Negative thoughts can be a huge roadblock when it comes to self love. They can make us feel like we are not good enough, and that is definitely not the message we want to send ourselves! Negative thoughts often lead down a slippery slope to depression, because constant negative thoughts is unhealthy for our mental health.

Hope is not lost

However, there is one simple way to turn this around. It may not be easy, but the solution is simple, no needing to jump through rings of fire or stare into the mouth of a lion. Instead, what you do is change negative thoughts into positive thoughts.

For example, if you think to yourself “I'm so slow at writing reports,” you can replace that with “I'm taking my time and making it perfect.” This small change in wording will help promote self love and happiness in your life. Another example is if you think “I'm such a failure,” you can replace it with “I'm learning and growing.”

How replacing words works

Constantly thinking bad and negative thoughts is very detrimental to our mental health and self esteem. When we replace these negative thoughts with positive thoughts by changing our phrasing, we are telling our brain that by looking at a situation differently, we can have a more positive outlook.

But How is that different from affirmations?

Now you may be wondering how this is different from repeating positive affirmations, and there is one very big difference. Affirmations are all about repeating positive phrases you believe, and if you think this is up your alley, I have a whole article about how to start. But what we are looking at here is changing the way we see what is first negative into something positive.

It's a slow process

With the above examples, seeing yourself as being slow is negative. However when we look at how we do something slower than others, we should look at it like we are taking our time, to make sure everything is right. Now when we think about being slow, we see it as being precise.

Add in some meditation

Sometimes our life can be so cluttered and overbearing that turning our negative thoughts into positive thoughts can seem impossible. If this is the case for you, follow the steps below:

1. Take some time out of your day and do a gentle meditation, where you clear the worries of your mind.
2. Then, think back to the thoughts you had during the day and turn them into positive ones now.
3. Then, say an affirmation or two to yourself.

All this positive talk will instil a new happiness within you. Another benefit is that you have started talking positively to yourself, that with more practice, positive thoughts will become second nature to you.

Start changing your attitude today

Just remember that negative thoughts will not help you on your journey to happiness. So make the effort to turn them into positive ones today!

Do you have any negative thoughts that you want to replace with positive ones? Let us know in the comments below!

Happy thoughts, happy life! :)”