A train of negative thoughts may lead the person to view the world in a different way, one that lacks acknowledgement of the good things that are happening to the community and to the world. This is referred to as pessimism, wherein your mind is clouded with so much negativity that for every situation and circumstance, your only prediction is the worst-case scenarios.
Pessimists are characterized by a lack of appreciation to the good outcomes of a situation, having the attitude of a quitter to posed challenges, not seeing the efforts of other people, and a constant feeling of dissatisfaction to many things. If you assess yourself and notice the presence of these manifestations, then you must be displaying the attitude of pessimism.
Sometimes, pessimists and negative thinkers do not realize that they have been showing patterns of negativity in their manner of thinking, actions, and behaviors. Some will only be consciously aware about their mental attitude through other people. Notice that if you do not make a pessimist realize such attitude, the person will hardly change to having positive perceptions. What ways can you change a negative perception and turn it into a positive one?
Positive Self-Talk
Becoming a more positive and happier person can easily be done through the technique of positive self-talk. The term “self-talk” does not literally mean talking to yourself out loud. It simply means positively controlling the flow of ideas that are going through the head. Some people sometimes tend to think out loud, and that is in fact an example of self-talk, although most of the time the process just happens in the mind.
The process of positive self-talk is feeding the mind with affirmative words and statements, gradually building up a level of motivation and encouragement to pursue the things you want to do. Words that denote a heavy feeling and impact on the mind must not be entertained and used, as much as possible. Try to find alternative words to the negative terms that would make the statement sound less negative. In short, use positive and affirmative statements. Make a conscious effort to be aware of your thoughts, set aside personally blaming yourself for any failures, and just consider the brighter side of things instead.
Engaging in Healthy Activities
Putting a balance in life’s activities can generate a sense of fulfillment to a person. Every now and then, it is healthy to engage in activities that promote good relationships and a healthy mind, body, and heart. Life is too short to dwell on negativities and problems. Realize that these are part of life, and so it is only apt to accept this reality and courageously face any challenges.
Physical activities may include getting into a regular exercise, hitting the gym on a regular basis, joining marathons with friends, or taking a nice swim on weekends. Doing these activities with friends makes it a whole lot better and enjoyable. Joining clubs and organizations of your interest also enhances your social relationships with people. You meet and greet various personalities. Treating yourself to a spa massage, reading a good book, watching a feel-good movie or listening to good music, and shopping can encourage a positive perception about life.
Being Around Positive People
It is a fact that positive thinking is very contagious. Given this, you would rather be around the company of positive people with positive perceptions and viewpoints in life. The positive vibes you are getting from interacting with them simply creates an impact on you as well. The atmosphere is lighter, more blissful, and more comfortable with a group of optimists than when being in a group of negative thinkers.
However, it is also not a good idea to isolate and completely stay away from pessimists. Instead of despising them totally, you would rather initiate the move to help them make a shift in their patterns of thinking. This can be a self-fulfilling act. Helping negative thinkers change their negative perceptions into a positive one is very self-gratifying and it is also beneficial especially if you deal with these people every day whether at home, at work, or among your group of friends.
