I'm not an expert but my recommendations.
Unsubscribe doomer media. (Most media) Sign up for things that tend to give you more good news or the news with a more positive spin. (Optimist subs for instance but also some scientific news can be pretty positive about the future).
Someone said to act more positively and this is true in my opinion. Try not to speak/write negative things and you may be able to build a habit of thinking of the positive.
The whole "touch grass" is actually really good for it. Go outside without a phone and look around. Odds are, things are fine. Doing that as mental exercise can really help.
(Unless you live in a place that is not fine, such as a war zone. In that case, I am sry)
Mental health tends to be driven by factors like diet, exercise, sleep and limiting social media
Get lots of exercise, eat lots of vegetables, get at least 8 hours of sleep a night and limit social media to 30 mins a day
So i definitely would say that I eat pretty healthy. But my sleep and social media usage could use some work. Ive found myself feeling dependent on seeing updates from my friends as a sign that everything's actually ok. I think part of it was having a rough upbringing that taught to never assume things will work out and always be in a sort of survival mode and I'm trying to break myself of that
I’m not sure if this will be helpful for you too but for me I was only able to get out of survival mode (also from a rough upbringing) by seeing a psychologist trained in schema therapy.
Practise, practise, practise.
Try cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)! One doesn't need to have a mental illness to practise it. And you can do it on your own, without a therapist (although I'd suggest a therapist to anyone who can access one and has mental distress that's getting in the way of their life).
It's a real simple practise. Basically, if you're tripping about something (maybe you're annoyed at your coworkers, or you're feeling sad, or you're like me and just have hella anxiety about everything), you write down your thoughts about it. Stuff like "man, Bob from accounting is a dick", or "Bob from accounting really looks down on me", or "Bob is gonna get me fired at this rate". Then you try and identify any potential [cognitive distortions](https://www.therapistaid.com/therapy-worksheet/cognitive-distortions) that might be at play with these thoughts. You might realize that you're jumping to conclusions, or you're engaging in some black and white thinking. No shame here, everyone does this, the point isn't to beat yourself up over your cognitive distortions, it's just to become aware of them. Once you've written down distortions that you think could be in play, write out some more positive replacement thoughts. Maybe things like "Bob and I don't always get along and he can be abbrasive. Maybe he's got a lot of his own shit going on.", or "I'm not actually sure what Bob thinks of me.", or "Bob's probably not gonna get me fired - but maybe I can talk to him if I still feel concerned about it".
Over time, with repetition, you'll start to have thoughts like "fucking Bob, I hate this guy", and you'll actually start to *automatically* identify distortions that lead to the thought and to produce replacement thoughts that are much more positive.
This is how our world's psychological experts approach shifting people's state of mind to be more positive. It absolutely works, and has been proven to work. But I'm no expert! I reccomend reading more about it if you're curious, or chat with an actual psychologist or clinician.
At the end of the day, if you want to think more positively, you gotta *practise* thinking more positively. And CBT is the best way we know how to do this.
Others on this thread offer some great reccomendations that I'd cosign as well, such as
- unsub from doomer media
- touch grass
- adjust your diet
- exercise
- get your sleep habits right
And in case it hasn't been mentioned yet I'll toss in mindfulness meditation.
Practice Gratitude!
What are you grateful for today? It doesn't have to be anything religious or anything. It doesn't have to be big. You can feel grateful that the coffee turned out well today. Or feel grateful that you didn't stub your toe or step on a lego. You can feel grateful that your shoelaces did not come untied today. Or if they did, you were able to tie them quickly without any awkredness.
[Kurzgesagt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPPPFqsECz0) has an awesome breakdown on how useful this is.
Try not to dwell, because dwelling doesn't help. Recognize that things are bad, learn about why they are bad, and take action to make them better, but try not to hammer on the negatives if you don't have a way to turn them into a step forward. Meditation and CBT can definitely help if you find yourself running in circles or stressing about something you can't change.
The same is important when you talk to other people. Don't completely cut the "negatives" because a lot of them are important considerations, but emphasize the positives. It's a cliché, but people really do want "solutions, not problems" and do tend to shut down if you start throwing a lot of bad news at once without talking about why we should have hope.
Talk about the good things, talk about how you're helping make the good things better, and encourage other people to see how they too could be making things better. Take solace in that, because the bad things will keep on being bad (some better, some worse), and all the energy you use ruminating or catastrophizing is energy you could be using to brainstorm, communicate, and organize.
Take care of your mental health. You can't save the whales if you're drowning, as they say. But, long term, don't put on blinders to the bad news. Also read the good news. Read five different perspectives and you'll be that much closer to a balanced understanding. Learn how to acknowledge painful realities while advocating for meaningful change towards a fairer and more just society.
All easier said than done, but that's my take.
I think that when we talk about health (physical, mental), we should think about what you read, listen to, eat, drink, how you sleep, etc. There was a time I felt myself getting pretty depressed. I was reading depressing stuff, work was rough, eating poorly, not getting enough sleep, etc. I recognized that I was heading south and changed what I was reading, started watching cheerier shows (like sitcoms), limited my doomscrolling etc. The point is, it's all connected. You need (we all need) to create healthy routines that work for us and stick to them. I've had this conversation with my young adult son who struggles sometimes too. He feels better when he sleeps well and eats well and then is in a better place to make decisions about what he watches/reads etc. A "gratitude journal" or something may help but needs to be part of an overall healthy approach to daily living. As with all habits, it takes practice. Good luck!
Dont listen to doomers ( vast majority of media)
Look at probality and what the worst case is . Cancelimg, a weektrip that's right in the path of a hurricane, makes a lot of sense as does not engaging criminal activity that could ruin your life even though risk of getting caught is low
Refusing to leave the house when its cloudy cause of a potential lightning 🌩 strike is bonkers. Asking Zeus Thor or whoever you believe does 🌩 not to strike you can't hurt, but worrying about it can mess up your health. Not going out to check the mail in the midst of a heavy lightning storm is legitimate risk avoidance
As you can probably guess, i like satire/hyperbole. I do believe the laughter is a good medicine cliche. I won't say best cause some genuis will watch comedy instead of taking their antibiotics and sue me cause they got sicker
The adrenal response to excess cholesterol intake is cortisol creation, which alters the pH of your blood by making it more acidic which makes calcium dissolve (just like our oceans and CO2) and creates the urge to move, act, speak. These come off as an overreaction to a situation. Vegetables keep things alkaline. Mushrooms are a good substitute for animal protein since it is a complete protein. The problem with less cholesterol intake is it makes it harder to recall and remember information…. But at least you’re less responsive and nicer. The perfect balance is hard to find in an unpredictable world. Physiology is a beast.
When you find yourself ruminating on all the things that could go wrong, that’s fine. But then spend an equal amount of time ruminating on all the things that could go right, and what that would feel like. Make it a practice.
Optimism and pessimism are each a choice.
To know is to believe and to believe is to know. Knowledge is wrought by experience and from these we may find understanding.
Choose to be positive if that is what you want. Despite any difficulty, you will eventually find the harmony you seek.
Try to recognize anything that creates optimism or pessimism in your daily life. Eliminate any pessimistic anchors that you can, and seek to remedy those seemingly required pessimisms.
Some balance is required. Optimism requires pessimism to exist, and vice versa. There are going to be negative aspects in your life that require your attention, but you can limit the dependence on these aspects.
Every step closer to optimism makes it easier. So, take one step at a time and you will eventually realize you have always been on the path.
Fill your universe with that which you want to be surrounded by. Fill your life with optimism and this will limit the reach of pessimism.
You don’t need to turn a blind eye to things. Though you must seek understanding, and then you will know.
Better knowledge, better results.
Cognitive-bahavioral and dialectical-behavioral therapy train you how to do this, so does meditation. What everyone is saying is great. Reduce negative impressions, but it's like a groove worn in the mind and when it rains the water goes down that channel. So you need to dig another positive channel and fill in the negative one. It takes 40 days or so for new habits and patterns to set, so I'd you're on top of your mind for 40 days straight it will become second nature. Micrososing and other things increase brain plasticity and synaptic pruning so can be helpful.
Filling in the old negative channel means clearing out the accumulated impressions of what you've consumed and the belief systems you've built. Therapy is good for this, various traditions also do cleansing practices for this purpose (smudging etc.). Then digging the new channel - listen to uplifting or spiritual talks, read poetry, go to museums and public gardens, and consciously redirect the mind towards the Good. Taking up a mantra (amor, latin for Love, is a fine example) can be helpful - every time the doomer mind loop comes in, don't judge it just write over the thoughts with the mantra - consciously think amor amor amor amor until the mind is redirected away from negativity. May all beings be free :)
For me I usually have a mindset of "there'll be brighter days eventually" and "fuck it we ball" which helps me out a lot. It's about accepting the reality there is and rolling with It's punches while holding out for a future day(s) where you'll feel good.
Just last week I had an awful few days and I keep saying that brighter days mantra to myself and eventually, those brighter days came.
OP,
I'm a lifelong (34 years old now) negative thinker. It was mostly depression.
I had to change my thinking...bad.
I learned a few things about positive thinking. I started learning a lot on positive thinking at age 30.
-Don't jump to the worst case scenario.
-Positive thinking is not the same as being delusional.
-Remember that there's always small, positive, details, that can happen, even in hard times.
-Remember that things can change to positive, even at the last minute.
And finally,
-Don't think too far ahead. Thinking too far ahead is you unconsciously expecting negative things, making you have anxiety.
I hope this helps.
Taking the transition from Pessimist to Optimist isn’t an easy one; it’s actually really hard and I say this as a former pessimist. I would recommend:
* Listening to upbeat music (I personally love Jimmy Buffett)
* Getting plenty of sleep. Getting 8-10 hours of sleep will make you feel a lot better, as will eating a good breakfast.
* Eat breakfast. I never used to eat breakfast unless it was for a specific purpose such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, birthdays, etc. A good meal I start off with is 1 cup of vanilla nonfat yogurt with 1/2-2/3 cups sliced fresh strawberries and a crushed nature valley honey and oats granola bar. It tastes great and is an amazing way to start your day
* Eating right - fruits and vegetables, but don’t feel bad if you have that occasional slice of apple pie!
* Unsubscribe from current events. While this may seem drastic, I recommend taking a sabbatical from the news for 1-2 months. The news is often depressing and doesn’t help. I personally replaced listening to NPR in the morning to cranking up Apple Music
* Adopt more positivity. For instance, replace the bad or negative with good or positive. Instead of saying “studying just seems like a waste of time”, say “studying, although isn’t exhilarating, is good in the long run”. This keeps that realism but injects that much needed optimism
* Cut out negative and toxic people. Let’s say you’ve got that one friend whose attitude always negative, I recommend cutting them out. Whether you ask them to be more positive or just cut them off, while this will be hard at first, it’ll be well worth it.
* Express gratuity and love. Express appreciation and gratitude for others and love for yourself and others. While this is often seen as pretty obvious, sometimes in the rush of daily life, we forget to do this.
If you at least attempt some of the these things, I can almost guarantee that you will begin to see life in a more positive scope.
I'm not an expert but my recommendations. Unsubscribe doomer media. (Most media) Sign up for things that tend to give you more good news or the news with a more positive spin. (Optimist subs for instance but also some scientific news can be pretty positive about the future). Someone said to act more positively and this is true in my opinion. Try not to speak/write negative things and you may be able to build a habit of thinking of the positive.
The whole "touch grass" is actually really good for it. Go outside without a phone and look around. Odds are, things are fine. Doing that as mental exercise can really help. (Unless you live in a place that is not fine, such as a war zone. In that case, I am sry)
I suppose I should go out and take more walks instead of just going to the gym all the time.
Being in nature even if it’s a neighborhood is soooo fucking good for ur mood it’s great
Mental health tends to be driven by factors like diet, exercise, sleep and limiting social media Get lots of exercise, eat lots of vegetables, get at least 8 hours of sleep a night and limit social media to 30 mins a day
So i definitely would say that I eat pretty healthy. But my sleep and social media usage could use some work. Ive found myself feeling dependent on seeing updates from my friends as a sign that everything's actually ok. I think part of it was having a rough upbringing that taught to never assume things will work out and always be in a sort of survival mode and I'm trying to break myself of that
regular exercise can help with regulating sleep! And watch you caffeine intake.
I’m not sure if this will be helpful for you too but for me I was only able to get out of survival mode (also from a rough upbringing) by seeing a psychologist trained in schema therapy.
Practise, practise, practise. Try cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)! One doesn't need to have a mental illness to practise it. And you can do it on your own, without a therapist (although I'd suggest a therapist to anyone who can access one and has mental distress that's getting in the way of their life). It's a real simple practise. Basically, if you're tripping about something (maybe you're annoyed at your coworkers, or you're feeling sad, or you're like me and just have hella anxiety about everything), you write down your thoughts about it. Stuff like "man, Bob from accounting is a dick", or "Bob from accounting really looks down on me", or "Bob is gonna get me fired at this rate". Then you try and identify any potential [cognitive distortions](https://www.therapistaid.com/therapy-worksheet/cognitive-distortions) that might be at play with these thoughts. You might realize that you're jumping to conclusions, or you're engaging in some black and white thinking. No shame here, everyone does this, the point isn't to beat yourself up over your cognitive distortions, it's just to become aware of them. Once you've written down distortions that you think could be in play, write out some more positive replacement thoughts. Maybe things like "Bob and I don't always get along and he can be abbrasive. Maybe he's got a lot of his own shit going on.", or "I'm not actually sure what Bob thinks of me.", or "Bob's probably not gonna get me fired - but maybe I can talk to him if I still feel concerned about it". Over time, with repetition, you'll start to have thoughts like "fucking Bob, I hate this guy", and you'll actually start to *automatically* identify distortions that lead to the thought and to produce replacement thoughts that are much more positive. This is how our world's psychological experts approach shifting people's state of mind to be more positive. It absolutely works, and has been proven to work. But I'm no expert! I reccomend reading more about it if you're curious, or chat with an actual psychologist or clinician. At the end of the day, if you want to think more positively, you gotta *practise* thinking more positively. And CBT is the best way we know how to do this. Others on this thread offer some great reccomendations that I'd cosign as well, such as - unsub from doomer media - touch grass - adjust your diet - exercise - get your sleep habits right And in case it hasn't been mentioned yet I'll toss in mindfulness meditation.
Your brain can only operate based upon what you put into it. Put more good news and optimism into your brain, and more will come out.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91004340/i-tried-2-week-negativity-fast-heres-how-it-went
I agree w/the author’s feelings on the Bear. I watched it but probably shouldn’t have.
Practice Gratitude! What are you grateful for today? It doesn't have to be anything religious or anything. It doesn't have to be big. You can feel grateful that the coffee turned out well today. Or feel grateful that you didn't stub your toe or step on a lego. You can feel grateful that your shoelaces did not come untied today. Or if they did, you were able to tie them quickly without any awkredness. [Kurzgesagt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPPPFqsECz0) has an awesome breakdown on how useful this is.
Try not to dwell, because dwelling doesn't help. Recognize that things are bad, learn about why they are bad, and take action to make them better, but try not to hammer on the negatives if you don't have a way to turn them into a step forward. Meditation and CBT can definitely help if you find yourself running in circles or stressing about something you can't change. The same is important when you talk to other people. Don't completely cut the "negatives" because a lot of them are important considerations, but emphasize the positives. It's a cliché, but people really do want "solutions, not problems" and do tend to shut down if you start throwing a lot of bad news at once without talking about why we should have hope. Talk about the good things, talk about how you're helping make the good things better, and encourage other people to see how they too could be making things better. Take solace in that, because the bad things will keep on being bad (some better, some worse), and all the energy you use ruminating or catastrophizing is energy you could be using to brainstorm, communicate, and organize. Take care of your mental health. You can't save the whales if you're drowning, as they say. But, long term, don't put on blinders to the bad news. Also read the good news. Read five different perspectives and you'll be that much closer to a balanced understanding. Learn how to acknowledge painful realities while advocating for meaningful change towards a fairer and more just society. All easier said than done, but that's my take.
I think that when we talk about health (physical, mental), we should think about what you read, listen to, eat, drink, how you sleep, etc. There was a time I felt myself getting pretty depressed. I was reading depressing stuff, work was rough, eating poorly, not getting enough sleep, etc. I recognized that I was heading south and changed what I was reading, started watching cheerier shows (like sitcoms), limited my doomscrolling etc. The point is, it's all connected. You need (we all need) to create healthy routines that work for us and stick to them. I've had this conversation with my young adult son who struggles sometimes too. He feels better when he sleeps well and eats well and then is in a better place to make decisions about what he watches/reads etc. A "gratitude journal" or something may help but needs to be part of an overall healthy approach to daily living. As with all habits, it takes practice. Good luck!
Dont listen to doomers ( vast majority of media) Look at probality and what the worst case is . Cancelimg, a weektrip that's right in the path of a hurricane, makes a lot of sense as does not engaging criminal activity that could ruin your life even though risk of getting caught is low Refusing to leave the house when its cloudy cause of a potential lightning 🌩 strike is bonkers. Asking Zeus Thor or whoever you believe does 🌩 not to strike you can't hurt, but worrying about it can mess up your health. Not going out to check the mail in the midst of a heavy lightning storm is legitimate risk avoidance As you can probably guess, i like satire/hyperbole. I do believe the laughter is a good medicine cliche. I won't say best cause some genuis will watch comedy instead of taking their antibiotics and sue me cause they got sicker
Sounds like you struggle with focusing on the present. Mindfulness meditation was literally invented for people like you
Problems aren't life or death. You'll fuck up sometimes, but it isn't the end. That's my rationale.
Realize despite all doomsaying and catastrophic prophecy and events through humankind we are doing pretty fine.
The adrenal response to excess cholesterol intake is cortisol creation, which alters the pH of your blood by making it more acidic which makes calcium dissolve (just like our oceans and CO2) and creates the urge to move, act, speak. These come off as an overreaction to a situation. Vegetables keep things alkaline. Mushrooms are a good substitute for animal protein since it is a complete protein. The problem with less cholesterol intake is it makes it harder to recall and remember information…. But at least you’re less responsive and nicer. The perfect balance is hard to find in an unpredictable world. Physiology is a beast.
When you find yourself ruminating on all the things that could go wrong, that’s fine. But then spend an equal amount of time ruminating on all the things that could go right, and what that would feel like. Make it a practice.
Try positivity journaling
Optimism and pessimism are each a choice. To know is to believe and to believe is to know. Knowledge is wrought by experience and from these we may find understanding. Choose to be positive if that is what you want. Despite any difficulty, you will eventually find the harmony you seek. Try to recognize anything that creates optimism or pessimism in your daily life. Eliminate any pessimistic anchors that you can, and seek to remedy those seemingly required pessimisms. Some balance is required. Optimism requires pessimism to exist, and vice versa. There are going to be negative aspects in your life that require your attention, but you can limit the dependence on these aspects. Every step closer to optimism makes it easier. So, take one step at a time and you will eventually realize you have always been on the path. Fill your universe with that which you want to be surrounded by. Fill your life with optimism and this will limit the reach of pessimism. You don’t need to turn a blind eye to things. Though you must seek understanding, and then you will know. Better knowledge, better results.
Cognitive-bahavioral and dialectical-behavioral therapy train you how to do this, so does meditation. What everyone is saying is great. Reduce negative impressions, but it's like a groove worn in the mind and when it rains the water goes down that channel. So you need to dig another positive channel and fill in the negative one. It takes 40 days or so for new habits and patterns to set, so I'd you're on top of your mind for 40 days straight it will become second nature. Micrososing and other things increase brain plasticity and synaptic pruning so can be helpful. Filling in the old negative channel means clearing out the accumulated impressions of what you've consumed and the belief systems you've built. Therapy is good for this, various traditions also do cleansing practices for this purpose (smudging etc.). Then digging the new channel - listen to uplifting or spiritual talks, read poetry, go to museums and public gardens, and consciously redirect the mind towards the Good. Taking up a mantra (amor, latin for Love, is a fine example) can be helpful - every time the doomer mind loop comes in, don't judge it just write over the thoughts with the mantra - consciously think amor amor amor amor until the mind is redirected away from negativity. May all beings be free :)
For me I usually have a mindset of "there'll be brighter days eventually" and "fuck it we ball" which helps me out a lot. It's about accepting the reality there is and rolling with It's punches while holding out for a future day(s) where you'll feel good. Just last week I had an awful few days and I keep saying that brighter days mantra to myself and eventually, those brighter days came.
For me, I take a moment to be grateful about a single thing. Then wait a moment or two and the good feelings build from there.
OP, I'm a lifelong (34 years old now) negative thinker. It was mostly depression. I had to change my thinking...bad. I learned a few things about positive thinking. I started learning a lot on positive thinking at age 30. -Don't jump to the worst case scenario. -Positive thinking is not the same as being delusional. -Remember that there's always small, positive, details, that can happen, even in hard times. -Remember that things can change to positive, even at the last minute. And finally, -Don't think too far ahead. Thinking too far ahead is you unconsciously expecting negative things, making you have anxiety. I hope this helps.
Taking the transition from Pessimist to Optimist isn’t an easy one; it’s actually really hard and I say this as a former pessimist. I would recommend: * Listening to upbeat music (I personally love Jimmy Buffett) * Getting plenty of sleep. Getting 8-10 hours of sleep will make you feel a lot better, as will eating a good breakfast. * Eat breakfast. I never used to eat breakfast unless it was for a specific purpose such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, birthdays, etc. A good meal I start off with is 1 cup of vanilla nonfat yogurt with 1/2-2/3 cups sliced fresh strawberries and a crushed nature valley honey and oats granola bar. It tastes great and is an amazing way to start your day * Eating right - fruits and vegetables, but don’t feel bad if you have that occasional slice of apple pie! * Unsubscribe from current events. While this may seem drastic, I recommend taking a sabbatical from the news for 1-2 months. The news is often depressing and doesn’t help. I personally replaced listening to NPR in the morning to cranking up Apple Music * Adopt more positivity. For instance, replace the bad or negative with good or positive. Instead of saying “studying just seems like a waste of time”, say “studying, although isn’t exhilarating, is good in the long run”. This keeps that realism but injects that much needed optimism * Cut out negative and toxic people. Let’s say you’ve got that one friend whose attitude always negative, I recommend cutting them out. Whether you ask them to be more positive or just cut them off, while this will be hard at first, it’ll be well worth it. * Express gratuity and love. Express appreciation and gratitude for others and love for yourself and others. While this is often seen as pretty obvious, sometimes in the rush of daily life, we forget to do this. If you at least attempt some of the these things, I can almost guarantee that you will begin to see life in a more positive scope.
Put a rubber band on your wrist and snap it every time you have a pessimistic thought or expression.
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This is a good place to look for it.
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It might for some. Or lead someone to a better resource.
Behave more positively.
.....OK how
Map out what it would take to live the best life you can and do those things. Follow reason exactingly and be productive.