6 Everyday Tips to Help Shift Your Thinking into Constructive Mode 

Have you ever found yourself in a funk?  Where you just can’t shake off the yuck, and the doom and gloom of your (less than perfect) job hangs over you for days and days?  If you find yourself here in this situation I would pose the question…why?

Maybe it isn’t your job that causes you to feel less than happy, maybe it is your outlook on life, your professional career or personal situation. And when our choices lead us down a certain path, sometimes we can’t make all the changes we would like all the time. However, what we can do is choose how we view our environment – i.e. to make the choice to have a positive outlook.

Why this may not only be good for your mood, but for your life: there is scientific research showing that negative thoughts can lead to the wrong decision.  And unfortunately, negative thoughts can show up at the most inopportune times, like when we are stressed. Whether you are getting cut off in traffic, the boss isn’t giving you the credit you deserve, or the big sales deal you have been working on didn’t close after a month of work, the resulting stress wreaks havoc on your ability to see all the possibilities around us, and consequently make a better, more informed choice. Therefore, you should remember the following: in life, while it feels sometimes as though options are limited, you have no choice but to take control of the one thing you always have choice over: your emotions.

Effective Mantras and Habits to Practice Every Day to Help Find the Silver Lining:

Today is Going to be a Good Day
Be proactive and choose to have a good day.  Start the day off on what is right.  What are you thankful for?  Your job?  Even if your job isn’t great, if you have ever found yourself without a job and struggling to make ends meet, all of a sudden you just might see your job as something that is pretty good.

You are in the Driver’s Seat
Don’t let your day control you.  You control your day.  Be involved in defining what your day and life looks like.  Don’t be passive, and let someone else choose your destiny.  Remember to think about turning every conversation into a positive conversation, and you will have more beneficial options to choose from.

Let the Past be Just That — the Past
There are times when you just need to move on.  Learn to recognize your limits before you find yourself past them, and then regretting a conversation or situation.  We’ve all been there.  Don’t live in the regret.  Find peace and move on. The light at the end of the tunnel is sometimes all the positive motivation we need.

Embrace your Inner Superhero
Positive people refuse to play the victim. If you find yourself around others who are negative, dysfunctional, and emotionally destructive, be the superhero and do yourself and them a favor — and fly away! Then look for opportunities to surround yourself with other positive, creative and effective problem-solvers.

Don’t Forget to Breathe
You have heard it before: “Just take a deep breath, and relax.” As cliché as it sounds, it is actually true!  Oxygen is the only natural way to counteract cortisol levels in your brain that raise when you become stressed.  Your brain will react to that stress in just .085 seconds.  You can’t stop it, but you can breathe deeply, and bring balance back into the equation.

Be Grateful
It sounds simple, doesn’t it?  Be grateful. But — are you?  Actually?  Or are you entitled?  I’m here to tell you, every single day is a blessing.  Every single moment you have the choice to get up, go to work, feed your dog, pick up your child and cook dinner, you are blessed.  When you take a moment to think about what your life would be without just one piece of your “normal day”…would you want it?

So, as you wake up tomorrow and are headed to work in the brisk fall air, take a moment to notice the sunrise, how delish your pumpkin spice latt tastes, or how your little one lingered in your hug goodbye. We all are a product of our environment. Choose to make your environment one that you want to be in and a place others want to be also.  It all comes down to the idea that perception is reality.