How to Cultivate a More Positive Mindset

The pandemic has not only created health, economic and societal difficulties; it’s also created a shift in many people’s mindsets! Long periods of fatigue, overwhelm, constant stress and the feeling of loss can alter your ability to maintain a positive attitude.

Good and staying negative all the time can be, in itself, a state of demoralization.

Here are 11 simple things you can do to change how you view your world and develop a more optimistic mindset.

• Schedule daily ‘quiet time’. You can meditate, relax, listen to music or anything that quiets your mind. Decluttering your thoughts works wonders for stress reduction and mental clarity.

• Take stock of the good in your life. We all have things we can be thankful for: health, family, work, friends. They may look a bit different from prior years but if you still have them, that counts.

• Upgrade your closest contacts. People in your ‘inner circle’ can make a huge difference in how you think, behave and view your surroundings.

• Do something that benefits others. Helping someone else succeed without expecting anything in return provides a huge uplift in your state of mind.

• Sanitize your vocabulary of negative words or phrases. What you say feeds your mind. Improving your outlook can be as easy and choosing more positive words to express yourself.

• Look for the positive in situations. Every cloud has a silver lining so to speak. Do not automatically jump to the negative.

• Digest content that is positive. Avoid negative news, opinions or people who trade in negativism or other chronically harmful opinions.

• Purge your daily routine of unhealthy habits. Start slow and eliminate things you do that contribute to a poor mindset.

• Show gratitude. Nothing is more psychologically uplifting than expressing thanks for the good deeds of others.

• Simplify your obligations. We all tend to take on way more than we can handle. Start divesting yourself of things you do not have time for but do it professionally.

• Devote time to a hobby or interest that brings you joy. Rearranging your schedule to make time for things that rejuvenate you will do wonders for your frame of mind.

Start by selecting one or two that you can do immediately. Once you adapt to the new way of managing your head, continue on until you feel mentally healthy and balanced.

This pandemic is not the first major catastrophe our society has dealt with and lived through and it will not be the last. Controlling your mindset is one of the best ways to adapt to challenges until you can resolve the circumstances that are challenging you.

About the Author:

Steve Smith is the owner of GrowthSource Coaching, an Orange County, CA based business and executive coaching company that specializes in helping business professionals become extraordinary leaders, savvy busines owners and confident marketing strategists. After a stellar 30 year career in the consumer products manufacturing industry, Steve began coaching as a way to help businesspeople develop the skills and attitudes to perform at a world-class level. Steve co-hosts a business podcast called The Business Wingmen and is the author of, ‘Leadership Axioms’- Timeless Principles for Leading in Business and Life.