking the first step to remove fear. Become consciously aware of your thoughts, when you begin feeling fearful, and the role your thought process plays in this. As you become aware of your thoughts leading you to a fearful mindset, you can start actively redirecting your thoughts to positive, happier things that will reduce—or eliminate—the fear you feel.

Face your fear head-on.

Often times, the thing you fear will never come to pass. Because you have trained your mind to allow negative thoughts snowball into a mindset of fear, you often shy away from fully living your life. It is important, then, to attack these unfounded fears by meeting them head-on. When you do this, you will discover two things. First, your fears are not based on truth or evidence. Second, the only thing holding you back is…YOU.

Practice a more positive attitude.

The quicker you retrain your brain to start speaking positive thoughts to yourself, instead of terribly negative ones that stirs up that inner fear, the faster you will see a recovery. Shaping a better thought process for yourself will help in reducing your fears. To do this, though, you have to actively change the way you think. Creating a more positive attitude with positive affirmations is a great place to start this process. As you repeat positive thoughts to yourself every day, you will eventually begin to experience a shift in your mind and thought process. For example, if you are fearful of driving a car because you are afraid you’ll be in a car accident, you need to learn how to reframe that negative self-talk to create a more positive attitude for yourself. Using positive affirmations can help you pinpoint your fear and change the way you think about driving to make it a more positive experience.

Reading quotes can literally cause you to stop and think about things in a different way. They can make you realize that your situation might not be as bad as you thought. They can open your eyes to a different perspective that you’ve never had before.

Here are some terrific quotes about positive thinking. Read them and write down your thoughts on them in a journal:

“Just because you’re miserable doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your life.” -Annette Goodheart

“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.” -Anthony J. D’Angelo, The College Blue Book

“He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts.” -Samuel Johnson

“If you don’t get everything you want, think of the things you don’t get that you don’t want.” -Oscar Wilde

“Every thought is a seed.  If you plant crab apples, don’t count on harvesting Golden Delicious.” -Bill Meyer

“Life is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.” –Voltaire

“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” -Scott Hamilton

As you read each quote, did you begin to notice any shift in your attitude? Did any of the quotes make you feel like you wanted to try to have a better attitude? Positive thinking quotes will get you going every time. When you start to feel pessimistic, stop and read a few more quotes to inspire and motivate yourself.

Did you know that just by changing your outlook on life you can actually improve your health? Here are some quick tips you can use, starting now:

Practice positive thinking. There’s only one way you will change your way of thinking—with lots of practice. In order to create new habits, you must repeatedly practice it on a daily basis. So put on your positive thinking hat.

Look for the good things. It doesn’t take much effort to point out everything that’s wrong. When you find yourself nit-picking, make yourself stop and then purposefully look for something good, instead.

Forgive, even if you can’t forget. The old saying, “Forgive and forget” has been used quite a bit throughout the years. But we all know that forgiving is often times easier than forgetting. Take a small step towards forgiveness. While you won’t forget what happened, forgiveness prevents bitterness, which is extremely taxing, on both your soul and your mind.

Be ready for the best. No matter what kind of life you’ve had up to this point, there is always hope for the future. If you’ve been struggling, prepare yourself for better things to come. Sometimes the darkest night is just before the dawn.

How many times have you set goals at the beginning of a year, only to find yourself stuck at some point? At this stage of the game you most likely tossed your goals out the window because you didn’t see any other way possible to reach them. Sound familiar?

Think of a positive attitude as the glue that binds your goals. Without it, your goals fall apart and are usually left in shreds at your feet. Why? Because pessimism leads to doubt and doubt leads to fear. Fear leads to you telling yourself there’s no point in even trying anymore and walking away from what you’ve dreamed of doing.

A positive attitude will…

• keep you moving.
• fill you with hope.
• lead you to others who can help you.
• motivate you.
• prevent you from getting sidetracked.

As you can see from this very short list, a positive attitude is essential. Without it, you may become frustrated and feel like giving up at the first sign of resistance. In contrast, possessing a positive attitude can keep you strong as you move and work towards your goals every day. It will fill you with fresh hope and expectation of reaching your final mark.

Hundreds of thousands of people attempt to lose weight every year. They go on elaborate diets, take diet pills, even starve themselves in an attempt to drop a few sizes. But the one thing they almost always fail to do is change their way of thinking and their attitude.

Will A Positive Attitude Aid In Weight Loss?

While there is no firm proof that a more positive attitude can help someone lose weight, a positive attitude is certainly proof enough that it can conquer many things. Being positive towards yourself about your own body and weight can be a huge step towards loving yourself, which will in turn make it easier for you to take care of your body.

Maintaining a positive attitude will do wonders for your weight loss efforts. With a positive attitude, you will be more prone to making better food choices. You’ll be more apt to exercising instead of vegging out in front of the television. Most of all, you’ll be kinder to yourself when you make mistakes.

How To Apply Positivity Towards Your Weight Loss Goals

The first thing you have to do is firmly decide within yourself that you are going to lose weight. But even moreso, you must let yourself know that you love yourself, no matter what shape or size you are. By loving and accepting yourself, you will make it a whole lot easier to do what must be done to get the excess weight off.

Next, set some positive goals for yourself. If you are constantly looking at the bad things, the things you want to change about yourself, you’ll never get very far. You must first learn how to see the good things that you like about yourself. Remember that beauty is only skin deep.

Here are just a few ways having a positive mental attitude brings about positive effects on your health:

• fewer headaches
• reduced stress
• lower blood pressure
• reduced anxiety
• health weight

When you create a more positive way of thinking, you may almost instantly begin to notice a decrease in headaches. Why? The answer is simple. Headaches are often brought on due to extreme levels of stress and pressure. When you have a more positive mindset, you will worry less, which means less stress.

Stress is one of the leading causes of anxiety and panic attacks. Once you start to get your stress levels under control, you should notice that your anxiety and panic attacks will decrease. With a decreased level of stress, your breathing will slow and return to normal and you will not get that tight feeling in your chest anymore.

Positive thinking can help reduce your blood pressure as well. What is the first thing that happens when you get angry? Your blood pressure rises! By practicing positive thinking, you can learn how to release that anger and control. This in turn will help to keep your blood pressure at a regular rate.

Finally, positive thinking can have a great impact on your weight as well. Most people with weight issues tend to suffer from low-self esteem, most of which is brought on by their own negative self-talk.

SECRET #1: NOBODY’S PERFECT. When you can latch onto this simple little secret, you will be amazed at the change you’ll notice within yourself. You’ll no longer feel so angry all the time. You will start to give people the benefit of the doubt. Best of all, you will learn to forgive and not hold grudges.

SECRET #2: EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES. What’s the first thing that happens when you see someone make a mistake? Are you immediately judgmental? Do you think to yourself that they had it coming to them? Negative thoughts like these are detrimental, not only to the other person, but more so to you. Allow for mistakes, and refer back to Secret #1.

SECRET #3: BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE. Just because you consider yourself to be a good person, that doesn’t exclude you from having anything bad happen to you. All too often, a negative and pessimistic attitude is brought on because of seemingly one bad thing happening after another. Life is filled with bad things and disappointments. It is up to you to choose how to react to them, though.

SECRET #4: YOUR MIND DETERMINES YOUR LIFE. You really can determine how your life will turn out, based on your way of thinking. If you constantly look for bad things to happen, guess what? Bad things will most likely happen to you. But if you turn your thoughts to a more positive nature, and find the good in everything, you’ll soon become a happier person and live a much happier life.

FIND THE GOOD

It’s difficult to find something good in a bad situation. We’ve all been there, when it seemed like things couldn’t get much worse than they already were. And yet, just when you think you’re about to see the light of day again, something else bad happens.

What do you do when you faith and hope are tested by “life”? How can you keep holding on to hope and the faith that something good can come out of something bad?

First, you must find something good. No matter how bad things get, there is always someone who is much worse off than you. Start by looking deliberately for the little things that are positive in your life. Concentrate on those only.

SHAKE IT OFF

When something bad happens, do you tend to take the weight of the world on your shoulders and bottle it up inside? The more you do this, the greater your risk is of health issues and/or bodily and emotional harm.

You have to decide to shake it off and keep moving forward. Because if you don’t, if you choose to hold all that negative energy inside yourself, it will build up until you literally explode. Find a way to release the negative thoughts and feelings and make room for the positive ones.

Remember…you are what you think. If you think negative thoughts, you’ll attract more negative energy. If you maintain a positive mindset, you’ll be more likely to attract positivity.

Keep a self-improvement journal. Buy yourself a nice journal and ink pen. At the beginning of the journal, write a list of goals you’d like to accomplish. Every day make a record of what you did to reach one of your goals. Every day you should work towards one of these, positive thinking, being the main goal. At the end of every month, go back and read your journal entries to see what kind of progress you’ve made. At the end of the year, you’ll have a record book full of entries and you will be able to see how you’ve grown and are thinking more positively about yourself.

Read books on self-improvement. Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is head to the library and check out several books on self-improvement. Reading these books will help you develop yourself. They can also help you learn how to think more positively.

Start a positive thinking note card journal. Check your local office supply store or Wal-Mart for a book of wire-bound index cards. Every time you see a quote you like, write it on an index card. Continue doing this until the entire book of note cards is filled. Place the book on your desk or carry it around with you for quick boosts of positivity.