Want to work on your mindset, but not sure where to start?
We’ve got a few easy ways for you to take a minute out of your day and focus on building a more positive headspace.
The first way is perfect for beginners or anybody who wants to get into journaling and reflecting…Gratitude journaling! You can look at this any way you want to, which is the best part of mindset practice. There is no wrong way to do it! You can make a list of 5-10 things (or however many you want!) that you are grateful for today. It’s a super simple, quick way to be thankful for what you have and to take a minute and reflect on the good things in life. You could also take those ideas and write more in-depth about why you are grateful for each item – if you are more into the journaling aspect. Either way you do it, expressing gratitude allows you to focus on the positive things in your life, which will overall improve your outlook on the day ahead.
The next option may take a bit more time to do, meditation. Meditation is another great way to work on mindset. If you struggle with sitting in silence, like traditional meditation, you can try: a guided meditation on a streaming platform, listening to relaxing music, or listening to a meditation podcast. All of these options will allow you a chance to slow down, calm your breathing, and focus on the moment. Giving your body and mind a chance to stop for a minute in this fast-paced world can do wonders for your mental health.
Next up is something you can do anytime of the day, no matter where you are: self-talk. Self-talk is an important aspect to look at when it comes to mindset. If you are constantly feeding yourself negative thoughts, it’s going to poison the way you see everything else. Changing self-talk can be difficult, it requires a lot of awareness of the ways that you initially speak to yourself and then requires correction of that process. You can do this on your own by having visual reminders of positive self-talk on mirrors, on your phone, at your desk, etc. or you can get help with this from someone qualified to help you make those changes. You can schedule an appointment with Coach Katie for mindset training and see the results for yourself!
In the same style, working on daily affirmations can drastically change the way you feel about yourself or the environment you are in. These affirmations can be any phrase you choose to repeat to yourself. You can try phrases like, “I am enough, I am smart, I am capable” etc. Make it a point to do it, maybe every time you look in a mirror, repeat a few phrases. Set a few affirmations as the background on your phone and repeat them when you unlock it. The more you think of these affirmations, the more you believe them and the more they become true. Repeating positive phrases works well with self-talk. Self-talk will address the negative thoughts of “I can’t…Maybe I will…I could” and change them to “I can…I will…I am” and affirmations will add to the change by adding in “I’m able…I’m strong…I will persevere”.
Surround yourself with positive influences. Having friends around who have positive mindsets can have an influence on your own. Finding a good support system who will encourage your progress and your passions, and share their own positive experiences will help keep negative thoughts at bay. You can also try removing accounts on social media that make you feel bad or feed negative emotions and try following more accounts that are in line with your visions and goals. This change can also help to improve your mindset. Positive influences are everywhere, surround yourself with them and see for yourself how they can brighten your day.
Try out a few different options and find what works for you! Add those into your daily routine for a week or two and see for yourself how a change in mindset can shift your entire day. Most of these practices can be done in a few minutes, which means that when a bad moment comes around, you can utilize them and change the course of the day in almost no time at all. Find what you like and share it with your friends!