Hey everyone! I think with how things are going right now we could all use a little reminder about thinking positive. Even without chaotic situations going on, it can be really hard to not allow those negative thoughts cross your mind, heart or lips. 

                Here's the reality of it: When you focus on the negative and are always looking for the worst outcome, your whole life changes and you start ignoring or taking for granted all the good that's around you. I was one of the worst when it came to negative thinking and speaking. I complained all the time. I thought about the worst possible situations all the time, I stressed about everything to the point where I would force myself into anxiety attacks and be crying to hard I couldn't breathe. It wasn't until I was introduced to a community of people, who thought positive and spoke positive, that I truly began to see what I had to be grateful for and how good my life really was/is.

** Tip for those of us on Quarantine: pull back from watching the news or click those articles filled with often manipulated or out of context information. It is feeding into the fear that is making it so hard for us to think positive!***

If you find yourself thinking negative there are a few tricks/tips I learned to put myself in 'positive mode'.

1) Challenge yourself to not complain for 24 hours. 

               Every time you catch yourself complaining, sit there and think of why it's not as bad as you're making it sound. If you fail to go 24 hours, try again the next day, and so on and so forth until you go a full day without complaining. Even when you cut back complaining and negative speaking, you start to feel uplifted. You start to be introduced to those little things that you should be speaking positive for.

2) Every time you think negative, STOP. 

              This might not sound like advice, but this is the part that could really change the course of your thoughts. Once you recognize that you're thinking negative, acknowledge it and change the direction. YOU and only you have the power to do that. Catch yourself when you realize what you're thinking or saying, realize how it makes you feel and turn it around into something positive.

An example: Your car broke down and you're late for work. Maybe your car breaking down helped you avoid an accident. Maybe it stopped you from running into work and getting coffee spilled all down your shirt. - I went from an attitude where I would have cussed up a storm and slammed on my steering wheel if this happened, to laughing about it and reminding myself there are much worse situations you could be in right now.

3) Every thing happens for a reason! 

            God is always watching out for us. If your mind, eyes and heart are not open to God, it will be very difficult to see the world as it should be and overlook all the horrible things that are going on. He is always doing things and putting things in motion. Sometimes, though we may not like it, we have to go through some tough times and stressful situations in order to grow personally or develop an area of our character or get stronger in a certain area.

4) Lighten up. 

             Most negative thinking comes from you taking something too seriously or misinterpreting it all together. As someone who suffers with anxiety, i understand how a small misinterpretation can cause an insane amount of drama and stress in your life. We need to live in a world where its okay that someone has a different opinion without forcing our own on them. Just relax. I understand there are some very serious situations, but even in those times I feel like we allow worry and fear into our hearts, filling ourselves with negativity. 

5) Focus on the present. 

             Often times, our stress and anxiety is triggered by our thoughts and most of the time, they are thinking of things that haven't even happened yet! Until something is set in stone or until you are facing a situation, calm down and focus on the present. We often worry so much about what will happen or wont happen or what is going to happen when the reality is we have no idea. No one can predict the future, and worrying about things that have not even happened yet is only making yourself and those around you more miserable. 

6) Cut out toxic people.

           I talk a lot about cutting out toxins in your home and life when it comes to products, but i am 100% talking about people too.  Don't be around people who feed the negativity. If you are in a relationship and your significant other is constantly degrading you and making you feel worthless, talk it out or get out of it. You need someone who will uplift you on your bad days and will remind you of how truly amazing you are! If you're friends are always putting you down, trying to force you into negative situations, constantly making you feel like you're not good enough and they won't support you.... Find new friends. That kind of negativity will tear you apart and I'm speaking based on experience. Get those toxic people our of your life and find people to surround yourself with that are uplifting and encouraging. We live in the day of social media, connecting with people even when we can't physically spend time with them has never been easier! 

What i hope you took from this post: Speak, think and hear positive things. If they are not positive, remove them or fix them. You don't need to go through life feeling like you're nothing and that nobody cares or that your life is horrible or that you are always in the worst situation possible. Everyone has a little hope they hold on to and things to be thankful for. Live your life with an attitude of gratitude and push those negative lies out of your life.

Challenge yourself! 

Go 24 hours without complaining or thinking negative, both out loud and in your head. Think you can do it?

Until next time!

The W-oil-rrior