5 Simple Ways To Improve Your Mindset

Often life can be a non-stop hamster wheel of things to do. Taking the kids to school or extracurricular clubs, work, errands, and the list goes on and on. It can grind us down physically and emotionally without us noticing. Furthermore, it can wear away at positive thinking and consume our joy. It’s important to be aware of how you feel about your life and yourself. If things have slipped in that area, it may be time to take some action. Here are some simple ways to improve your mindset.

Express Gratitude 

Even when you feel overwhelmed and upset about your life or circumstances, you can find things to be grateful for. Consider your family, friends, and the fact you have resources for life. Some people don’t have all of these things. The truth is if we aren’t grateful for what we do have, we get consumed by negative thoughts of what we don’t. Can you see the horrible cycle this type of mindset creates?

You can start down a more positive path by writing down or speaking out at least five things you are grateful for first thing in the morning. By not immediately focusing on problems and disappointments,  you are set up to have a much more positive outlook  Do the same thing at the end of every day before bedtime to help solidify your attention. If something is bothering you, write it down and either burn the paper or crumble it up and throw it away.

Get Help

Many people have emotional issues that they deny or hide from others. However, much of the time minor dips in mood and overwhelm will clear on their own. It’s crucial to know yourself well and get help if things don’t get better. A constant feeling that something is wrong and an inability to be happy could be signs of depression or other mental health problems. Reach out to someone you trust to talk about your feelings and how they are affecting your life.

Feeling down or negative could also be caused by a habit like smoking, overeating or some other substance addiction. If any of these things become severe, addiction services might help to gain back control. If you aren’t ready to seek out treatment for an addiction, simply being aware that there is a problem will set you on a more positive path to change. Talk to someone about your needs as soon as you can.  

Let Go of Everything that Doesn’t Serve Your Life

As we all know, there are aspects of life that we can’t control. Things happen that hurt us and cause us to question ourselves. Feeling emotions is a necessary part of human life. That said, we are meant to feel emotions and then let them calmly pass out of our lives. When we hold on to the past and constantly replay emotional trauma, we do ourselves a huge disservice. 

I understand that letting go is difficult when trauma or chronic issues continue. I’ve had many experiences that cut deeply and hung on for a long time. However, I also discovered that being present in the moment and focusing on the positives of life helps to diminish painful thoughts. Work on letting things go as you can. 

Breathe Deeply

The first step to breathing more fully is awareness. That means slowing down and paying attention to your breath. This will be easier to do while taking a short break or while as rest. However, you can also work on taking deeper breaths throughout your day while you work. When we are anxious or upset, we might take more shallow fast breaths that don’t get expelled fully. This doesn’t give your system enough oxygen and can cause you to feel fatigued and mentally drained.

Taking big deep breaths that raise your belly are more efficient and help you to get more oxygen in your lungs. Counting to eight as you breathe in, holding for up to seven seconds and then out for four is a perfect breathing exercise to help facilitate deeper breathing. Do this over the course of a few minutes several times a day and see how you feel. Most people notice a big improvement in physical energy and mental clarity. Also, try to smile while doing these exercises to tell your body and mind that everything is OK.

Spread Happiness

One of the quickest ways to improve your own mindset is to be kind to others. Spreading love and joy stirs up gratitude and fulfillment inside of us. We actually generate feel-good brain chemicals when we give to others. Giving and sharing love with others also helps us to get the focus off of ourselves and anything that could be hurting us. 

Think about joy and love as pebbles dropped into a pool of water. The ripple effect is significant when you consider how many people might be affected by one act of kindness. The same goes for being negative, so think about which ripple you would rather be the cause of. 

**** This post is strictly informational and is not meant to replace the advice of your healthcare provider. Women’s lifelink, it’s owners, administrators, contributors, affiliates, vendors, authors and editors do not claim that this information will diagnose, treat, or improve any condition or disease.