POSITIVE THINKING!!!
A pretty clever guy said this once: "whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right" (Henry Ford). Basically, what that means is that the outcomes of our actions essentially come down to the way that we think about them.
The way we think about ourselves and the world around us has a huge impact on how we end up feeling, and what we end up doing with our time. The hard part is that often, what we think is so cemented in our heads that regardless of whether it's actually accurate, it feels true. In a world driven by achievement in all areas: study, work, appearance, relationships - it can be easy to feel like we don't quite measure up. The danger with thinking that way is that if we get stuck in the cycle of thinking negatively about ourselves and the world, it can get in the way of doing the things we want to do.
Learning to challenge our negative thoughts and think about ourselves and the world more positively has a huge range of benefits: we feel better, our hopes feel more possible, and the world feels a bit more bearable.
So how can we learn to think more positively about ourselves and the world? That's what we'll be discussing with you guys this Monday (11th November) during the Getting Real session on the forums from 8pm AEST. Whether you struggle with negative thinking or you're a pro at challenging yourself to see things positively - come share your experiences!
This is a good example in challenging thoughts by action. Thumbs up.
And never let other people determine how you feel about yourself. Maybe they don't want you there, but you want to be there!
Alrighty! We have one last question for you guys...
Next time you think negatively about yourself, what will you do differently?
I'll try not to judge things and other people. Think how can I grow stronger out of the situation. How to turn it to positive.
Hmm, next time I think I'll try some of the topics discussed here. Particularly by way of using actions to influence thinking. I'll keep myself busy, and head the negative thoughts off before they can become a problem. I won't dwell on the thoughts.
This has been a great session and so inspiring to know how you all deal with negative thinking. Here is a brief summary on tonight's discussion
Can you think of an example or time in your life where you struggled with negative thinking?
Many of us said that our teenage years were the hardest going through high school and uni can bring on extra pressures like peer pressure, appearances, our decisions and our grades.
Have you overcome your negative thinking? If you have, how did you do this?
- Trying to calm down by doing a bit of self care
- Change the way we are thinking
- Believing in yourself by having some positive self-talk
- Negative thoughts can be handled and controlled.
- Challenge yourself on the negative thoughts
What makes it difficult for you when you are trying to think positive?
- Yourself – over-thinking can make things seem worse
- Surrounding yourself with negative people – negativity is contagious
- Stress makes it difficult
- Brain + Time = Depression
Do you challenge your negative thinking, If so, how? What helps you to challenge your thoughts?
- Write it down
- When it becomes constant, ask yourself what is making me feel this way? What happened for me to feel this way? How can I change it? Who can I talk to?
- Sleep and self-care is important
- Self awareness is key because you need to be aware of what you are thinking and why
- Have some actions that you can do to help you think positively
How does it help you to think positively?
- Catching negative thoughts early helps you become more positive.
- More energy and able to concentrate
- More social and feel better about ourselves
- Less stress and better sleep and eating habits
- Thinking clearly and not acting on negative emotions
What is one practical thing that helps you turn negative thinking into positive thinking?
- Self care such as music, exercise etc.
- Keeping yourself busy
- Looking in the mirror and telling yourself that you are AMAZING
- Ask questions that challenge your thoughts and turn them into positive thoughts
- Smile at people because it is contagious
What do you need in place to think positively?
- Encouraging people around you
- Eating and sleeping well
- Expressing yourself through writing or blogging
- Being proactive leads to positivity
- Acting opposite to your negative thoughts
Next time you think negatively about yourself, what will you do differently?
- Do not let people determine how you feel about yourself
- Positive thinking doesn’t come naturally, it can be trained
- Keep busy if you are thinking negatively
- Don’t over-think too much
Here are some helpful factsheets
http://au.reachout.com/Negative-self-talk
http://au.reachout.com/What-is-self-awareness
http://au.reachout.com/What-is-self-talk
http://au.reachout.com/Challenging-negative-thinking
And... Come join this thread and turn your negatives into positives
Thank you all 🙂
Thanks so much everyone for joining in and @ruenhonx for the summary of tonight's session! Have a great week everyone 🙂
Next time you think negatively about yourself, what will you do differently?
As @Sveto said Brain+Time = Depression. I think next time I think negatively instead of overthinking and over-analyzing its better to just do something to take my mind off it or keep busy somehow 🙂
How does it help you to think positively?
When I'm thinking positively, I have more energy, I'm more able to concentrate, I get more done, I feel better about life... I'm more likely to interact with others and see friends, I have more fun, I worry less, and I also find I sleep and eat better when I'm thinking positively about life.
How does it help you to think positively?
I agree I have more energy as well @gail I think for me I think realisticly and rationally when I'm positive, I dont just act on my negative thoughts because they turn into negative emotions
So there's definitely benefits to thinking positively... What is one practical thing that helps you turn negative thinking into positive thinking?
I try to think that things are as they are. Our trouble is in the fact that we sometimes can not accept what is.
Exercise is always good... especially outdoors. Sometimes I do trivia questions to keep myself busy too..
Good ideas guys! I find asking myself questions to challenge my negative thoughts - like "what evidence is there for this thought?" and "what is the realistic likelihood of that happening" are helpful to turn negative thoughts into more realistic/positive thoughts.
Sometimes, if I catch a negative thought early, I can extinguish it before it becomes something bigger.
Do you challenge your negative thinking? If so, how? What helps you to challenge your thoughts?
I challenge it when it becomes constant, sometimes when it happens once I can let it go as a bad day but if it becomes everyday or everytime something happens. I start to challenge, what is making me feel this way? What happened for me to feel this way? How can I change it? Who can I talk to?
I think having some sleep and self-care helps as well as positive self-talk is helpful too 🙂
Do you challenge your negative thinking? If so, how? What helps you to challenge your thoughts?
Usually I try and make points of ways in which my negative thinking can't be true.
Heeeeeey guys. Hope you are all great tonight. If I suddenly stop replying half way through tonight, it's because of storms. (yay, I love storms)
Can you think of an example or time in your life where you struggled with negative thinking?
I really struggled with it as a teenager (jeeze that made me sound old 
) It's so damn easy to fall into the negative thinking trap and so much more harder to get out!
Thanks for joining @dreamcatcher 🙂 Teenage years were pretty full of negative thinking for me too! That's interesting that you say it's easy to fall into and harder to get out. I agree with that... it's so easy to get in a pattern of a way of thinking and to challenge it can feel nearly impossible!
Hey guys!
Welcome to tonight's Getting Real Session on positive thinking. Tonight, myself and Gail will be co-facilitating 🙂
So, we all have negative thoughts whether its how we look, our grades or how we live and it can sometimes be difficult getting out of this negativity. So tonight, we will be talking about what we can do to challenge negative thinking and find ways to turn negative into positive thoughts.
Please make sure that the discussion tonight is within the guidelines, as always and if you need to talk to someone one on one, click the 'emergency help & info' link up the top right of your page.
So to get us started 🙂
Can you think of an example or time in your life where you struggled with negative thinking?
Hi, Guys,
I wellcome this topius as I find it is very important for the quality of our lives.
Yes, who has not have negative thinking. We all get them many times in a day. As long as we "return" our positive and joyfull feelings and manage to balance, we are ok. But sometimes we are just overcome with problems and emotional situations in our lives and then we find no strength to return into positive.
I "trained" myself into poiive thinkins some 12 years ago, as my mother went ill. She had a pretty bad form of terminal cancer. Naturally, I was shocked and sad. But soon I realised that those feelings might be natural but absolutely useless. So I fonud a way to keep myself positive. Because I needed to take care of my mother there was no time for crying in a corner.
I realised that our problem is that we give our mind too much significance.We can not control our thoughts (maybe for a short time only). And we take this life and all that we do, aspire, love etc too serious.
Nowadays I am mostly very positive and cheerfull. I try to see things as they are. Not to judge them. There is no good and bad, we humans label things and if we label something as bad and can not change it, we let that thing spoil our mood.
So, if you don't like something, change it, if you can. If not, either remove it or learn to live with it.
Not labeling things is a very good start. Not identifying with your mind. Don't take it too serious.
Hi @Sveto - thanks for joining us! It sounds like you've spent quite a bit of time working on your thought patterns. I definitely agree that taking a step back and not judging what goes through our heads is a great step in the right direction towards living happier lives. Not identifying with our thoughts is another huge thing - just because we think it, doesn't mean it's true! Thoughts are just thoughts, they are not facts.
Hmm, during exams is usually when the negative thoughts hit me...
When I was a teenager, like 14 and 15, I was negative about my appearance, but not overly.
My first year of uni was bad for me too, I thought negatively about the whole thing, and as a result things didn't turn out too good 😕 I just convinced myself that I couldn't do it. I was my own worst enemy.
My year 12 exams were like that a bit too, but there was a lot of things to be negative about around that time already.
I agree with most of you, it seems like its the worst at highschool and uni because different pressures start to come up and effect us in negative ways.
