How to Turn Negative Into Positive

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Realize whether you're clinging to negatives.

   Have you ever had an overwhelmingly successful and productive day, but yet upon reflecting, found yourself focusing on nothing but the negatives? This is called filtering.
   
   Like a filter, your mind ‘filters’ out all of the positives and increases the significance of the negatives., This will help you identify and focus on the things that you are grateful for.
   
   Write in detail about one particular thing you are thankful for instead of creating a general list.Writing less frequently is better in achieving optimum results, so aim for writing once or twice a week.
   
   Try and focus your writing on people, and not things since focusing your gratitude on people tends to be more meaningful. , Personalizing is another form of negative thinking.
   
   It occurs when something negative happens and you automatically assume that you are responsible for it.
   
   Instead of jumping to conclusions, become curious and ask how or what questions to gather more information.
   
   For example, you call up a friend and tell them that you plan on visiting them later that day.
   
   They respond that today wasn’t such a good day and that they will call you tomorrow to reschedule.
   
   You assume they are trying to avoid you.
   
   Instead of assuming, you could ask, “What happened for you to reschedule our visit?” , Catastrophizing is irrationally predicting negative outcomes and assuming that if a negative did occur, the results would be catastrophic.One type of catastrophizing is making a catastrophe out of a non-catastrophic situation.
   
   For example, that slight burning sensation isn’t a heart attack.
   
   You just ate an extra large Philly cheesesteak with the extra onions, green peppers, and jalapenos.
   
   It’s just heartburn.Combat this type of thinking by reminding yourself, “I am causing my own suffering.
   
   Can I stop doing this?” This thought will remind you that you are responsible for creating your own worrying at the moment, and only you have the power to make it go away., Try to avoid assuming negative outcomes for future events.
   
   For example, you have an upcoming interview, and you anticipate the interview going horribly wrong despite all of your diligent preparation.Combat this type of thinking by taking notice of when it occurs.
   
   Jot down what happened, your thoughts on what happened and how you reacted and responded.
   
   You’ll begin to notice a pattern to your thinking.
   
   You can then reverse this type of thinking by engaging in positive self-talk.
   
   For example, you wanted to make a special dinner for your significant other but instead ended up burning the meal.
   
   You find yourself thinking that your significant other is going to be angry and the evening will be ruined.
   
   Instead, tell yourself that it’s okay because everyone makes mistakes.
   
   You can simply go out to eat someplace nice. , Polarizing is when you tend to view things outright as either good or bad.
   
   There is no room for a happy medium.
   
   Perfection is the only option.Write down your polarizing thoughts to help recognize your over dramatic thinking.
   
   When you put things in writing, it helps make your thinking more concrete and easier to analyze.
   
   For example, if you wrote down, “I missed the soccer game.
   
   I’m a horrible mother,” you might recognize that you were being too hard on yourself.
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   Step 2: Keep a gratitude journal.

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   Step 3: Remember that it’s not always your fault.

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   Step 4: Avoid catastrophizing.

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   Step 5: Believe in positive outcomes.

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   Step 6: Keep in mind that not everything is simply black or white.

Detailed Guide

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