“Fear is the path to the dark side…fear leads to anger…anger leads to hate…hate leads to suffering.”
Featured in the trailer for The Phantom Menace, this quote by Yoda is one of the most memorable amongst Star Wars Fans. Master Yoda says these words as he assesses the training of Anakin Skywalker. This quote describes a universal truth in human psychology. As we discovered in the movie, Yoda was proved right in his prediction.
What is the danger of negative thinking?
You may think the only danger in negative thinking is putting yourself in a bad mood. And while being in a bad mood is one side effect, there are countless others to consider.
There is scientific evidence that having negative thoughts physically changes your brain. So not only are your negative thoughts affecting your mood but also the way your brain perceives future events.
And while it is nearly impossible to avoid all negative thinking, there are a few things you can do to avoid the long-term effects.
In this article, we are going to discuss how negative thinking affects your brain and how it can, in turn, ruin your life. Also, how you can use positive thinking to improve your life as well as a few tips to help with positive thinking.
What negative thinking does to your brain
You may have heard the quote “What you think, you believe.” This means that what you are telling yourself every day is what your brain is believing to be true. If you are constantly saying how miserable your life is, you are probably going to continue to have a miserable life.
There are of studies showing that there is a direct link between negative thinking and mood conditions such as depression and anxiety. This is because our brain reacts to negative thinking the same way it does to anything bad happening to us, it tries to protect itself.
Our brains can’t tell the difference between the anxiety we feel when something bad is happening to us, and when that threat is all in our head. This causes not only your brain to change but the also your body to change as well.
You might feel your heart racing or begin breathing heavily. Once your brain thinks you’re in danger your body follows suit and does exactly what the brain tell it to. Meaning you are causing a chain reaction throughout your entire body just by having a negative thought.
How negative thinking can ruin your life
Everyone knows of a person that is constantly complaining. Nothing ever fair, everything bad always happens to them and of course the weather is horrible every day. And you can probably bet that their actual life is probably just like that.
They wake up feeling awful, the bed is too hard and they cant afford a new one. Then they go to make coffee and spill grounds all over the floor. Of course, they would! Then on the way to work, they realize they have a flat tire. The list goes on an on and so does their negativity.
If you asked these people they could probably tell you that they don’t sleep well. They probably have health problems such as heart disease or stomach issues. Since these negative thoughts aren’t just affecting the brain it’s easy to understand how all this negativity could ruin your life.
Improve your life with positive thinking
On the other hand. If you are able to cause this amount of stress and damage just by negative thinking, just imagine how amazing you would feel with only positive thoughts.
When you adopt positive thinking you decide that you want to be happy. This means not sweating the small stuff and taking everything in stride. You don’t have to be Mary Poppins, you just need to keep a positive attitude and believe everything will work out fine.
By avoiding negative thinking and focusing on the positive, you are learning a new coping skill that will improve your life. Your whole attitude will change along with your new way of thinking.
This new skill will help you develop the ability to have a positive attitude towards not only yourself but other people and the environment around you.
You might not dread going to the grocery store and instead remind yourself you get to pick up a box of those chocolates that you like.
Instead of complaining about doing the dishes you just might turn up the music and dance until they’re done.
It really is all about what you believe. If you think you will have a good day when you wake up in the morning, you probably will.
Positive thinking tips
So how do you make that change from negative thinking to a positive state of mind? Well, experts agree that it is absolutely possible. By making small changes to your life each day can instantly make you feel a little more positive.
Here are a few positive thinking tips that might help:
Use Positive Affirmations
If you don’t already know, affirmations are phrases you recite to yourself, this means you are intentionally giving yourself positive thoughts.
Use Inspirational Quotes
Sort of like the affirmations, these quotes are meant for you to read in order for you to have that positive thought. The difference between the two is affirmations are saying like “I am amazing,” and quotes are just that, quotes from someone else.
Decide to be happy
Once you decide to be happy no one can stop you. If you decide not to let anything bother you so you can live in peace, you will do just that. Be happy.
Take a lesson from every setback
Instead of letting a setback knock you down ask yourself if there is anything that can be learned from that situation and move on.
Don’t Dwell
We just talked about not letting a setback get you down, and that is important. But just as important, you need to move on. When that bad thing happens (like they tend to do) you just have to learn from it move on.
Surround yourself with positive people
Listening to someone complain for an hour can put anyone in a bad mood. Surrounding yourself with happy people will instantly make you happier.
Be grateful
Last but not least, be grateful. This is one sure way to make yourself feel better. Think about all that you have, everything others would love to have. And remind yourself this is a good life even on not so good days.
If you want to think like a Jedi, you may want to dress like one. You will love these Authentic Star Wars Costumes.
Originally posted 2018-08-27 12:29:07.
