2990: [Part 2] How to Stop Being Negative: 8 Tips to Help by Julianna Poplin of The Simplicity Habit on Stress Reduction

[00:00:00] Time for great performance! With the new Galaxy Watch Ultra. No matter if you're a sportsman, a sportsman, a sportsman or a sportsman. And no matter if you're a jogger, a marathon runner, who wants to dance through the night or go on tour in France.

[00:00:19] Get the best out of here! With the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra with Galaxy AI. Let's go! How to Stop Being Negative 8 Tips to Help Part 2 by Julianna Poplin of TheSimplicityHabit.com

[00:00:37] And I'm Justin Malik. Welcome to OLD, where I read articles to you with permission from the authors. But today being a continuation from yesterday, so I'd recommend listening to yesterday's episode first. That was episode 2989.

[00:00:51] But if you're all caught up, let's get right to part two and continue optimizing your life. How to Stop Being Negative 8 Tips to Help Part 2 by Julianna Poplin of TheSimplicityHabit.com Number 4. Embrace Logical Answers

[00:01:12] For many who suffer from negative thinking, it's easy to jump to the worst-case scenario when navigating any situation. For example, if your friend doesn't text you back for a couple of hours, you might find yourself at the conclusion that they don't like you anymore

[00:01:28] instead of the far more logical conclusion that they left their phone charging in another room or simply didn't see your message. Instead of letting yourself land on a negative outcome for any given situation, acknowledge your negative thoughts

[00:01:44] and ask yourself, is this the most logical option? And if it isn't, what would the most logical option be? Most of the time you're going to realize that the answer is obvious and way less negative than what you originally imagined. As a start, practice

[00:02:01] neutral thinking which is about accepting things as they are while focusing on what you can control. Number 5. Consider Seeking Support from a Professional Just like we see a physician to maintain our physical wellness and a dentist to keep

[00:02:16] our smile bright, it's important to take care of your mental health too. If you're truly struggling with negative thoughts and can't seem to shift your mindset despite your best efforts, you shouldn't hesitate to reach out to a trained professional for guidance and support.

[00:02:32] Number 6. Reduce Your Stress Levels For many of us, negative thinking is intensified by periods of stress. When we get frazzled, it's easy to be hard on ourselves and gravitate toward unkind thoughts. By eliminating some of that stress from our lives, we remove

[00:02:49] some of our likelihood to focus on the negative. Since we aren't reacting to situations and new information from a stressed, anxious standpoint, we can more fairly examine our circumstances and come up with a response that isn't fixated on the negative.

[00:03:06] A great way to reduce stress is to declutter. If the excess in your home is bothering you, then start there. If you're feeling over-scheduled, begin by focusing on decluttering your schedule. Simplifying your home and life can help you to stop being negative as you're no longer weighed

[00:03:22] down by all of the extra stuff. And speaking of things that influence your stress levels, Number 7. Think About The Influences In Your Life Whether we realize it or not, our thoughts and feelings are impacted by the things and

[00:03:38] people in our lives. The messages we hear can impact how we think, or at the very least, inform what we're thinking about. For example, watching the news for hours each day can negatively

[00:03:51] impact your mental health and can leave you feeling depressed and anxious. If you want to have a more positive mindset, it's important to be aware of the influences in your life that may be bringing

[00:04:02] you down so that you can minimize them. Consider your media consumption and how it's impacting you. Create boundaries around when and how you use social media. You may also want to increase the positive influences in your life to help you overcome negative thinking.

[00:04:19] This isn't just the way you use technology and consume media, but also the people that you have in your life. Are your friends having a positive impact on your life and outlook? Or do you leave conversations feeling negative and disheartened? We're influenced by the people we choose

[00:04:35] to spend our time with. Consider which relationships in your life are ones that are helping you grow and which may be bringing you down. Quote, your diet is not only what you eat,

[00:04:48] it's what you watch, what you listen to, what you read, the people you hang out with, and the things you subject your mind and soul to. Always be mindful of the things you put into your body emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Unknown. And number eight,

[00:05:06] find an accountability partner. If you want to stop being negative, ask a trusted friend to help keep you accountable. Have them check in with you weekly to keep you on track with the patterns or

[00:05:17] behaviors that you want to change. Creating specific goals for yourself will be helpful here. They can be ones that help decrease negative influences in your life such as spending no more than 30 minutes listening to the news, or they can be ones that increase the positive

[00:05:33] influences in your life such as reading a book on how to create better habits in your life, or writing down three things you're grateful for today. Having measurable goals will make it easier for you to make progress and it'll give your accountability partner something tangible

[00:05:49] to ask you about. Life can be very challenging at times and we need to be honest when we're in those seasons. However, we get to choose how we approach our circumstances and

[00:06:01] what habits we form for ourselves. You can learn to stop being negative and the tips mentioned in this post can help you create a more positive mindset. That doesn't mean everything in life

[00:06:12] will be perfect, but it does help you have tools that can help you to get unstuck. You just listened to part two of the post titled How to Stop Being Negative, Eight Tips to Help by Julianna Poplin of TheSimplicityHabit.com

[00:06:31] Thank you again to Julianna for this one. Logical answers is a new one, I don't think we've heard that suggestion before, but I think it's a great one. I know that's worked for me in the

[00:06:42] past with some worries that were a bit excessive, like for example if you're afraid of flying or something. Seeing logically what the odds are of that going wrong can help. Instead of the opposite, watching or listening to horror stories about airplanes. Or here again like yesterday

[00:07:01] there could be some overlap. You can use an accountability partner or professional to get outside advice and to see if your thinking is logical or flawed. Or if you're overreacting and worrying when in reality there's very little to worry about. I really do think that

[00:07:20] can help. Our social support is something that can't be emphasized enough I think and if you're out of school and in middle age or older losing touch with friends happens very easily.

[00:07:31] Something we have to work on and keep up and that has a massive impact on our health and well-being so it's a good one to be reminded of. And on that note thank you for being here. I do

[00:07:41] consider listeners of this show friends. Sometimes I say OLD friends, old friends, OLD standing for optimal living daily. I haven't said that in a while but podcasting is a very personal thing and it's like having a friend to talk to. So thank you for being there and listening.

[00:07:57] Have a great rest of your day or night and I'll see you tomorrow as usual. Where your optimal life awaits.