Severe negative thinking can lead to negative behaviors and an indifferent mindset when faced with challenges. Instead of staying on the side of negative thinking, it would be better to focus on all the positive things in life, be grateful for what you already have, and keep your emotions in check.

All of us may at one time or another have encountered a day where nothing seems to go right. This could be quite normal, but if you find that your bad days are happening more often and that everyone seems to be bothering you, it’s time to reverse those negative thoughts!

The negative side of negative thinking

Our minds are truly powerful and can significantly influence our thinking about how life should be, our behaviors, and even our chances of success. If your mind is always focused on the negative side of things, this can have a long-term impact on the way you perceive and deal with challenges, as well as the way you handle difficult situations. Over time, you can develop a feeling of vulnerability, low self-confidence, erratic emotions, and other negative behaviors.

Severe negative thinking can also lead to severe stress and many other stress-related ailments, including hypertension, depressive disorders, nervousness, heart problems, weight gain, and a host of other problems. A study shows that negative people have a 20% higher risk of dying, and their brains work differently than people who were more positive!

The positive side of positive thinking

Conversely, positive thinking can lead to feelings of well-being, self-empowerment, self-confidence, and a greater likelihood of being successful, staying happy, and being content. Understandably, it can be difficult to simply switch to positive thinking, especially when facing difficult challenges or encountering pressures from all directions that test you to your limits. But with practice and persistence, you’ll find that it’s not too difficult to change your negative thinking into a positive one.

Here are 4 ways to dismiss negativity:

Be optimistic and focus on the positive. Being optimistic is not about neglecting negative things or unpleasant moments in life, but recognizing them and hoping for better things to come. If you come across a difficult situation, think of all the positive ways you could deal with it that will lead to an acceptable solution.

Practice gratitude. Be grateful for what you already have, and this will lead to a positive mindset. This will also divert your thinking from being negative and instead look for opportunities in the things you already have. By practicing gratitude, you become aware of all the things you are grateful for or even your accomplishments, whether big or small. These can be anything from having a happy family and lots of close friends to that sales goal you’ve hit. It could also be your first promotion at work, the vacation you really enjoyed, or even the time you’re stranded when a stranger went out of their way to help you.

Be aware of living in the present. It’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind, and this can weigh heavily on you and make you forget to think about the positive. When you find yourself caught in this situation, take a few moments to be in the present. Practice slow, deep breaths and immerse yourself in the environment with your senses. Feel the breeze coming into contact with your skin, feel the warm contact of your clothes with your skin, appreciate the abundance of air around you that sustains the life of every living being. This exercise is about bodily self-awareness, which can be applied equally to mental self-awareness. By having mental self-awareness, you can better address any issues in real time.

Cut out the negative spiral. Getting angry just because you’re stuck in traffic or because your partner took your car without telling you sounds like a normal reaction, but it’s actually a waste of energy (as well as spoiling your good mood) to get turned on by something you don’t like. I can’t control It’s okay to be angry, but it’s not okay if you let your bad feelings linger for the rest of the day. Tell yourself you’re not happy about it, but you’ll find a way to get over it. For example, focus on listening to music or songs while stuck in traffic. Similarly, keep in mind that your partner might be in some kind of emergency, and he or she might have taken your car in such a hurry. More importantly, ask yourself this: Is it worth stressing about a situation that will make me age faster? If not, leave the matter as it is or just forget about it.