Ban Negativity From Your Life With These 6 Helpful Exercises

We all have difficult days, and sometimes we surrender to negativity. This kind of bad habit can turn into a long-term issue. Once your brain becomes used to engaging in negative thinking, it will be your default coping mechanism.

Studies show that positive thinking leads to better health. People who look at the bright side are more resilient to stress and are less at risk of developing a mental health disorder. The same thing is true about physical health. One research revealed that cancer patients who were optimistic displayed higher survival rates than those who were pessimists.

It’s surely not easy to unlearn how you deal with adversities. However, these exercises can help you be less negative:

1. Exercise Your Brain: Become Your Best Friend

The key to training your mind to be more optimistic isn’t to shut down the negativity completely. What you have to do is reframe negative thoughts so that your brain learns how to produce more positive thoughts in the long run. Think about what your friend would do if they heard your thoughts. They wouldn’t agree that you’re lazy, unsuccessful and ugly. They’d argue that you’re doing your best and that you’re beautiful. That’s exactly what you should do every time a negative thought arises. For example, if you find yourself thinking that you’re a failure because you didn’t get the job you wanted, tell yourself you did your best.

2. Sweat off the Negativity

The more you exercise, the better, as that’s when your body releases happy hormones. However, start with something simpler. Put aside 10 minutes of your time each day to exercise, whether it’s gentle stretching or dancing to your favourite songs. Try to bring your awareness to your body and focus on the way it moves. Being mindful like this can teach you to be more grounded in the present instead of constantly worrying about the future.

3. Listen to Binaural Beats To Avoid Negativity

Binaural beats are a form of music therapy that has been associated with increased relaxation, concentration and decreased sleep problems, anxiety and depression. The binaural experience happens when you listen to two sounds at different frequencies. That’s when your brain creates an additional tone that you can hear. Listening to binaural beats every day can help you become less anxious over time, which will make it easier to deal with negative thoughts.

4. Spend 5 Minutes Every Day to Hype Yourself Up

Positive affirmations can do wonders for your mental health and help you become a more positive person in general. All you have to do is choose a few motivational phrases to repeat to yourself in front of the mirror and make sure you mean them. You can even visualise yourself in certain situations to help yourself believe they’re true. For example, you can tell yourself that you’re good enough, that you’re successful and that you can cope with any challenge.

5. Keep a Gratitude Diary

This exercise involves writing down what you’re grateful for each day. It might seem like you’ll run out of things to write pretty soon, but they don’t have to be big achievements. You simply have to pay attention to what’s going on around you and learn to spot all the small things. For example, the sun on your skin, dogs playing in the field, or a stranger smiling at you. With time, this will teach your brain to focus on the positives.

6. Schedule Time to Complain

Even when you do all those exercises every day for years, it’s not realistic to expect that all your negative thoughts will disappear. If you’re a worrier, it’s helpful to schedule a time to let yourself overthink for an hour or so. This way, you’ll put all your energy into that time slot, and your negative thoughts won’t distract you when you have to be working or enjoying time with friends. It will be challenging, but with time, you’ll be able to control your thoughts.