WHY POSITIVE THOUGHTS HELP

Have you ever tried just smiling for no reason? Stop for a second and try it, even have a chuckle to yourself. 

Now how do you feel? You probably feel that it is a bit weird or strange to smile or laugh for no reason because we are conditioned to smile or laugh only when happy, see article by beyondblue 

When we are feeling down and something is not going right we simply can't think of anything to smile about or think positively about. That is because our brain is wired to send out these negative thoughts to lower our mood, this can continue in loops and that is why we may feel down for a long period of time. 

So what about if you can turn that negativity into positivity? For example you spend all this time, energy, late nights at the office compiling a report for your boss. You receive the feedback that it isn't what they want and need it to be re-written. Most of us would feel negative about that, of course we put in a lot of hard work in it but instead of looping those negative thoughts over and over again, we can start by taking the positives out of it, for example:  

• I did the best job I know how to;
• This is only the first report out of hundreds my boss didn't like; 
• I can't control how my boss thinks and they may have a different point of view;
• They provided me with helpful mark ups so I can get it right;
• Just last week they said I am doing a really great job and to keep it up. 

As you can see I have thought of positive aspects of a negative situation and if I keep looping these positive thoughts, I will no longer think negatively about the report.  This will not only help you but also the people around you, your boss will see that you're perturbed by this and may trust you in the future with something more important. 

This is where we can incorporate a smile into a negative situation, research has proven that a simple can alleviate stress and generally put you in a better mood. 

It may sound silly but I want you to try and practice smiling when something isn't going right and then list all the positive things (even write them down) that can come from this negative situation, it will improve the way you think about life's ups and downs. 

We hope this has helped you look at situations in a different light and will help you live a healthier and happier life.