How To Cultivate A Healthy Mindset
Having a strong, healthy mindset is absolutely key to living a happy life. After all, your mindset can influence your health, future prospects and so much more. Unfortunately, many of us suffer from poor self-image and mental health, which can influence having a negative outlook on life.
If you’re wanting to work on your mindset in order to cultivate a healthier, more balanced outlook, we’ve got all the tips to help you on your way.
So what is a healthy mindset anyway? Someone with a healthy mindset views themselves and their life situation from a fair perspective. They recognise that things do not always go their way and life can’t always be rosy; they therefore are not too harsh on themselves if things go wrong. They are optimistic people who feel ready to tackle life’s challenges because they operate with a positive mindset that fills them with confidence.
Someone with an unhealthy mindset, on the other hand, is more likely to see the glass as half empty. Their negative thoughts hinder future prospects, as they are often less likely to take risks and value themselves less.
Thankfully, there are lots of tried and tested methods of working on your existing mind frame, no matter the scenario. Check out our top tips below…
Here’s how to develop a positive & optimistic mindset
Pay attention to your self-talk
The way in which you think about and address yourself can play a big part in your overall mindset. Studies show that the people who are less harsh on themselves tend to have a better outlook and mind frame, compared to those who are self-critical. In addition, negative self-talk can encourage depression, anxiety and low self-esteem, amongst other ailments.
To work on your self-talk, start practising things like self-forgiveness and compassion. Just picture exactly how you would talk to a friend when things haven’t gone to plan for them. It’s likely that you would offer reassurance and kind words.
The above techniques of self-compassion and forgiveness are highly useful tools to have in your self-love arsenal, but remember some habits die hard, so go easy on yourself to begin with.
Cut back on whatever saps your energy
For this tip, try to analyse the elements of your life that drain your vitality – this can be any area, whether hobbies, your job or toxic people. Additionally, sometimes the habits we keep can be detrimental to our mental health without us realising the link. Examples of this can be spending too much time on social media, reading too much negative news, overindulging in alcohol and so much more.
If you spend countless hours of your life doing things that are subtly draining your energy like a vampire, it’s time to stop! Try phasing out or reducing the amount of time spent doing these activities, and you’ll be amazed by the shift in mindset as a result.
Lead a healthy lifestyle
It might sound strange to consider, but your diet, activity levels and other lifestyle factors can seriously impact your mind frame. To cultivate a positive optimistic outlook, review how well your lifestyle aligns with the government’s recommended lifestyle guidelines.
Examples of some beneficial lifestyle tips to follow include – getting enough sleep, eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, drinking enough water, minimising alcohol intake and getting enough exercise.
We recommend reviewing your existing lifestyle and identifying the key areas that might be impacting your mental outlook. Start improving these areas slowly and gradually, so that adaptions to lifestyle do not provide too much stress.
Once you’ve made it a priority to look after your health, you’ll see a sharp improvement in your mind frame and you’ll never look back!
Spend time with loved ones
If you’ve been struggling with an unhealthy mindset, surrounding yourself with the people that make you happy can work wonders. This tip can be something as simple as making an effort to stay in touch via group chats or regular phone/video calls.
When your mindset is already rocky, it can be very easy to want to isolate yourself away from loved ones. In the long run however, this does more harm than good, as we need healthy relationships in order to thrive. Try to arrange a slot each week to catch up with your friends and family and you will start to see marked improvements in your outlook.
Enjoy feel-good media
Whether books, podcasts, songs or films, consuming positive/optimistic media works as an excellent way of repositioning your outlook.
Due to the turbulent few years we’ve all had, many of us have adopted unhealthy habits surrounding media consumption (we’re all glued to the news, are we not?!) This type of media consumption can lead to a poor mindset and escalating mental health problems, if not managed properly however.
To set yourself up for a positive day ahead, start your day by reading a few pages of a feel-good book, rather than your usual news outlet. In addition to this, swap the news broadcasts throughout the day for a optimistic podcast, or your favourite playlist.
You may be surprised at how much impact a change in media consumption habits can have on your day!
Work with a life coach
Finally, when it seems like you’re battling against all odds, the support of a third-party expert can be a realistic option to help you overcome an ingrained negative mindset. Maintaining a healthy mindset in the long run is all about putting in consistent work to ensure you’re not falling back into old habits.
A life coach is like a wise friend, guiding you from a place of impartiality. Having someone to check in with and who can provide reassuring feedback along the way can be extremely useful for keeping on top of your mindset. So what are you waiting for? Take a look at our life coaches here!
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