Words. We use them every day, but are we conscious of what we are saying? In fact, most of our words are uttered without conscious thought. We rarely stop and think about what we are saying.
Speaking is as natural as breathing. Countless words pour out of our mouths every day as our thoughts, opinions, judgments, and beliefs are openly expressed. But we are often oblivious to the positive or negative effects these words have on ourselves and the people around us.
1. Change Your Everyday Words to Positive Ones
Positive words can change our physical and emotional well-being, whether at home or at work. Here are a few common words and phrases that can easily be changed from negative to positive.
With friends and family:
- Why not? – Sounds good
- No problem – Definitely!
- Can’t complain – Everything’s going well, thanks
- I’m exhausted – I need to rest
When dealing with children:
- Don’t throw the ball inside! – Please take the ball outside
- Don’t put your clothes on the floor! – I like it when you put your clothes in the laundry bin.
Unless it is for a serious safety issue (for example, near a busy road or in a swimming pool,” resist yelling, “no” to your children. Explain the reason behind your “no” so children feel respected and included.
2. Start Your Day in a Positive Way
Do you hit the snooze button and roll over, dreading to get out of bed? How you begin your day sets the tone for the rest of the day.
You can embrace the day and start it off with something positive, such as a quick workout or a calming cup of tea. Or, you can keep trying to avoid getting out of bed. But, you have to get up eventually!
3. Make Your Home a Positive Environment
Living in a positive environment makes staying positive easier. Your home should feel like a place of rest and acceptance. Our homes can really represent who we are. If you wake up in a positive environment, you are more likely to be able to carry that positivity into to your everyday life.
4. Eat Healthy
You are what you eat. Eating breakfast helps improve your mood and provides you with stable energy throughout the day. This helps to prevent a drop in blood sugar which can lead to irritability, anxiety, and fatigue. Start your day off with fiber and nutrients, lean protein, healthy fats, and whole-grain carbohydrates.
5. Exercise regularly
One of the ways to stay positive in life is through fitness. Regular exercise boosts your mood and releases endorphins that make you feel better and helps to improve your mental and physical well-being.
6. Quality Sleep
Sleep and stress go hand in hand. Without enough quality sleep, your stress levels will easily escalate, and prevent you from looking at the positive side of things.
7. You Are Your Worst Critic
Never make your body, or anything else in your life, part of a joke. We may not think that these words bring negative energy into our vibration and affect us on a physical level, but they do.
8. Avoid Gossip and Ill Speech
The words you use give an energy that resonates in everyone’s body, not just your own.
9. Rephrase Your Words
Instead of saying that a meal was awful, say, “I’ve had better.” Or when your child is acting up, instead of calling him bad, try saying, “Was that a good thing to do?” You just used a positive word to get the message across without giving off negative energy.
10. Boost the Positive Energy of Words
Instead of saying you had a good time, boost the positive energy by saying using the words “great,” “terrific,” or “fantastic,” instead! This will give a bigger energetic response in the body and to your story.
11. Avoid Negative Friends in Your Circle
Limit the time you spend with negative people, or find new friends. Negative energy has a way of dragging everything surrounding it in, like a black hole. Avoid this whenever you can. Hang out with people who bring you up, instead of down.
You may not have control of this when it comes to your workplace, but outside of that, have the courage to let go of the people who impact your life negatively.
12. Surround Yourself with Uplifting Words
Place beautiful, motivational words or inspiring quotes around your home and office. When you read them daily, you use the power of repetition in a highly beneficial way.
13. Make Your Workplace a Happy Place
Creating a positive atmosphere in the workplace builds better relationships, encourages creativity, and boosts productivity. Making a better work environment is also critical to the success of a company and its employees.
14. Set Realistic Goals
Having goals set in place can make us feel more positive. Start with small, daily, attainable goals, and over time they may lead to a larger goal that you never imagined was possible.
15. Reward Yourself for Your Achievements
Reward yourself when you meet your goals. By having something to look forward to, you may be able to actually stick to that habit.
16. Keep Learning
Admitting that you don’t know everything, and being willing to continue your learning helps boost motivation and confidence. You may be far more interesting and able to keep up a conversation by consistently being in a state of learning.
17. Give Yourself a Break
It is difficult to stay positive when you are always down on yourself. And, this way of thinking can often lead to burnout.
Being burned out is one of the fastest ways to lose motivation, focus, and productivity. Your mind and body need regular breaks so you can perform your best. Short, frequent breaks at work give office employees more stamina and re-energizes them for when they get back to work.
18. Learn to Take Criticism in a Healthy Way
Taking criticism can certainly be difficult. There is always a moment in your life when you will encounter someone who wants to tell you how you could improve. It can be hard to deal with in the moment, but try and pause first, before you react. Accept that mistakes can happen. Learn from them and move on.
19. Make a Compliment Box
A complement box is a collection of good things that people have said about you. Whenever you feel down, take a peek inside to remind yourself of the good in you.
20. Be Grateful
Positive and happy people practice gratitude. Showing gratitude may also have positive effects on your overall health. Having gratitude reduces many toxic emotions, such as jealousy, regret, and frustration.
21. Add Positivity to Someone Else’s Life
Look at the way you treat the people in your life. Is there a way you can show more kindness and patience to others? Maybe you can help out more? The best place to start is at home with your own family.
22. Get a Pet
This may not be for everyone, but taking care of another being such as a pet can help you find a sense of purpose, and can boost your happiness as well. Petting your animal can help lower your blood pressure and anxiety. It may help to ease tension in your muscles and help you feel calm. Playing with your pet also increases the feel-good chemicals serotonin and dopamine in your brain.
23. See the Good in a Negative Situation
Learning how to be positive doesn’t happen overnight, especially in the midst of a negative situation. Try to ask yourself helpful questions to make sense of a bad situation. You can tell yourself that maybe this wasn’t meant for you and maybe there is something better out there waiting for you.
Before you speak, ask yourself: “Is what I am about to say going to uplift the person I’m speaking to? Will it inspire, motivate, and create forward momentum for them? Will it dissolve fear and create safety and trust? Will I create a positive or negative ripple effect by speaking these words out loud?” Let‘s all be determined to unleash the power of our words for positive change.
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