![]() Just spend a few minutes each evening reflecting on the day until you think of three good things. Research suggests that thinking of and listing three good things each day can contribute to increased happiness in the short term and longer term (Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005).Įven better, this exercise is simple to do. Practice finding the good in the difficult scenarios or think about the advice that you would give the characters to make themselves feel better.Īfter practicing this for a while, try to use this same strategy in your life by thinking about how difficult situations actually can have benefits or teach you important lessons (Troy, Wilhelm, Shallcross, & Mauss, 2010). You can practice cognitive reappraisal in a few different ways. Here are a few: Cognitive reappraisal exerciseĬognitive reappraisal is the act of reframing a situation to see it in a more positive light. To cultivate positive thinking skills, there are several helpful exercises you can try. Future-focused positive thinking can not only help us feel better in the moment, but it can also lead to better outcomes (Rasmussen, Scheier, & Greenhouse, 2009).Īttempting to improve our skills for each of these three types of positive thinking strategies can help us build this skill and improve our wellbeing. We hold more positive expectations about the future or focus on the good things to come rather than the bad. When we think positive thoughts about the future, we try to stay optimistic. When we think positively about the present moment, we might pay attention to what’s going well (rather than what’s not going so well), or we might try to shift our perspective on our present circumstances by reframing the situation or looking for silver linings.īy using these present-focused positive thinking strategies, we give ourselves more control over how we feel even in challenging situations. These past-focused positive thinking strategies can help us feel better in the present moment even if the present moment is challenging. We might bring those positive memories to mind, reflect on what we learned, or feel grateful for the good stuff (Quoidbach, Mikolajczak, & Gross, 2015). When we think positively about the past, we may reminisce on the good things that have happened. So take a moment to explore the following positive thinking techniques and strategies. ![]() When evaluating your own or others’ positive thinking skills, it’s helpful to explore different types of positive thinking. Are Positive Thinking Exercises for Everyone?ģ Techniques and Strategies for Positive Thinking.A Look at Journaling for Positive Thinking. ![]()
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