P+o+s+i+t+i+v+e

Thinking

RANJAN KUMAR
Clinical Psychologist
LGBRIMH, TEZPUR, ASSAM.
[email protected]

“Hope is not a dream, but a way of making dreams become reality.”

 My Question????????????
 What is Positive Thinking?

 Can it be cultivated?

 Why should it be cultivated?

 How can it be cultivated?

What is Positive Thinking?
 It trains the human mind to change a perceived
reality by repeatedly making positive mental
statements
 It derives a positive sense of well being and
optimism
 It is a process of choosing positive emotions
from stimuli in the environment and applying
them to perceptions and beliefs
 It helps create an outlook that translates
hardships into a new or better chosen reality.
What is Positive Thinking
 Psychologists, researchers and medical
professionals define positive thinking as
self-talk that is realistic and self-
affirming.
Becoming A Positive Thinker
 Positive Thinking : Focusing on what is good
about yourself, other people, and the world
around you.
 Optimism : The tendency to expect the best
possible outcome.
 Attitude : A belief or opinion that predisposes you
to act in a certain way.

Success Secret
 Positive thoughts lead to positive feelings and
actions.
The Power of Positive Thoughts
Activity - 1:
 Recall one trouble making student in your
class
 List a few good things about him/her
Share with class
Negative Thinking And Pessimism
 Negative Thinking Focusing on the flaws and
problems in yourself, other people, and the world
around you.
 Pessimism The tendency to expect the worst
possible outcome.

Success Secret
 Negative thinking blocks you from taking risks,
making changes and expressing your real self.

Activity : Are You A Positive Thinker?

Adopting Positive Habits
 Look For The Good!
Focusing on the Good.
 Choose Your Words
Make a habit of speaking positively to people.
 Surround Yourself With Positive People
Seek the company of positive people who share
ideas.
 Accept, Don’t Judge
Strive to accept people as they are.
 Limit Complaints
Instead of complaining, take constructive action.
 Adopting Positive Habits continued…
 Don’t Worry: Worry is a major barrier to
positive thinking, and frequent worry harms your
health.
Myth: “Worrying helps me prepare for action.”
Reality: Worrying drains your energy.

Myth: “Worrying helps me deal with my

problems.”
Reality: Worrying is a substitute for dealing with
your problems.
Myth: “Worrying means I care.”
Reality: Caring and worrying are not the same.
 Self-talk
 Self-talk is the endless stream of
thoughts that run through your head every
day. These automatic thoughts can be
positive or negative. Some of your self-
talk comes from logic and reason. Other
self-talk may arise from misconceptions that
you create because of lack of information.
THINK POSITIVE
 1 MINUTE=10 THOUGHTS
 1 DAY=14000THOUGHTS
 1YEAR=50LACS THOUGHTS
 70YEARS=35CRORE THOUGHTS
 %AGE OF +VE & -VE THOUGHTS
 VITARKBHAVNE PRATIPAKSH BHAVNAM
 POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS:TO BE SENT TO
YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
 When Faced With Worry, Strategize…

 Focus on solutions, not worst-case scenarios.

 Cope, don’t avoid. Take action!
 Share your worries. Talk with a friend.
 If you really can’t do anything about the situation,
try to let the worry go.
 Drown out the worry with positive affirmations.
 Channel your nervous energy into physical
activity.
Your Thinking Style And Your Health
 Positive Thinking can make us mentally and
physically healthy.
 Negative Thinking can delay healing and cause us
to neglect our health.
 Depression An illness characterized by profound
feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and
helplessness.

Success Secret
 Thinking well can make you well.
Getting Healthy
 Eat Right
 Don’t eat for emotional reasons.
 Learn to read and understand nutrition labels
 Shop with a list—you’ll buy more nutritious foods.
 Try a variety of foods to make it easier to eat healthy.

 Get Moving
 Try to be physically active for at least 20 minutes each
day.
 Vary your activities so you don’t get bored.
 Motivate yourself by learning about health and fitness.
 Set SMART exercise goals for yourself. If you get off
track, just start again.

Activity : What’s Your Health Attitude?

Conquering Negative Thoughts
Self-Defeating Attitudes: A Vicious Cycle
Changing Your Attitude
Recognizing Distorted Thoughts
 Cognitive Distortion A self-critical, illogical
pattern of thought:
Examples:
 “I didn’t get an A on that exam. I’m a failure.”
 “My girlfriend broke up with me. Well, there
goes my last chance at happiness.”

Success Secret
 Learn to recognize your self-defeating attitudes
and turn them around into positive self-talk.
Recognizing Distorted Thoughts
 All-or-Nothing Thinking –success or all doom
 Overgeneralizing –if bad, all bad
 Filtering –blocking positive inputs
 Helpless Thinking –nothing will make a difference
 Self-Blame – blaming it all on yourself
 Personalizing –everything has to do with you
 Mind Reading –assuming everyone is thinking
bad thoughts.
 Recognizing Distorted Thoughts
 Emotional Reasoning -assuming your negative
thoughts reflect the way things really are.
 Catastrophizing –exaggerating the negatives of a
minor event.
 Irrational Beliefs –distorted, self-destructive
thoughts that boil down to three faulty
assumptions.
1. I must do well. (If I don’t, I’m worthless.)
2. You must treat me well. (If you don’t, you must be
punished.)
3. The world must be easy. (If it isn’t, it’s intolerable.)
The ABCDE Method
Formulation of Positive Thinking
 Use only positive words in your
conversation to evoke mental images of
strength, happiness and success.
 Visualize your success.
 Associate yourself with people who
think positively.
SPEAK POSITIVE
 DISTANCE BETWEEN YOUR EAR & MOUTH.
 TRY TO FIND POSITIVE NEWS IN THE
NEWSPAPER & TRY TO SPEAK ABOUT IT
THE WHOLE DAY
Read aloud
 I enjoy every moment of my life.
 I love myself just as I am.
 All I need is already within me.
 I am blessed and I am grateful.
 I love life. Life loves me.
 I radiate love and happiness.
 I work hard with integrity.
 I am capable and creative.
 I am filled with energy.
 I am kind and sympathetic.
 My life is filled with joy .
 I set good examples.
 I don’t get angry.
 I live with passion and purpose
 Today is a new beginning.
 I take time to laugh everyday.
 Everyone loves me.
 I give love and get back love multiplied.
 Everything I do turns into success.
 Everything is working for my good.
 Good things happening to me.
 I am successful in whatever I do.
 Wonderful things are flowing into my life.
 Happiness is always with me.
 Happiness is in my body, heart and soul.
 I am fun to be with.
 I help people achieve more.
 I am getting better every day.
 Everything is getting better every day.
 Life brings to me only good experiences.
 I am at peace with myself.
 If some one is sarcastic & rude to you – take it or
ignore it.
 If some one hurts you – do not bear grudges.
 If you are facing a frustrating situation – be relaxed
& retain calm with people.
 If some one is annoying you – remain calm &
neutral.
The health benefits of positive thinking
 Increased life span
 Lower rates of depression
 Lower levels of distress
 Greater resistance to the common cold
 Better psychological and physical well-being
 Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular
(heart and blood vessels) disease
 Better coping skills during hardships and times
of stress
How to Control our Thoughts
 It is impossible to control every one of our
thoughts, there are simply too many.
 One way to control our thoughts is to rely
on our feelings. Good thoughts produce
good feelings while bad thoughts produce
bad feelings. We can use this as an
indicator of our thoughts.
 Therefore we must try to “feel good”
everyday.
 Activity
Form groups of 8 to 10 Write notes of one to two positive
sentences about another person in the group. Hand over
the notes. Read out loud to the whole group, and validate
with clapping and praise (or they can be kept private and
shared only with the individual they are intended for)
Ensure everyone gets the same number of notes to avoid
favoritism.
Positive Thinking for Teachers:
Positive Thinking for Teachers :-In
every class, look for positive
opportunities To every student, offer
praise liberally In every lecture, seek a
new interesting idea With every friend,
discuss a new idea With every
colleague, share a thought With
yourself, keep a list of your goals Be full
of positive thoughts and actions
Five Tips for Positive
Thoughts:

Begin the day with a smile Count your

blessings . Accept challenges Quit worrying
Love yourself
THANK YOU………………