Advice on being Positive?

LisaG8715 · Post by **LisaG8715** » Sat May 02, 2009 4:43 pm

I am having a hard time thinking and being positive. I've always been a very negative person and this is the hardest thing for me to change. Since I been doing the program I've gotten a little better but not totally. I'm trying my hardest on this. Can anyone give me any advice on being positive? How do you guys think more positive? I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thanks. ~Lisa G

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed May 06, 2009 9:44 am

Hi Lisa...When I first began to "try" to be positive, like you I had a hard time being positive. This is what I did that worked for me. When I felt the body symptoms, I would just close my eyes and say...I will not faint...I am not having a heart attack...I will not die....It it is just anxiety, it will go away... Of course I did not believe these things at first, but I still said them, and as the days went by I did begin to believe. Positive self-talk got easier from there. Hope this helps you. I wish you all the luck.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat May 09, 2009 10:23 am

Thanks for the advice Deener.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun May 10, 2009 1:48 am

Hey LisaG8715,

If I'm correct you're saying that you are doing your best but struggling to be positive and the program has helped you out but you aren't where you'd like to be yet. When you try you are in fact being positive but it feels fake and unbelieve able, right?

Deener had some great advice (like usual

) It is important to reassure yourself that there isn't any emergency. Deener also mentioned that it took awhile to believe them. Nothing is ever black and white and each day you start to believe them at a very sutle level that most of us don't even notice. I don't think i've ever met a single person who has been able to go from this habit of negative thinking to positive thinking after one try. It'll take time to master it but you get to feel all the little rewards along the way.

The key thing that i'm finding for myself (and you're welcome to try this) is to keep track of all my accomplishments. I carry around a counter (tally counter) and click it everytime i do an accomplishment and it doesn't matter what the accomplishment is (brushing teeth, doing dishes, posting on stresscenter, asking for help, recognizing an invalid negative thought). This does a few things;

1# It magnifies the positive as opposed to the negative so you will begin to believe that you are positive. How can you not when you are such an accomplished person?

2# It helps to disprove that you can't do anything, or thoughts that you are lazy & worthless. These thoughts are like a death sentence and give off the impression that there is nothing you can do.

3# Our mental camera cannot pick up everything 100% and so we end up having to filter out things. Depression usually results in filtering out the positives but this technique helps to filter out more of the negatives.

I hope this answers your question.

Mike

DMP720 · Post by **DMP720** » Sun May 10, 2009 2:05 am

You know what, I'm glad you made this thread. I think i'm going to create another journal of how i feel while keeping track of my accomplishments. You can see it in action.

Mike

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun May 10, 2009 2:22 am

here's the link if your interested...I already wrote 1 journal entry.

http://bbs.stresscenter.com/ev...=532100681#532100681