How To Change Negative Thoughts Into Positive Thoughts

If you're told something enough times you start to believe it. This idea also applies to negative thoughts. If you consistently have negative thoughts then you'll find they start to take over. This way of thinking is extremely unproductive and can cause you to lose motivation in both your personal and professional life.

But there's good news! You can change your way of thinking from negative to positive with "Cognitive Reappraisal." Through this method, you can acknowledge those negative thoughts and redirect them into positive ones.

"People who do this have better mental health and more life satisfaction, and even better-functioning hearts, research shows," says Elizabeth Bernstein, a Wall Street Journal Columnist.

So here's a few ways you can change those negative thoughts around:

• Write Them Down
By writing down your negative thoughts, you become more aware of them and can identify what's triggering them.

• Question Your Thoughts
When you have a negative thought, instead of stating it as fact, ask it as a question. For example, "I always have bad luck." turns into "Do I always have bad luck?" From there you can think about your thought and find an answer.

• Pretend Your Life Is Already How You Want It
Make believe you already have everything you want. Pretend you're the person you want to be and you will eventually become that person.

• Think About Something Else
When a negative thought creeps into your mind, distract yourself with another thought. When you find yourself falling back into your negative mind set, look around and think about something completely unrelated until you can bring your thoughts back to positive.

• Don't Give Up
Your brain has been programmed to think a certain way so when you try to change it you may feel the process is slow. Keep at it.