Did you know that positive thoughts are the key to stress management? It’s true! Your mindset affects your stress level. In other words, what you think—whether positive or negative—will trigger certain emotions, which will then either invoke stress or reduce it. Your mind is a powerful tool in your stress management arsenal.
I was brought up on the principle my mother instilled in me: “If you can’t say anything nice about a person, then don’t say anything at all.” She knew the value of positive thoughts!
I extended this admonition to refer to my own self-talk. As such, I continually said to myself, “If I can’t say something nice to myself about myself, then don’t say anything at all—unless I turn it around to positive self-talk.”
Maintaining positive thoughts—being positive in your self-talk and your daily interactions with others—is key to stress management. The fact is that what you think has a direct impact on how you feel and often on how you act. First comes the thinking, followed by the feeling. In other words, what you feel is the result of what you think.
For example, think about being late for a job interview. Just visualizing this situation prompts feelings of anxiety. Upon arriving late for the interview, you discover that the schedule is running late and you have not missed your appointment after all. Notice that in both instances—thinking about being late and then thinking about not being late—you responded first with a thought, which was then immediately followed by an emotion.
The moral: You become happier, more effective, and less stressed when you choose thoughts that empower, rather than ones that weaken or constrict.
Positive Thoughts Empower
Positivity is so powerful that it is the first practice of the Without Stress Methodology.
My suggestion is not to allow negative ideas that pop into your mind to direct your thoughts. Do not allow them in your residence, and don’t perceive it in your environment. Ignore any negativism from those who may work for you, your friends, or your associates. Don’t have anything to do with it. When you see or hear it, turn it and leave it be—or ask yourself, “How can I turn these negative thoughts into positive thoughts so that they will not affect me in a negative way?”
My new book, Live Without Stress: How to Enjoy the Journey, is now available as a Kindle book. This book will show how to use some simple strategies to significantly reduce your stress, promote responsibility, increase your effectiveness, improve your relationships, and truly enjoy life’s experiences.
