Your Mental Health: Focusing on the Positive
“People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
How much time each day do you spend focusing on the positive things in your life? Research shows positive thinking can make a huge difference in your mental health, your attitude, yourself-esteem and self-confidence. A famous book by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale titled, "The Power of Positive Thinking," discusses how positive thoughts can create lasting change in your life. A landmark study by Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, a positive psychology researcher at the University of North Carolina, backs up this concept.
So you know, positive thinking is not about just putting on a happy face or carrying a happy-go-lucky attitude. Rather when you see things with a positive attitude, you see more possibilities in your life. This allows you to build new skills and resources that can provide value in different parts of your life.
Conversely, negative thoughts can lead to bouts of depression and negative thinking can kill your self-esteem.
How to Change Negative Depressing Thoughts and Think Positive
If you are a long time negative thinker, the ability to think positively will take practice and time. Here are two posts from our depression and self-esteem bloggers to get you started.
- Practice Positivity to Attain Depression Remission
- My Path to Positive Thinking
Also, take a look at our video interview with Julie Fast, who has written several best-selling books on living with bipolar disorder and depression. Julie has bipolar disorder and shares her ideas on how to change depressing thoughts.
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