As you may know from personal experience, persistent negative thinking can pave the way for stress, anxiety, and other mental health problems that seem to run on a neverending loop. Being in a constant state of “fight or flight” stress can take a toll on your entire body and well-being.
On the flip side, having a positive mindset helps you better handle pain or stress and stay healthier. An empowered and positive mindset is essential for personal growth, self-acceptance, and overall wellness.
But first thing’s first, you have to bring awareness to any negativity loops that you may be stuck in. Let’s check out 5 signs that it’s time to transform your mindset.
1. You Focus On What’s Wrong or Lacking
When you look at yourself in the mirror, do you only see what you’re lacking? Maybe you’re not fond of a particular body part of yours (for me, it’s my mid-section) and that’s all that you see or think about. Or when you look out to your environment, do you only see what you don’t have? Not enough money, house, cars… not enough anything? Does any of that sound familiar? If this sounds like you, it’s a major sign that you’ll benefit from upgrading your mindset to a more positive one.
2. You Put Everyone Else’s Needs Before Your Own
How are you doing when it comes to self-care and taking care of your own basic needs? Do you only do “self-care Sunday” every once in a while? If you still feel that it’s selfish to care for yourself rather than other people, this is another sign that it’s time to alter your mindset and make yourself more of a priority. Trust me, you can’t pour from an empty cup. Sefl-care isn’t selfish, it’s a necessity. Fellow mothers, I’m especially talking to you!
3. You Shoulder The Blame for Everything
When things don’t go to plan, do you usually put the blame solely on yourself and refuse to recognize that other factors may be involved too? Excessive self-blame is linked to mental health problems, including depression. It’s also something that holds you back from being able to learn and grow from mistakes and experiences. Definitely time for a mindset reset!
4. You’re In a Constant State of Worry
A worrisome and anxious mindset can be straight-up exhausting! Most of the time, you worry about things that will never happen or that you can’t change, so it’s literally wasted energy. Everyone worries now and again but if your worries are consuming you and causing you to lose sleep, you’ll definitely benefit from a mindset upgrade.
5. Your Routines and Mood Have Shifted
Have you noticed that you’ve been losing sleep, or that you’re lacking quality sleep? Do you notice changes in your appetite, like emotional eating or sometimes no appetite at all? Finally, is your mood on an even-keel, or have your moods been a little erratic? All of the above could mean you’re absolutely in need of a mindset reset.
If you’re stuck in a fixed negative state of mind, it can be difficult to even recognize. It may be a habit that you don’t even know is happening. You might even think that it’s just a “part of your personality”.
Let me tell you that if you want to change that, you fully have the power to do so with my two favorite tools: daily self-affirmation and breathwork.
The Power of Self-Affirmation
You may or may not have heard of affirmations, but here’s what they are according to MindTools.com: “Affirmations are positive statements that can help you to challenge and overcome self-sabotaging and negative thoughts. When you repeat them often, and believe in them, you can start to make positive changes.”
So they are short statements that you make to yourself in order to overcome self-limiting and doubtful negative thoughts. You may think that it’s too simple, but there is much evidence to back this stuff up.
Try a couple of these affirmations when you first wake up in the morning, to get your mindset started off right:
- I am exactly where I need to be in this moment and I appreciate all that life has to offer.
- I am unstoppable and achieve all my goals with ease.
- I see and appreciate the beauty in everything, including myself.
- I treat my body like it belongs to someone I love, because it does!
Breathwork to Relieve Stress, Anxiety and Insomnia
How many times have you hung up the phone from a stressful conversation and taken the deepest and biggest breath ever? And it helped you feel a little better, right? Or if you’re feeling angry about something, we’re often taught to pause and take a breath, right? That’s because our breath has the power to calm us in times of stress when things like your heart rate, blood pressure, and even breathing rate can rise involuntarily.
Studies have shown breath practices to reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, insomnia, PTSD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit disorder, and schizophrenia. Try this quick breathwork exercise if you need a moment to chill out:
- Sit down in a comfortable position, or even lay down if you like.
- Inhale through your nose only for 4 seconds. Fill your lungs completely with air.
- Exhale through your mouth for 6 seconds. Completely empty your lungs.
- Repeat this breathing exercise for at least 1 minute, or until you feel a sense of calm.
Whether you have one of the signs or all of the signs of a mindset in need of an upgrade, I hope that you’ll try an easy daily self-affirmation and breathwork exercise. It can be as quick as 5-minutes a day and it can have a profound effect on your overall wellness that you will love.