According to Vibrant Life magazine, the average person has about 6,200 thoughts per day. Of those, 80% are negative. That’s 4960 negative thoughts per day! And as much as 95% of our thoughts are the same as the day before. This means many of our negative thoughts stay with us day after day after day.
Yikes!
I think the majority of us know from experience the effects that negative thinking has in our lives. Increased in stress, decrease in self-confidence, burnout, doubt, anger, depression, anxiety, and even physical illness to name a few.
Research shows that sometimes we view negative thinking as a sign of intelligence since it promotes problem solving, but positive thinking has way too many benefits for us to stay on the negativity lane. Here’s a list from the Mayo clinic (1):
- Increased life span
- Lower rates of depression
- Lower levels of distress and pain
- Greater resistance to illnesses
- Better psychological and physical well-being
- Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease and stroke
- Reduced risk of death from cancer
- Reduced risk of death from respiratory conditions
- Reduced risk of death from infections
- Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress
Positive people are also very resourceful and creative. Positive thinking makes us feel better in general.
There are way too many benefits to ignore this truth. The question now is how to trade those negative thoughts for positive ones and maybe lower that 80% of negative thinking per day.
I will always encourage time in nature. Go outside, look at the sky, touch the bark of a tree or feel the different textures of flowers and leaves. Collect rocks. This encourages you to come to the present and shift your negative thinking.
Practice gratitude. Voice out loud some of the things you are grateful for every day or write them down, perhaps in a gratitude journal or make a list. I love lists!
Exercise! Move your body. Physical activity can positively affect mood and reduce stress.
Spend quiet time with God. He has beautiful thoughts and plans for you and rejoices when you two spend time together. Quiet time with Him calms your soul and negative thinking.
These are just a few ideas, but I would love to explore some more. We are all different with different stories and life experiences. What other things could you do to trade many of your negative thoughts with positive thoughts?