Having a healthy mindset is a powerful tool.
Have you ever noticed that when your mind isn’t in the “right place,” you tend to be more anxious, worrisome, and less focused?
Struggling with anxiety and catastrophizing has taught me that challenging my thoughts while implementing healthier ideals can significantly change my mindset.
And once you begin to shift your mindset, your life will take on a new color.
The situations that are bothering you lose their power.
People who make you want to scream suddenly become more silent in your mind.
And negative thoughts that seem to take over your mind now become just passersby like floating clouds in the sky.
We often hear about the idea of being grateful, finding peace in perspective, and learning to let go of negative thoughts and emotions, but what does this all mean in real life? There are many empty platitudes and hollow cliches in the personal development arena these days, but where is the substance behind them?
These are questions I ask myself almost daily. And I will give you some answers to those questions below.
My goal for writing this article is simple: How does someone go from anxious, negative, and fear-driven to courageous, confident, and passion-driven?
The answer is simple: A HEALTHY MINDSET.
WHAT IS MINDSET?
A mindset is a mental attitude or inclination, a fixed state of mind.
When you’re a person battling anger issues, you could say that you carry an angry mindset.
The same goes for people who tend to see the glass half-full; they could be categorized as carrying a positive mindset.
There are two distinct types of mindsets:
FIXED MINDSET:
People who have a fixed mindset believe that these qualities are inherent and virtually unchangeable.
GROWTH MINDSET:
Conversely, people who have a growth mindset believe that these qualities can be developed and strengthened by hard work and dedication.
WHY IS MINDSET IMPORTANT
There are several reasons why mindset is essential to your life.
When we change our mindset to align with our values, purpose, and goals, we give ourselves a more significant opportunity to achieve, act, and live them out.
Developing a healthier mindset can set the stage for every other area of your life; romantic relationships; career opportunities; physical, emotional, and mental health; family and friends; and achieving your desired goals.
Mindset also can carry us through the rough patches that life inevitably brings to us. When you possess a healthier mindset, you typically have more emotional stability and bounce back quicker from any adverse situations. Certain people that I admire who have this healthy mindset have been through just as much chaos and struggle as others, but they possess qualities that help them overcome and thrive, even through adversity.
WHAT IS A HEALTHY MINDSET?
The answer to this question is entirely subjective depending on each person. Still, through my own experience and research, specific characteristics of a healthy mindset tend to be more prevalent.
Not every person who has a healthy mindset possesses every quality, but most do.
These people possess the following characteristics:
- Don’t take things too personally
- Understand healthy boundaries
- Don’t let setbacks define them
- In tune with their emotions
- Have a healthy balance in life
- Don’t care about what others think of them
- Confident but not arrogant
- Masters at practicing gratitude
7 EFFECTIVE WAYS TO CREATE A HEALTHY MINDSET
FIGURE OUT WHAT IS NOT SERVING YOU
One of the most impactful tidbits of wisdom I have learned over the past five years was figuring out what doesn’t serve me. In this day and age, we tend to hear a lot about what we should be doing better to serve our needs, desires, and goals. And, of course, knowing what suits you is crucial, but before you dive into what you want, you should figure out what you don’t like and what is no longer serving you.
You can figure this out by taking a closer look at all areas of your life, writing them down on a piece of paper, and dissecting what is working and what is not. For example, in relationships, do you see a pattern of attracting the same type of person who doesn’t fit your lifestyle; Maybe you overeat junk food late in the evening, Or you’ve lost all passion for your current job.
Once you know what isn’t serving you, it will be much easier to establish what will.
USE FEAR SETTING
Entrepreneur, podcaster, author, and philanthropist Tim Ferriss has been one of my go-to people in the personal development arena.
One of Tim’s greatest tips is a practice he created called fear setting.
Tim suggests that instead of defining our goals, like most people seem to do, we should be defining our fears since fear is the enemy that usually holds people back from accomplishing their goals.
In other words, to conquer your fears, you need to define them.
The first thing you need to do is write down whatever it is you are thinking about doing.
For example, you might want to ask your boss at work for a raise. You feel that you’ve earned it but have put off talking to your boss about it out of fear.
I call this the “What if” statement.
So you write down, “What if I asked my boss for a raise?”
After you have your “what if” statement, you’ll want to create three separate pages with the following:
Page 1:
Make the three lists below with 10 to 20 different answers for each.
• Define — What are the worst things that could happen?
• Prevent — How do I prevent each from happening?
• Repair — If the worst happens, how can I fix it?
Page 2:
What might be the benefits of an attempt or a partial success? What new skills would you learn or new relationships could you develop?
Page 3:
Here is the most important one in my opinion – what are the costs of inaction? Or in other words, if I avoid doing this, what will I be missing out on? A fun new adventure? A better paying job? A more satisfying relationship?
Think in terms of six months, one year, and three years from both the second and third pages.
After you have completed all three pages, you’ll have the ammunition to make a more informed decision moving forward!
FIND CONNECTION
Connecting with others may be the most essential item on this list.
Over the years, I noticed that my mindset would become more anxious, lonely, and depressed when I would spend long periods alone at my place. This is not an indictment on spending alone time with yourself since that is also important to personal growth. But I am referring to a more isolated mindset, one that rarely leans on anyone for support and doesn’t connect with other people beyond a few superficial areas.
Author and journalist Johann Hari wrote a book entitled, Lost Connections. Also, he did a TED Talks on why he believes through his research that lack of connection with others is a significant factor in both addiction and depression.
Research points to many benefits of connection, including:
- An increase in happiness, including one study, showed that the difference between very happy and less-happy people was good relationships.
- Assist in better health, as loneliness was linked with a higher risk of high blood pressure in a study of older people.
- Living longer, since people with strong social and community connections were two to three times less likely to die during a 9-year study.
ENGAGE IN PERSPECTIVE
Often when we are stuck in a dark mental space, it’s challenging to pull back and take perspective. But perspective gives us a chance to view the problem(s) from a higher elevation of thought, more profound wisdom.
Falling into an unhealthy, negative based mindset is much easier when perspective is not applied to the equation. We can get caught up in the present drama and swept away in the emotions associated with whatever we are currently experiencing. Acknowledging the present and feeling the emotions is essential, of course, but there’s a difference between living in the present moment and letting it consume you.
I’ll give you an example.
The one year rule:
I use what I call the one year rule to get myself out of mental ruts.
Anytime I am experiencing a highly volatile or stressful situation in my life, I pause and take a moment to reflect by asking this one question: will this situation affect me a year from now?
If this answer is yes, then I try to work on potential solutions. If the answer is no, then I let it go.
The majority of the time, in most situations, the answer is no.
Using perspective and taking the ten thousand foot approach can be highly beneficial in halting unwanted stress, anxiety, and negative thoughts that perpetuate an unhealthy mindset.
PRACTICE MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness is “The practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis.”
When you practice mindfulness, you are trying to stay hyper-focused in the present moment and not get caught up in the thought of the past or worries of the future.
The practice of mindfulness, staying one hundred percent present in the moment, has shifted my life in many profound ways. The idea seems simple enough; stay hyper-focused.
How hard can that be?
Well, when you struggle with anxiety, depression, and obsessive, wandering thoughts, it can be challenging.
I have found that when you first begin to practice being mindful, it takes a lot of effort. Your thoughts will wander, you’ll ruminate about the past, you’ll worry about the future, but the key is to keep coming back to the present moment by:
- OBSERVING YOUR THOUGHTS WITHOUT GETTING CAUGHT UP IN THEM
- LETTING THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS FLOW THROUGH YOU LIKE A TRAIN CAR PASSING ON RAILROAD TRACKS
- FOCUSING ON WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING IN THAT MOMENT
Ever since I have implemented more mindfulness into my life, I have gained new insights. Mindfulness has taught me many things about myself, including:
- NEGATIVE THOUGHT PATTERNS
- UNCONSCIOUS HABITS AND ROUTINES
- AUTOMATIC EMOTIONAL TRIGGERS
- AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT
- AREAS OF STRENGTH
- GROWTH ACTIVITIES
- SLEEPING PATTERNS
- DIET & EXERCISE
- INSECURITIES
START A GRATITUDE JOURNAL
Journaling is an excellent way to clear the mind.
Practicing gratitude is an excellent way to seek out the good in your life.
Combining them both is a recipe for a healthier mindset.
Gratitude journaling consists of writing daily about all that you are grateful for in your life. There are different types of gratitude journaling, but I tend to enjoy jotting down three things I am thankful for on that given day. They can be anything from a heartfelt conversation with a friend; a hug from a loved one; a job promotion; your favorite team winning a big game; or the weather turning out to your liking.
But practicing gratitude has many benefits, including having a positive impact on relationships, improving symptoms of PTSD, creating a stronger sense of self, improving sleep, and reducing stress, to name a few.
Gratitude goes a long way in creating a healthier mindset.
LEARN THE 90-SECOND RULE
This is such a simple and effective tool to use to grow a healthy mindset.
The 90-second rule is a term coined by Harvard brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor.
She discovered that when a person has an emotional reaction to something in their environment, there’s a 90-second chemical process. Any emotional response beyond that 90-seconds is the person choosing to stay in that emotional loop.
This means that we can choose not to get caught up in a highly charged emotional situation, by in a sense, distracting ourselves for 90-seconds while the chemicals producing the emotion calm down.
When creating a healthy mindset, managing your highly charged emotions is critical in keeping your peace of mind.
IN REVIEW
Building a healthier mindset can help change your life for the better if you apply simple techniques.
Take it from someone who has gone through decades of anxiety and bouts of depression; mindset is critical in the healing process. But creating a healthier mindset won’t be easy. It will be one of the most challenging things you will ever have to do.
Give it time.
Let your mind learn new concepts, and give yourself the space to experiment with different techniques and learn from what doesn’t work.
In the end, creating a healthier mindset can propel every other area of your life to a higher level.
Although we strive to provide accurate general information, the information presented here is not a substitute for any kind of professional advice, and you should not rely solely on this information. Always consult a professional in the medical and health area for your particular needs and circumstances prior to making any medical or health-related decisions. For your health-related questions, please seek the advice of a licensed physician or any other qualified health care provider immediately.
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