We all have bad days or times in our life when we think that everything is working against us and that we’ll never be happy again!  That’s a bit dramatic but sometimes it can be hard to see any positives when things are going wrong.  Someone’s throw-away comment of “look on the bright side” might be annoying at the time but they do have a point. Multiple scientific studies have shown that the power of positive thinking can give you more confidence, improve your mood, and even reduce the likelihood of developing stress-related disorders.

All this sounds great, but what does the “power of positive thinking” really mean?  How can you try and turn it around?  Try these four tips to help make your day a whole lot better:

1. Find positive friends, mentors and co-workers

Right now you’re probably thinking about a couple of people in your life that are an influence – either positively or negatively. How do you feel about the person who generally has a positive outlook?  They are much easier and more fun to be around. Keeping company with a negative person can rub off on you also, but be mindful about where their negativity is coming from. Are they having a rough time or just generally negative?  A generally negative person can drag down your mood so if you can, choose to be around people that have a positive mindset.

2. Focus on the good things however small

Have you ever had a day when nothing has gone wrong or you’ve had no problems to solve?  There’s no such thing as a perfect day! So you made a mistake at work. One of the kids did something wrong or you got annoyed in heavy traffic. That’s ok! Focus on the things that did go right today. Even something as small as finding $5 in your back pocket or finding a shirt that doesn’t need ironing can be positives!

3. Transform negative self-talk into positive self-talk

Negative self-talk can creep up easily. You might think I’m so bad at this or I shouldn’t have tried that. But these thoughts turn into internalised feelings and before you know it you’ve convinced yourself you’re no good. When you catch yourself doing this, stop and replace those negative messages with positive ones. For example, I’m so bad at this becomes Once I get more practice, I’ll be way better at this. I shouldn’t have tried becomes That didn’t work out as planned—maybe next time.

4. Turn failures into lessons

No-one’s perfect. Everyone makes mistakes and experiences failure. Instead of focusing on what you did or that you failed, think about what you’re going to do next time – turn your failure into a lesson. What would you do or not do next time? Hindsight is a beautiful thing!

We hope that we’ve helped turn your rough day around. We care about you, our Baptist Care customers, and the work that you do to improve the lives of your clients. If you need help with your salary packaging account or want to know more about our services phone our friendly Customer Care staff on 1300 763 505. Follow us on Facebook too!

(source: success.com)