The power in positive thinking

Did you know that the power of positive thinking can significantly impact your mental and spiritual wellbeing? Rocio Espinoza takes a deeper look

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Calmer

The power of positive thinking

Positive thinking involves how you communicate with yourself and those around you. Negative self-talk can derail your sense of self-esteem and self-worth, as well as your goals, so practising positive self-talk can significantly change your perspective – it’s like exercising a mental muscle. Begin by addressing your inner voice, without judgement. Take notice of your thoughts, feelings and emotions with kindness and self-compassion. 

Practising positive thinking can enhance one’s mental health but this does not mean that one needs to avoid confronting any issues. Positive psychology is an example of a mental practice that simply means you’re learning, over time, to view things more proactively and optimistically, rather than negatively or with self-criticism.

What are positive affirmations?

Positive affirmations are brief statements or phrases used to counteract negative or harmful thoughts. By practising self-affirmations you can improve your self-esteem, motivate yourself to make positive changes, and inspire others to do the same.

When you notice unhelpful, self-criticising thoughts, exercising a meditative practice or repeating positive affirmations can help you to gently shift your perspective. This isn’t a quick or easy fix and certainly takes time; however, over time, studies have shown that this approach has the power to train your brain to think differently. This is not by any means a miracle cure for those living with high stress, depression or anxiety, but it has the potential to help you gradually shift your frame of mind and nurture your mental health.

Positive affirmations and psychological theory

Self-affirmation theory is one of the key psychological theories underlying positive affirmations (Steele, 1988) so, yes, there are empirical studies based on the idea that telling ourselves – or affirming – what we believe in positive ways can help us to maintain our sense of self-integrity. Self-integrity is related to our perceived ability to control moral outcomes and respond flexibly when our self-concept is threatened (Cohen and Sherman, 2014); humans are motivated a to protect ourselves from such threats by maintaining our self-integrity.

The benefits of positive affirmations

Incorporating positive thoughts into your life can provide various mental health benefits. While researchers continue to identify the effects of positive thinking, here are some examples of health benefits that it can provide:

• Increased life span due to decreased stress, which can also help lower blood pressure.
• Reduced rates of depression.
• Increased self-esteem, motivation and likelihood of achieving one’s unique goals.
• A more robust, healthy immune system and a heightened resistance to health issues.
• Increased resilience and skills to deal with life’s difficulties and adversities.
• Increased motivation to nurture a healthy diet and participate in physical activity.
• Improved psychological and physical health and well-being.

Using positive affirmations in your daily life

There are numerous ways to incorporate positive affirmations into your everyday life, work, school, or other settings. Here are some examples:

• Make a list of a few empowering sentences or short phrases that you can refer to daily, or as needed. 
• Incorporate a vision board to help you remain aligned to your goals, plan more clearly and feel motivated to accomplish them (see below). 
• During the day, and just before going to bed, reiterate empowering mantras. 
• When possible, practise optimistic meditation, which can assist you in feeling more at ease and grounded. 
• Make a list of the things that bother you, and assess what is in your control, highlighting how you can reshape those challenges into proactive actions.

Vision boards: a powerful tool to promote positive thinking

If you feel you lack motivation consider creating a vision board. This is an effective method of promoting positive thinking and assisting you in achieving your goals. 

What does a vision board entail?

A vision board is a collection of images, quotes and other items that inspire you, or facilitate you in visualising your objectives in ‘real life’. This method is helpful in a range of situations, whether you’re trying to lose weight, buy a new home, or obtain a promotion at work. You can combine a variety of images with powerful words or phrases to empower you to think positively. The impact of visualisation is a powerful tool that can help you stay on track and feel motivated to continue pushing forward even in the face of adversity.

How to make a vision board

A piece of poster board or corkboard can serve as the ‘base’ for your vision board. Cut out images from magazines, use personal photographs, or print out photos from the internet to place on the board. Then, encircle these images with inspirational and encouraging words and quotes. Your vision board can be focused on a single objective, or it can cover a number of areas of your life. The secret is to fill it exclusively with images and words that promote a positive and proactive mindset.

Your next steps

Whether you choose to use a vision board, practise regular meditation, write and repeat positive affirmations, or try a combination of all these practices – I hope this helps you to develop and enhance an empowered mindset.

Choose to embrace the intention to harness a positive, proactive view of situations, and inspire yourself with your goals. When you cultivate empowering practises of this nature to support a healthy relationship with your mind and body, it’s amazing to see what is possible.

Keep these helpful tips, books, and apps in mind, and whatever obstacles you face, knowing that you have the capacity to choose a different, more empowered, outlook which can help you to manage your life with confidence.