Positive thinking is the road to freedom, to a new level of life, to success and personal growth. Every person can become a successful creator of their own future. After all, our future is only a mental image, an idea that does not yet have implementation or form in the material world. Every person initially has everything necessary to be happy, loved and successful. Our future is the result of our thinking today. Therefore, the practice of positive thinking is the very tool for shaping reality that can change our lives for the better.
The difference between positive thinking and rose-colored glasses
The expression “rose-colored glasses” smacks of a little naivety. A person wearing “rose-colored glasses” perceives the surrounding reality in a somewhat illusory way and idealizes it. Such people usually lack common sense. They are filled with happy childish infantility and do not want to see the world in a real light.
Positive thinking has a slightly different meaning. Such a person is able to sensibly assess current events. He does not panic over mistakes made. He critically evaluates the results and moves on to eliminate negative consequences.
The world is complex and multifaceted. People often encounter misunderstandings and do not always act correctly. A positive-minded person is able to withstand the thorny path and sweep away all the negative feelings of apathy and doubt. A person achieves great success thanks to the power of a positive attitude.
1. Exercise your right to treat yourself to positive affirmations.
There is a lot of talk about positive affirmation. The reason these statements are so important is simple. The Bible says that as a man thinks in his heart, so he will be. What this advice means is that if you think you're a failure and can't do anything, that's exactly what you will be.
However, if you tell yourself things like, “I am loved and I will have a wonderful day,” then you will manifest those things. People think that manifestation and visualization are all new age, but they are from ancient times. The Bible was translated into English in 1611, and even then it talked about such things.
Exercises to develop a positive attitude that will really help
You can develop positive thinking on your own, without resorting to the services of psychotherapists and psychologists. Below are some effective and fairly simple exercises.
Exercise 1. Changing settings
Our thoughts are material. The way our thinking is configured, so is the world around us. Negative attitudes need to be changed to positive ones. Track your thoughts. Carry a notepad with you where you will record the replacement. It is important to then read several times the positive attitudes that you have transformed from negative thoughts.
For example, you can't learn English. You accuse yourself of laziness. Write in your notebook: I am capable. I will learn English. It is important not only to form positive thinking, but also to take further actions to achieve a positive result. Sign up for English courses. Watch movies or TV series in English every day. Do 1-2 grammar exercises. Read 5-10 pages in English. After all this, how can you tell yourself that you are lazy?
Exercise 2. Gratitude
Learn to be grateful to yourself first. This is a very effective exercise if done on a daily basis. Thank yourself for failures, because now you have gained tremendous experience on what not to do next time and not fail.
Every night before going to bed, remember all the good things that happened to you during the day. Write down 2 positive things in your notebook. Thank yourself for these happy moments. This seemingly easy exercise will help switch your mind to a positive attitude and teach you to think in the right way.
Exercise 3. “Perfect day”
This exercise will teach you how to set goals and plan your day around your interests in a positive way. Write down a plan for your ideal day.
- Work or look for a good job;
- Do an interesting activity, hobby, read a book;
- Play with the children in the evening;
- Go to a beauty salon, manicure, massage, etc.
Create a plan around activities that make you happy. Tune in to positive moments, to achieve goals, to make dreams come true. It is important to track your emotions that accompany you throughout the day. Try to switch to positive feelings when performing any work and tasks. If some activity irritates you, analyze it. Think about what you need to change in your life so that there are fewer negative feelings.
Exercise 4: Meditation and Affirmation
The art of meditation is aimed at clearing the mind of negative thoughts and promoting the development of positive thinking. In the process of short meditation, you calm down, relieve stress and improve your mental health.
Phrases for affirmation:
- I love life!
- My soul is filled with joy and love!
- Today is the best day of my life.
- I am filled with positive energy and have a positive attitude.
- I love myself the way I am
- I have a brilliant mind and a calm spirit.
- I believe that I can do anything.
- Everything that happens to me is for the better.
- I build my own life.
- I forgive everyone who has offended me, I move away from them.
- I am able to cope with everything that fate throws at me.
- I give up old habits and adopt new ones that are good for me.
Exercise 5. “Turquoise bracelet”
This simple exercise can radically change your life towards positive thinking.
This is another technique to learn to monitor negative thoughts. The technique of the exercise is that you need to wear a turquoise bracelet for 21 days. All this time you will learn to live with a positive attitude. As soon as unpleasant thoughts and negativity come into your head, you need to put the bracelet on your other hand and start counting down the 21 days again.
Exercise 6. “How cool”
Try to react to any unexpected situation in a positive way and always say the phrase “How great...”. Try to use these words more often and you will see how your mood will begin to change in a positive direction.
Read encouraging books
If you're tired of negativity, turn off social media, turn off the TV and start absorbing positive things. Books are a great way to read about people who have overcome insurmountable odds. You can try reading some positive quotes or self-help works that can give you a boost of positive energy.
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14. Use a mirror when doing positivity exercises
The mirror technique is a simple way to help you improve your self-esteem. It only takes a few minutes and you can do it every day. Grab a mirror and find a quiet place to sit and focus. Now take a close look at yourself from the outside.
You need to tell this person how much you love him, how wonderful he is, and how you are going to become a happier, healthier person. You'll be surprised how much this trick can help.
What abilities are we talking about?
Pezeshkian positive psychotherapy relies on a person’s innate and acquired abilities. And these are not just some talents and super abilities. Rather, it refers to the needs for knowledge and love.
The ability to know is considered to be the intellectual essence of man. According to research, the left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for it. It has two interesting features:
- It is more strongly developed among mathematicians, physicists and those who are in one way or another connected with the exact sciences.
- Priority is given to people living in North America and Western Europe.
Let's look at an example of how this ability is used in positive psychotherapy sessions. Let's say the patient is a man who has problems in his family. He is asked to answer a series of leading questions. Here are some of them:
- What is the reason for constant quarrels and scandals?
- Is your spouse not taking care of the house and children? Or maybe he doesn’t devote time to his children?
- Is this the only reason for dissatisfaction?
- Are there any positive aspects in family life?
- What outweighs: disadvantages or advantages?
By giving the last answer, the patient will see the full picture of what is happening in his family. It turns out that already at the first session he will understand how to behave further, is it worth fighting for the relationship or is it better to break up?
The second ability that Professor Pezeshkian draws attention to is the ability to love. Unlike cognition, it is not associated with the intellectual sphere. This is the emotional component of the human personality. To a greater extent, it is characteristic of representatives of creative and humanitarian professions, as well as those who live in the East or South America.
If this ability is predominant in the patient, asking him rational questions is pointless. Trying to answer them, they will become even more confused. That's why psychotherapists use metaphors and parables. So, for example, if an artist comes for help, as an example you can give him a damaged canvas or paints that have dried out. This will help him correctly understand the situation and draw conclusions.
According to Pezeshkian's theory, there are people in whom abilities are mixed. So, for example, an Easterner can be a pragmatic mathematician or a prim Englishman an artist. How to be in this case? Here, specialists choose to work with the dominant part of the personality, trying to avoid internal conflict.
Stop beating yourself up (one of the most necessary exercises for positivity)
Do you resent yourself for past mistakes and current failures? Why do you expect yourself to be perfect? Are there ideal people on earth?
Stop being hard on yourself and focusing on your shortcomings. It's time to forgive yourself and instead of tormenting yourself, start strengthening your self-esteem to give yourself strength. Negative self-esteem will quickly lead you nowhere.
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Advantages and disadvantages
As mentioned above, positive psychotherapy is now widespread. And there is a logical explanation for this - its advantages. There are several of them:
- Focus on the problem, not on its manifestations and symptoms.
- To help a patient, it will take no more than 20 sessions, if we talk about the work of a psychologist, and no more than 50, if we talk about a psychotherapist. For example, we can cite Gestalt psychology. Where it helps in 6 months, positive psychotherapy can do it in one and a half months.
- The specialist does not spend a lot of time searching for suitable tools for the job. Almost all methods for resolving internal conflicts are applicable.
- Suitable for all nationalities, whether strict Germans or sensitive Easterners.
- The patient will not only be a listener. He actively participates in solving his own problem.
- The psychotherapist perceives a person as an integral system, a formed personality, and does not work with its individual parts, for example, emotions or thoughts.
- The work is based on the use of illustrative examples, parables and metaphors, which significantly simplifies it and makes it more understandable.
Another undoubted advantage is working for the future, despite the use of the “here and now” principle. The patient not only solves the problem, but also receives instructions on how to behave correctly in the future.
Negative joke
If we still look at the possibility of our thoughts materializing, we can give an example of an anecdote
A gloomy, tired man rides on a trolleybus and thinks:
- There are only rednecks around, the boss is a cretin, the wife is a bitch. Behind him, a guardian angel stands with a notepad and pen and writes: “There are rednecks all around, the boss is a cretin, the wife is a bitch.” And in turn he thinks: “It seems like it already happened.” And why does he need to do this all the time? But once he orders it, he must fulfill it.
Try self-hypnosis as an exercise for positivity
Hypnosis was invented by James Braid, a Scottish surgeon, in 1841.
Find a suitable meditation or motivational tape, open your mind and allow it to enter a relaxed state. When you are in this state, you will allow the positivity from the guided meditation to flow into you for positive thinking.
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13. Create a special mantra to include in your positivity exercises.
Mantras are words that you repeat to yourself over and over again. This is an encouraging phrase that helps you think positively. For example:
- “I know anxiety is contagious, so I will remain calm.”
- “Longevity is associated with healthy eating, so today I strive to fuel my body rather than burden it.”
- “I understand that a car in motion stays in motion, so I need to move if I want to get results.”
Try reciting these mantras to help you stay on track when life gets too tough or your stress levels increase.
What's the point
To understand the essence of Pezeshkian positive psychotherapy, it is enough to once again carefully read the meaning of the word from which the name comes. This direction works with the problem that a person has at the current moment in time and requires an immediate solution. According to the professor, the methods used by psychologists are not always effective. And all because precious time is lost. First, the specialist looks for the causes of the problem, then tries to eliminate the factors that provoke its development, and only after these actions begins to fight the problem itself. During this time, it can not only intensify, but also turn into a chronic, advanced form.
Pezeshkian believed that it was better to immediately work on what was troubling, rather than conduct psychotherapy sessions looking for causes and factors. He considered returning to childhood and traumatic memories to be something useless, something that deprives him of peace and inner harmony.
The main objectives of positive psychotherapy are:
- treatment of personality and behavior disorders;
- prevention of deviant (deviating from generally accepted norms) behavior and social maladaptation of very young children and adolescents;
- development of intercultural consciousness, which includes the study of national traditions that influence the behavior of their bearers.
Another task is to study the interaction of positive psychotherapy with other psychotherapeutic directions.
What does psychological training give to an athlete?
The psychological preparation of an athlete is no less important than daily hours of training in the gym, pool or stadium. The ability to manage emotions gives an athlete a huge advantage over his opponents. An athlete who regularly works with a specialist and performs psychological exercises is able to concentrate on the goal and is more resistant to stress. After psychotraining, athletes improve the accuracy of movements, the ability to optimally expend energy, and the ability to relax and restore energy in a short time.
As a result of psychotraining, athletes’ attention, perception, and reaction speed improve. The athlete becomes more confident in his abilities, his self-esteem grows.
Psychological training of an athlete is aimed at:
- increasing resistance to stress;
- mastering the ability to quickly relax and mobilize the body and psyche;
- increasing self-confidence through positive thinking and internal dialogues;
- improving the ability to concentrate and focus.
Psychological training allows you to increase motivation, teach you to visualize a goal and maintain attention on it until it is achieved.
Stages and methods of positive psychotherapy
Solving a problem that torments a patient must always go through five main stages:
- A look at the situation from the outside, from a certain distance.
- Careful consideration of every single detail, every nuance without exception.
- Situational agreement.
- Verbalization. In psychology, this is the design of feelings and emotions into verbal and logical forms. In simple words, it is a description of how a person feels when thinking about a problem.
- Expanding boundaries, setting new goals and drawing up an action plan.
The main goal of each session is to free the person from the burden with which he came. Moreover, this needs to be done right now, at the current moment in time. It is interesting that positive psychology specialists use this scheme to communicate with absolutely all of their clients, regardless of their problem.
As for the methods, there are dozens of them in the arsenal of psychotherapists. And each time they use the most effective ones in a particular case. It can be:
- visualization;
- survey;
- Questions and answers;
- speaking;
- stories, parables;
- metaphors.
Sometimes patients solve their problems after seeing themselves in examples of similar situations.
