Baby, you may have been born this way. But that doesn’t mean you can’t encourage positive thinking and start to see things in a brighter way. Find out how top happiness gurus filter out negative junk. Spoiler: You can do this too!

“I tend to look at the glass half empty. Can’t help it, I was just born that way.” Sound familiar?

So maybe you were born with a less than rosy outlook on life. Sometimes being a pessimist comes in handy. Say, when you are sizing someone up for a job or trying to make a big decision.

That said, let’s not let the neggies get in the way of some good living. Even if you don’t tend toward pessimism, we all battle negative thoughts from time to time. Yes, even those high spirited, ultra-balanced health and lifestyle gurus whose stuff you read.

How do these seemingly always joyful people do it? They put regular effort into filtering out the negative crap that life hands us. Sure, there will always be tough spots in life to deal with. But we don’t need to go looking for them.

There is a stream of not-so-feel-good material you can hook into pretty much anytime of the day. Doubt it? Just hop on Facebook for a sec and see if you don’t come across something that gives you a little bit of ick factor. Seriously, I’ll wait…

How long did it take before you saw pics of a public figure doing something cringe-worthy? Or an acquaintance whose feed full of vigorous workouts, perfect home, and sky high achieving kids made you feel like making over your entire existence? Yep, thought so.

Not long ago, I was watching one of Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday episodes and she happened to mention that she asks her driver to shut off the radio when on her way to an interview or speaking engagement. As someone who has shunned news outlets for years now, my interest was piqued.

Oprah says she requests the quiet so that no news, music, or banter fills her head. She wants her own intentional thoughts filling her noggin, rather than a bunch of garbage she is involuntarily absorbing.

Our society loves news. It is available pretty much anytime, anywhere, and most of us eat it up. Have you noticed how the news networks relentlessly cover scary, sad, or bad news in graphic detail, when news about people helping others or somehow making a positive dent in this world of ours takes a backseat? It’s because people want to see the blood and guts, not the happy faces.

As screwed up as this seems, it is likely not changing anytime soon. What can change? Whether or not we take part.

And it is not just the scary and gory that messes with our positive thinking. Remember that FB friend we talked about? The one with the seemingly perfect life that makes you feel like you are doing it all wrong? That is also a form of allowing garbage to fill our heads.

Marie Forleo, business and lifestyle guru, calls this compare-schlager. As in, it is as toxic to the system and makes us feel just as bad as a Goldschlager (substitute Jagermeister, tequila, Fireball) binge did in college. Forleo goes on to call this inundation of feel bad info the “Hamburglar of Happiness”, and advises avoiding any social media, magazines, TV, etc. that makes you feel grossed out.

If thinking about all of this makes you feel even more stressed and negative, here’s good news. It is well within your control to not allow this junk into your life. If this means turning off the news and flipping on some HGTV, do it. If HGTV gives you house envy, turn on AMC or, even better, get some fresh air. Limit your exposure to Facebook or give it a break altogether.

The key here is this: Whatever it is that is making you feel bad, stop doing that and positive thinking will follow. I like Instagram because the pictures are pretty and most of the content is upbeat. Same with Pinterest. Find what makes you feel good and get more of that in your life. This not only gets the unconstructive stuff out of your head, but allows you more time and space to think about things that matter and will do you some actual good.

Hey, if it’s good enough for Oprah and Marie, it probably works for the rest of us.

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Image of Oprah Winfrey via Shutterstock

The post Top Lifestyle Gurus Use This Positive Thinking Trick (and You Can Too!) appeared first on EcoSalon.

If people telling you to think positively makes you want to vom… well, welcome to the club. Would you care for a half empty glass of water?

If I’m having a shit day, the last thing I want to hear is “everything’s going to be alright,” or “it could be worse,” or I need to “find the silver lining.” Just because my day wasn’t as bad as someone else’s doesn’t give anyone the right to trivialize my feelings and encourage me to be all kittens-and-sunshine during sucky moments in life.

If I was homeless, missing a limb, and a wheel just fell off my shopping cart, I can guarantee there’d be someone nearby to say, “At least you have a shopping cart.” I can also guarantee they’d end up under it.

Pessimism gets a bad rap, as if being a pessimist means you’re an unhappy, negative sourpuss who never sees the good in life—but this couldn’t be further from the truth. We’re just not fans of suppressing our dark side and pretending it doesn’t exist.

Called “defensive pessimism,” it’s a way to mentally and emotionally prepare for what might go wrong. You know, in case it does. Our mantra is, “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.” We set lower expectations (but expectations, nonetheless), so that if something goes wrong, we can handle it like a boss—and if nothing goes wrong, we’re uber-grateful and take the time to celebrate.

If it weren’t for pessimism, we’d never evolve. We’d never set goals. We’d never learn from our mistakes. We’d never grow. Dissatisfaction fuels us forward. I mean, if we were supposed to think positively all the time then we would, no?

It’s important for us to be both positive and negative—if you’re having a good day, then say so. But if you’re not, don’t pretend you are. How are you supposed to make tomorrow better if you’re not acknowledging what’s wrong today? Case in point: Global warming. Your glass can’t be half full in an effing drought.

Here’s why you should always think positively about being a pessimist:

1. Pessimism = motivation

Sure, defensive pessimists have low expectations, but that also means you’re more likely to exceed them and thrive. Bam.

2. Pessimism decreases anxiety

The harder you try to ignore your negative thoughts, the more intense they become. If you’re feeling anxious about a particular situation, you can use defensive pessimism to prepare for the outcome you’re worried about and come out on top.

3. Pessimism gives you a leg up

Because you’re more prepared for what could go wrong, you’re more likely to have a back-up plan in place. After all, how is everything going to be alright unless you make it so?

4. Pessimism may help you live longer

Just because you plaster on a smile to ward off health issues typically linked to being a pessimist (like depression and heart disease) doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. In fact, a 2013 study found pessimists are more likely to live longer due to their cautious nature. So there.

How do you feel about positive thinking?

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Image: Sad face photo

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