Staying Positive - How to Overcome Negative Thinking PatternsNegative thinking can destroy your happiness, productivity, and whatever else you are being negative about. While you may try, and couch it as being a realist, things are rarely as bad as we make them out to be. So fight negative thinking to be happier, more productive, and successful.

Positive Affirmations

Did you know that how we think we feel affects how we actually feel? It's an interesting quirk of our biology that lets us change our mood fairly easily. Just by thinking of things in a positive, upbeat way, you can make yourself positive and upbeat.

An easy way to do this is through positive affirmations. Have a list of good thoughts that, if you think they are true, would make your life great. Come up with things like.

1. I am a great person 2. I am successful 3. People love me 4. My boss values my work 5. I am upwardly mobile 6. My life is better now than it was a year ago, and will be even better next year 7. I am happy

When you say these to yourself try, and actually mean them. If you can, you will probably start to feel better.

Smile!

This is related to the first tip. If you do something so simple as try, and act happy, you will feel happy. Psychologists have noted this for a long time.

The key to this phenomena is that, chemically, most of our states look the same. Happiness, anger and sadness all have quite similar levels of adrenaline and other chemicals, though sadness usually has slightly less. To figure out whether these chemicals mean we are happy, sad or angry, our minds look to our environment. In one experiment, psychologists gave 2 groups of people shots of adrenaline. In both there was a planted research assistant, but the two acted very differently. In one room, the assistant acted happy, and the other people in the room were happy. In the other, the assistant acted angry, and the others were angry. The people relied on context to determine whether the adrenaline meant they were happy or angry. This is why crowds can go from happy and peaceful to an angry mob in moments. By acting happy, you trick your brain into thinking that you are supposed to be happy, so you are happy.

Interesting, huh?

Avoid Negatives

Sometimes you cannot avoid words like cannot, but you can try, and limit their usage. Think of things in a positive light by stripping can't and cannot from your vocabulary.

Get active

Oftentimes, negative thinking comes from a dearth of energy. Slothfulness leaves your body without adrenaline, serotonin and other drugs that make you feel strong emotions. Get up and move. Climb the stairs rather than take the elevator, go out and ride a bike, run in the morning. Get up from your desk and take a short stroll whenever you have a chance, just to get your blood moving. Just move, and you won't be able but to think positive thoughts.