Positive Mindset: Achieve Personal Freedom In Uncertain Times

Jordan Tarver
October 4, 2021
Intentional Living, Self-discovery

Your thoughts will become your reality, whether you like it or not. Doubling down on developing a positive mindset can help you shape a positive future for your life. However, between health, financial, and global challenges over the last two years, we are living in a time of heightened stress, anxiety, fear, and uncertainty that’s making negative thoughts consume many people.

While it may feel more challenging to build or maintain a positive mindset during unprecedented times, it’s doable. Better yet, if you can pull it off in challenging times, your mindset will be bulletproof in more routine times.

I’ll give you a digestible way to build a positive mindset regardless of the day and age we’re living in. If you want to add more value to your life and invest time in getting unstuck and becoming the best version of yourself, snag a copy my authentic self-help book, You Deserve This Sh!t.

Purchase your copy or download chapter one for free below.

What Is a Positive Mindset?

A positive mindset is an outlook that lets you, for the most part, always find good in every situation and expect the best possible outcome. For a lucky few, it’s an innate quality; but for most people, it’s something that needs to be developed over time.

When you live a life lead by a positive mindset, you’re able to use your positive energy to create a positive reality. It may not happen at the snap of a finger, but small doses of positivity will compound into greater positivity over time—also known as the compound effect.

Now, to set the record straight, a positive mindset doesn’t make you invincible to negativity. We’re all humans and negativity creeps in through several avenues—finances, relationships, work, self-love, health, fitness, body image, just to name a few. However, investing your time in building a positive mindset can prepare you to deal with sporadic moments of negativity, helping you find the positive side of a usually challenging or stressful situation.

Why Is a Positive Mindset Important?

A positive mindset shields you from the negativity and stress that tries to infiltrate your mind on a daily basis. You’ll still recognize when something feels negative or if you’re doubting the outcome of a situation, but your positive mindset will allow you to quickly switch your perspective and energy. But, truthfully, that’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the importance of a positive mindset.

Not only can a positive mindset enhance your life’s outlook, but studies show it impacts your physical and mental health. For example, the Mayo Clinic explains some of the benefits include:

Increased life span
Lower rates of depression
Lower levels of distress
Greater resistance to the common cold
Better psychological and physical well-being
Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

Stress takes a toll on your mind and body and can create health risks. When you experience stress, your cortisol, the primary stress hormone, levels increase. Increased cortisol can alter your immune system and suppress the digestive system, the reproductive system, and growth processes, according to the Mayo Clinic.

A positive mindset and positive thinking is an effective stress management tool, and effective stress management comes with a list of health benefits. Positive thinking doesn’t mean you’re free of life’s annoyances, it just means you approach unpleasantness in a positive and productive way.

7 Easy Tips to Achieve a Positive Mindset

Achieving a positive mindset can be made easy through a handful of simple tips. From starting your day without your phone to repeat positive affirmations to surrounding yourself with positive people, you can be well on your way to a life of positive thinking.

Follow these seven positivity tips to achieve personal freedom.

1. Start Your Day Without Your Phone

The worst thing you can do is jump on your phone the second you wake up, unless there’s an emergency. If this calls you out directly, I’m sorry, but it’s time for you to hear this. The first couple hours of waking up are crucial for setting the tone of your day and getting your mindset straight.

In the morning, your mind is in its most vulnerable state and is susceptible to any energy you feed it, negative or positive. Hopping on social media to see everyone’s highlight reel, watching the news to only have fear instilled in your mind, or checking work emails before working hours are all easy ways to move further away from starting your day with a positive mind.

It’s crucial to choose to do something that will have a positive impact on you when you get out of bed. For example, you can take time to journal, meditate, exercise, or stretch. All of these actions can help you fill your mind with positive energy before you have to face your everyday challenges.

2. Repeat Positive Affirmations in the Morning

Positive affirmations are statements that help you instill positivity and overcome any negative chatter in your head like self-doubt or self-labeling. Repeating positive affirmations is the perfect thing to take place of using your phone right when you get out of bed.

Positive affirmations are typically “I am” statements said in present tense, even if you don’t feel they’re completely true yet. For example, you may say, “I am successful,” or “I am abundant.”

These types of statements can help you raise your self-confidence, control negative thoughts, improve your self-esteem, and develop a positive mindset. Some studies even show that affirmations can decrease stress, increase well-being, improve academic performance, and make people more open to behavior change.

The more you utilize positive affirmations, the bigger the positive impact they will have on your life. If you only use them for a day or two, the benefits will be like a flash in a pan. If you want to create long-lasting life changes and live with a bullet proof positive mindset, repeat positive affirmations every day.

3. Surround Yourself With Positive People

I always feels cringey repeating a cliché, but here we go: You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with. This is something you need to remember as you continue to build your network and your community throughout life.

If you choose to surround yourself with negative people, it’s likely you’ll also become negative. You’ll take on their mindset, habits, energy, and the way they talk to others and themselves. However, if you choose to surround yourself with positive people, you, too, will also become positive.

Sometimes it’s easy to blame our negativity on ourselves, but it’s often related to the environment and surroundings we live in. If you want to keep a positive mindset during difficult times, make positivity a priority quality in the people you choose to spend the most time with.

4. Write Down What You're Grateful For

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful; the ability to show appreciation and to return kindness, both to others and yourself. Staying positive during tough times is challenging, but remembering what you’re grateful for every day is one way to do it easily.

Developing a mindset that revolves around being grateful can take time, just like building a positive mind. However, it’s worth the investment of time because it can make you happier, according to a Harvard Medical School study.

This is the first thing I do in the morning because it invites positivity into my mind before the stressors of life are tossed on my plate. It’s also something you could (and absolutely should) use in place of checking social media or your work emails the second you get out of bed.

It’s as simple as writing, “I am grateful for…”. Aim to write down at least three to five things you’re grateful for in your life, and then thank me later.

5. Focus On Positive Self-talk

Just how nutrition fuels your body, the words you feed your mind will fuel your mindset. In other words, think of the way you talk to yourself as your mind’s nutrition. Every word carries energy that your mind will take on and manifest into your reality.

This means if you choose to talk to yourself negatively and continue to put yourself down with harmful words, then expect to develop a negative mindset and outlook. However, when feed yourself positive self-talk, such as “I am successful” or “I am confident,” you can expect to develop a positive mindset.

The words we speak to not only others but ourselves, too, play a larger role than some may think. Your mind is a powerful asset, and it will cling onto anything you give it permission to have access to, including both negative and positive self-talk.

6. Practice Meditation

Meditation is becoming more mainstream. For some, it’s something easily incorporated into their everyday lives; however, for others, it can be challenging (but not impossible) to make a habit. Meditation allows you to quiet your mind, understand your thoughts, and invite intention into your life. It’s a great tool to help you weed out the negative chatter in your head and clear your life of any negativity.

Mindfulness meditation is a common type of meditation use when you want to develop a positive mindset. It teaches you to slow down your thoughts, let go of negativity, and calm your body. Studies show that people who practice mindfulness meditation have a stronger sense of efficacy in managing negativity and see an increase in their overall well-being.

To start a practice, look toward guided meditations on YouTube by searching “Mindfulness meditation” or use meditation apps like Calm or Headspace. While both apps offer a plethora of guided meditations, Headspace was created as a mindfulness-specific platform.

7. Look For and Change Negative Areas of Life

If you don’t know where to start, evaluate your life and look for areas where you have a negative outlook. These are the areas that you should prioritize. It can be overwhelming to try and improve your entire mindset at once, so start by improving one area at a time.

For example, let’s say you have a negative outlook toward your finances. Take time to rewire your mind around the negativity by using some of the steps outline in this article. Here are some examples how you could improve your outlook in this area of your life:

Repeat positive affirmations in the morning, such as “I am abundant” and/or “Money comes to me easily.”
Surround yourself with people who have good relationships with their finances.
Write down what you’re grateful for financially.
Fill your life with positive self-talk around your finances and earning money.

When you find negative areas in your life that have been continuously negative, take a moment to assess how you can flip your mindset around using the tools and resources from this article.

How to Put Positive Thinking Into Play

Positive thinking and a positive mindset comes from the ability to find the good in any situation. Here are examples on how you can switch from negative to positive thinking:

Negative Thinking	Positive Thinking
I'm not good enough.	I am capable of learning new things.
I'm not going to get better at this.	I will give it another try.
I am not successful.	I get closer to my goals every time I practice.
My friends don't reach out to me.	I will reach out to my friends to start a conversation.
It feels too complicated.	I can come up with a new creative solution.
This path is too risky.	When I take a risk, I can break free of my current path.
I don't have any time.	I can evaluate my schedule and make time for the things that matter.

Bottom Line

Learning how to develop a positive mindset is crucial to flooding your life with happiness, excitement, and hope for the future, especially during uncertain times. While it won’t happen overnight, your consistent practice will create transformations over time. Use these seven positivity tips to help you build a positive mindset and achieve personal freedom.