3 Renowned Practices to Rewire Your Brain for Positive Thinking
“If you stop feeding negativity then it won’t live for very long.”
Forming a new mental habit is much like forming a new physical habit, it takes consistent practice before your mind is reprogrammed from the way it is used to thinking. Before diving into these practices, I would like to clarify the terms “negative thinking” and “positive thinking”. These terms have been oversimplified and overused these days and can be misinterpreted in many ways.
We often jump to conclusions and quickly label something as “positive” or “negative” when it is exactly what we don’t want, because that is a form of judgment. So I feel it’s important to identify their true meanings.
My definition of Negative thinking is self-sabotage stemming from a limiting belief system that disrupts your flow, brings down your energy, and prevents you from living your full potential.
Negative thinking isn’t acknowledging reality of the present moment. It isn’t acknowledging that you feel sad or depressed, or that you feel depleted and need to take time to rest and reflect. It is simply inner dialogue that prevents you from exploring or moving forward as you truly desire in various aspects of life.
Examples of negative thoughts:
“I should just keep quiet and not talk about my ideas. Everyone else in the meeting is a VP and I’m just a manager.”
“I can’t just show up at an event by myself. I will look foolish and desperate.”
“They aren’t talking to me probably because they think I’m stupid.”
“I can’t tell people I’m depressed. They’ll think I’m screwed up.”
“Everyone else seems to get what they want. I’m just not as lucky.”
My definition of Positive thinking is motivation from a place of authenticity that supports your flow, lifts up your energy, and propels you forward.
Positive thinking isn’t necessarily telling yourself what you want to hear or allowing yourself to believe whatever gives you a momentary ego boost. It also isn’t forcing yourself to do something you don’t genuinely believe in for the sake of short-term reward. Positive thinking is simply inner dialogue that brings you back to the highest version of yourself, without unnecessary influence distracting you from moving forward as you truly desire.
Examples of some positive thoughts:
“Everyone else in the meeting is a VP so let me share my thoughts from a manager’s perspective who is closer to the ground level.”
“Why not go to the event by myself and make new friends with other singles.”
“I don’t know why they’re not talking to me. There can be a number of reasons. I can just ask them if I really want to know.”
“I will let people know I’m feeling depressed right now and ask for understanding. That way they’ll know what I’m going through at the moment.”
“I haven’t been getting what I want in life. Let me try doing things differently from now on.”
Over the years, I’ve had my fair share of negative thoughts, just like anyone else. Having a go-with-the-flow personality, I would often let one sabotaging thought spiral out of control and send me down a path that prevented me from receiving all the gifts and opportunities life presented. About 8 years ago, I started to pay attention to my thought pattern and explored different ways to reprogram my thinking. Out of the many methods I came across, 3 of them caused a noticeable shift inside me that I want to share with all of you.
Each of these methods requires a commitment. They are all a daily practice for a consecutive number of days. I’ve listed them here from shortest duration to the longest, though shortest doesn’t necessarily mean easiest. All 3 methods take very little time out of your day but have tremendous and lasting results after completion. They each work differently so choose one you feel most connected with.
1. The 7 Day Mental Diet — Emmet Fox
This pocket-sized booklet was first published in 1935. Only 20 pages long, it outlines a 7-day course of cutting negativity out of your mental diet.
Though short and sweet, this course isn’t as easy as it sounds. This diet requires you to monitor your thoughts closely and allow only positive thoughts to enter your mind. If you catch yourself with a self-sabotaging thought, you restart from the beginning at day 1. I’ve had to restart many times before completing the course. But when I was successful, it was on day 4 I started to experience my first noticeable shift. My mind was clearer and I felt a lot more confident than usual. I felt lighter and better about myself overall.
2. The 21-Day Meditation Experience — Deepak & Oprah
This is a relaxing and easy-to-follow guided meditation practice. It is periodically released by the Chopra foundation (previously Oprah and Deepak 21-Day Meditation Challenge) with a different theme in each re-release. You can access it by downloading the Chopra app in the app store. Available for both iOS and Android.
The Chopra meditation method is based on primordial meditation — using mantras to help relax, focus, and connect. If you are sensitive to sounds and vibrations, and you often find the sound of chanting soothing, then you may find this method very effective.
The app outlines one guided meditation per day for a consecutive 21 days. Each meditation lasts for about 20 minutes and is voice-guided by Deepak Chopra. I find this practice to be the most relaxing and its teaching deeply compassionate for all beings.
3. May Cause Miracles — Gabrielle Bernstein
This is a step-by-step 40-day guidebook outlining daily exercises (usually morning, noon, and night) such as journaling and mantras to help you stay mindful for a consecutive 40 days. It is organized into a different theme every week with a specific focus each day. It is a classroom in a book!
Most exercises, though 3 times a day, consist only of reading a paragraph, a 5-minute self-reflection, or a quick mantra. Setting aside three 5-minute breaks a day can help you complete this course pretty easily.
This was the most effective approach for me out of all 3 practices. I felt an undeniable mental shift at the end of 40 days and it still carries to this day. This lasting shift was a deep sense of love and self-compassion. Its effects gradually spread throughout my everyday encounters. The “miracles” I’ve experienced are the ability to see and consciously choose loving ways of dealing with challenging situations.
This is available both in books and as a digital course.
