Mind Matters: How to Nurture a Positive Mindset and Be Mindful of What You Allow In

By Ingrid Snellings, BA, Certified Health Coach

This is a companion article to a previous blog I shared about restructuring negative thoughts and beliefs: https://www.betterlivinggoals.com/post/breaking-the-cycle-overcoming-negative-thoughts-and-beliefs  

“Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires, so may a man tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, and impure thoughts, and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts.”  As a Man Thinketh, by James Allen

Guarding what you allow into your mind is as important as restructuring negative thoughts and beliefs.  Nurturing a positive mindset is the flipside and companion to restructuring negative content.  If you continue to fill your mind with negative messages, images, sounds, self-talk, and conversations, what do you imagine it will produce?  If you are not making an effort to guard against negative content, how do you imagine you will produce a positive mindset? It is important to be aware of and filter what enters our minds because it matters in nurturing mental well-being.   What we allow to enter our minds influences our thoughts and our thoughts and beliefs influence our behaviors.  Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

Guarding what enters your mind will have many benefits.  You will not only feel better, but it will influence how you view the world, noticing the positive aspects of it rather than focusing on the negative.  A positive mindset will build your confidence and provide you with increased mental well-being which will also influence your overall physical health.  Negative thoughts and beliefs can be a debilitating obstacle in pursuing goals and crushing motivation and confidence. 

There is a balance between having a positive vs a realistic outlook on life and what we can expect out of it.  It is not being suggested here to give up one for the other, but to work to become more flexible in our thinking and kinder towards ourselves to work towards a more peaceful, less stressed, and anxiety-filled mindset.

In the blog concerning restructuring negative content, becoming aware of negative content is the first step in the restructuring process.  It is also helpful to become aware of positive content or the lack of it. 

Tips on encouraging a more positive mindset and thoughts:

1.      Content:  What do you expose yourself to through entertainment, music, movies, social media, and television?  What kind of books do you read?  Is what you expose yourself to wholesome, inspirational, motivational, or educational?  How does what you view and hear through entertainment make you feel?  When I was 19 years old, there was certain music that made me feel like I was missing out on something, it made me yearn for something that I did not have, and it made me feel somehow inadequate.  But when I asked myself what I was missing out on, I could not answer the question.  I put a lot of thought into trying to solve the problem.  I realized it was simply certain types of music manipulating my feelings and thoughts.  Why would I want to believe I was missing out on something for no reason? I stopped listening to that type of music and instead chose to listen to music that made me feel happier.

Political content and news in general can cause depression and anxiety.  While I agree that it is important to be informed about what is going on in our community, country, and world, how much viewing is necessary to understand the main points?  Work on a way to remain informed while avoiding the heightened sense of anxiety and stress.

2.      Conversations:  What is the content of the conversations you have with others?  Are they wholesome and positive?  Are you mindful of how you express yourself?  Certain practices do not serve our mental peace of mind well, such as talking about other people, complaining about things without seeking solutions, complaining about events that we have no control over, or not being careful about how we express ourselves. 

3.      Good Health:  Getting enough exercise, eating well, proper sleep, and other good health habits can also influence a positive mindset. 

4.      Practice Gratitude:  Spend some time each day thinking about the positive things you have in your life, such as family and friends, a job, home, food to eat, and the ability to do things you enjoy.  For me, praying daily with thanksgiving helps me to have a more positive mindset.

5.      Participate in Wholesome Activities:   What kind of activities bring you peace of mind? For me, it is being out in nature, spending time with friends and relatives, and playing with pets.

This King James Bible verse expresses the idea I wish to share with this article. Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”