3 Keys For Maintaining A Positive Mindset During Difficult Times
Now, more than ever, we need to be deliberate about what we are feeding our minds. Ideas in influence ideas out.
If we allow any and all information flood our minds and influence our thoughts, we will lose control of what we think and feel. Here are 3 simple things you can do every day in order to maintain a positive mindset during difficult times (summary below video).
1. Practice Gratitude
When most people wake up in the morning, the first thing they do is grab their phones. Instantly, this puts us into a reactive state. We are forced to mentally react to whatever notifications we’ve received, any news updates we see, texts, or emails.
While we may not actually respond in the moment, our mindset and mood are shifted by whatever it is we see on the screen.
Instead of instantly reaching for your phone, work on developing the discipline that allows you to pause for a moment and practice gratitude.
Go through a mental checklist of the things and people you’re thankful for. Give yourself some time to really feel the depth of impact in your life. By doing this, the day will begin with you focusing on the things that make your life great. You will approach everything else through a clearer lens and have taken back control of how you’ll start the day.
Then, when you’ve decided on your mood, you can better approach whatever is waiting for you on the screen and in the world.
2. Be deliberate about the information you take in.
We are in a constant state of information absorption. The news, social media posts, texts from friends and family. Sometimes it can get overwhelming and feel impossible to escape.
Good news: You can (and must) choose what you feed your mind.
Of course it’s important to stay informed, but it’s also important to not get lost in the shuffle. Prioritize reading, listening to podcasts, working out, or just disconnecting to give yourself a break.
Don’t get caught up in the idea that you always need to be “on” in order to feel good about yourself. Your mental health is predicated on the quality of the information you feed your mind, much like your physical health is with your body.
You quite literally create the reality you live in based on the information you choose to absorb.
3. Take inventory of what happened in the day.
Reflect. Stop and think. The conversations you had, the small things you accomplished, the book you finished — whatever it is, be conscious and deliberate about focusing on the good.
Knowing we will be doing this at the end of each day will help us be aware of opportunities to serve others. To provide support or reach out to a friend, to do something productive around the house rather than sit in front of the TV. It will help to keep us on track and moving forward.
Of course things will happen that are outside of our control, but if we choose to stay focused on the good that we can always come back to, we will gain clarity around what really matters and is important.
Notice that all of the frivolous things we’ve been prioritizing for so long that we’re no longer even thinking about. We are waking up more each day to the things that really make life worth living, and also how important it is to enjoy these things in the moment.
Remember: The time is always now.
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