Are you a pessimist trapped in a world of negativity? Do you find it tough to shed negative thoughts?

People often ask me “What can I do to overcome pessimistic thoughts?”

Look:

In order to overcome pessimistic thoughts, you have to bring some significant changes (which I will show you in this article) in your mindset.

It takes time to change a pessimistic man; but it IS POSSIBLE!

As a human being, I too get negative thoughts once in a while.

But you know what,

I DO  NOT get trapped in the vicious web of pessimism. Over the years I have discovered my own hacks to jump out of pessimistic mindset whenever I feel low and negative.

And here in this post I have shared some very effective ways which have always worked for me to come out of negativity

 

 

i) Appreciate your life- Be grateful everyday

While you are cursing your life for not being able to own the latest version of Apple phone, there are people out there who are happy with a ‘new’ second hand shirt or a piece of bread to satisfy their hunger.

Thank your God for giving you this beautiful life because things could have been tougher! (This report of the survey conducted by United Nations should make you realize how lucky you are!)

ii) Understand the process

You have to be matured enough to accept the fact that problems are an integral part of our life.

Even the most positive people around us experience negative thoughts. However what separates them from the rest is their ability to overcome these toxic feelings and bounce back to the path of happiness.

Call it KARMA or define it by any other philosophy, the fact is that neither you, nor me can escape from problems, heartbreaks and failures.

Since it is futile to sit and cry let us learn to stand and fight (without complaining).  

iii) Avoid negative company

There are some solid reasons to avoid negative company. Contrary to the laws of magnetism where like repels like, here negativity attracts negativity.

People going through depression or any other negative phase often finds comfort in the company of like minded people.

This is the point from where things take an ugly turn. Since both the parties share similar frequency of thinking, there will not be any improvement in the quality of thoughts for either of them.

Let me illustrate this with an example. Let us assume that I am a negative person. Now If I befriend someone who is also a pessimistic of higher order, then the resultant of this friendship will be:

First, Since both of us share the same attitude, there will not be any improvement in the quality of our thoughts.

Secondly, since that person is more negative than me, gradually his company will deteriorate my thoughts even further.

Thus if you want to come out of negative thoughts and get in touch with someone who is practical, positive and matured.                                                                    

iv) Do not feel shy to ask for a help

Do you know why most of the times a small problem becomes a huge issue?

It is because we do NOT discuss!

If you feel you are suffering from depression, mental fatigue or struggling to shed negativity, it is wise to share this with someone you feel will understand your problem.

Remember that there is nothing wrong to have negative thoughts. Abnormality lies in keeping it inside and watching it multiply with each passing day.

Check this list to know about 10 renowned organizations in India that can help you fight depression

v)Accept the fact that you have pessimistic thoughts

The first step to cure is to accept the fact that you need a cure!  

The most difficult part of counseling a negative soul is handling their arrogant nature.  Often-a-times people find it hard to accept the fact that they actually need some help.

I can testify this fact from my own experience!

Many a times I faced strong reactions from people whom I tried to help in this regard. While some realized gradually with time, others preferred to stay adamant.

So the point here is that

  …unless you are ready to accept help, even a panacea cannot bring you out of your problems.

                                

vi) Smile for no reason

 Even medical studies testify the fact that smiling reduces stress.

And do you know:

…that you actually need no reason to smile?

While you must be well experienced in flaunting calculated or formal smiles in your professional circle every day, these aren’t the ones that give you real happiness.

I am talking about the real ones-

-the smiles that give us peace…the ones that come from heart.

Positive people discover their own ways and reasons to smile; sometimes in the company of good people, cool friends and ruminating old memories while sometimes doing something that they love doing. You can try this too!

vii) Have no regrets

 Try your best to achieve what you want so that you do not have any regret when the opportunity goes.

And as they say, It is better to try and fail then to sit and repent.

viii) Join Self development courses and workshops

  A tired, exhausted or weak mind cannot house positive energies for long.

If there are good self development centers around your area, please join them. Apart from the positive lectures from experts you can also make new friends who too are in search of a positive life.

Spirituality helps a lot to overcome pessimistic thoughts!

You can also try these exercises to kill negative thoughts or try meditation, which by the way, is a great negative energy buster

Positive Mindset  versus Negative Attitude

Here is a brief comparison between two extreme levels of thinking. Check where you lie.

A negative human being:

i) Considers the life to be a burden

ii) Finds pleasure in criticizing and finding faults.

iii) Has the tendency to search negativity in every situation.

iv) Has the tendency to blame others for all the troubles they face.

v) Finds it hard to accept their fault. Gets irritated when challenged.

whereas  positive people:

i) Are always happy and satisfied with their life (throughout the ups and downs)

ii) Finds happiness amidst adverse situations

iii) Do not compare their life with others.

iv) Find different ways to keep smiling.

v) Do not believe in comparing with others. Rather they compete with their own selves.

Positive living is neither a magic nor a specialized trait. It is not a myth either. It exists…around us.  

Try to look for opportunities to smile. In fact do not be surprised if I say you actually do not need any opportunity to smile. The key is to filter out the negative energies and keep the positive ones from our daily life.

Over to You

The journey of life has never been a bed of roses for any living being and of course it shouldn’t be. The ups and downs in life make us who we are.

Throughout this journey while some people develop the art to live a positive life, others spent a whole life time complaining about the hardships and injustice of life and explaining to the world how life has been unkind to them.

What starts as a complain takes the form of a hobby which finally becomes their identity!

Here it is worth mentioning that for an ordinary human being it is quite normal to become depressed, hopeless, pessimistic or negative during bad phases of life. But abnormality lies in making negativity a part of your character.

I am sure you must have your own ways of overcoming pessimistic thoughts. Please share with us or add a point which I have missed above