How exactly to change your mindset?
Moreover, isn’t it subjective?
After all, the mentality of a ghostwriter in a secluded Alaskan outpost is probably a lot different than a stockbroker climbing the New York finance ladder.
But believe it or not, they’re not all that different.
Across the lifestyle spectrum, certain fixed traits foster a better mindset.
So let’s explore how to develop and change your mindset, which could significantly change your life for the better.
- Understanding a Good Mindset?
- What Are the Benefits of Mindset Health?
- 13 Ways To Mindfully Change Your Mindset
- 1. Maintain Mindfulness
- 2. Take Stock of Your Belief System
- 3. Find Connections
- 4. Make Gratitude a Priority
- 5. Eat Well
- 6. Define Your Fears
- 7. Exercise
- 8. Keep Journals
- 9. Enlist a Therapist or Life Coach
- 10. Learn How To Gain Perspective
- 11. Face Your Faults
- 12. Create an Alter Ego
- 13. Follow the 90-Second Rule
- Final Thoughts
Understanding a Good Mindset?
What constitutes a good mindset?
First, let’s define mindset as “how people understand and interpret themselves and the world around them.” It comprises your mental attitude, opinions, emotional reactions, and behavioral approach to life.
People with fixed mindsets have an unwavering and fatalistic view of life. They believe certain qualities are inherent, finite, and unchangeable.
Folks with growth mindsets, on the other hand, believe everyone can develop skills and talents with hard work and commitment.
What characteristics do people with adaptable mindsets usually share? They:
- Don’t take things too personally
- Don’t let setbacks crush them
- Maintain a wholesome work-life balance
- Are confident but not arrogant
- Know how to apologize, absorb constructive criticism, and work on their faults
- Are in touch with their emotions
- Understand the power of gratitude
What Are the Benefits of Mindset Health?
Having a open mindset is like drinking from the fountain of youth, and people with salubrious headspaces enjoy:
- Increased emotional stability
- Better resilience
- Longer life and better health
- Lower rates of depression, anxiety, and stress
- Increased immune system
- Better cardiovascular health
- Better coping skills
Some studies even suggest that people with adaptable mindsets are less likely to get cancer, have a stroke, or die young. In other words, prioritizing your mental health has tremendous benefits.
13 Ways To Mindfully Change Your Mindset
We’re in agreement: having a adaptable mindset is the way to go.
But how do you change your mindset? Granted, if everyone could flip a mindset switch, they would.
Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.
For starters, understand it takes work. Changing your mindset is like training for an emotional marathon. You need to experience some pain to reach the finish line eventually.
Difficult, thankfully, is not impossible. With a bit of elbow grease and a desire to live your best life, you too can enjoy the Nirvana of good mental health.
To help you on the journey, let’s unpack 13 ways to change your mindset mindfully.
1. Maintain Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a way of life in which you sustain nonjudgmental awareness of your thoughts and emotions. People who live mindfully exist in the moment and aren’t guided by their past mistakes and future worries.
They concentrate on what they can control — what’s important at the moment.
If you’re tired of letting your thoughts take you on wild rides to dark, anxious places, consider adding a little mindfulness into the mix.
It has the power to erode obsessive thinking and help you overcome past traumas that affect your mental health.
Initially, it takes a lot of energy and practice to live a mindful life.
But once you get the hang of it, mindfulness becomes second nature — freeing up your mental energy for your passions and enjoyable pursuits.
2. Take Stock of Your Belief System
Have you ever asked yourself: Why do I believe what I believe?
If you haven’t, perhaps it’s time. Is your life simply a series of societal “shoulds” that hold no enjoyment or meaning to you? Are your beliefs your parents or yours?
What about your life genuinely serves your interests, values, and goals? Conversely, what do you do just to fit in or impress people you don’t even like?
Take stock of your belief system, goals, and values. Figure out if they’re genuine, or are you a slave to someone else’s status concerns?
Once you get your head straight and determine what you truly want out of life, improved mental health will inevitably follow.
3. Find Connections
Humans are social animals that thrive in communities.
Now, please don’t read us wrong. We are not saying you must be “popular” to be happy.
We’re not suggesting you need a tight group of friends to have a positive mindset. But you should try to interact with other people pleasantly every once in a while.
Have a few touchpoints, even if only monthly local council meetings.
New studies suggest that online communities and message boards are perfectly acceptable socialization centers, especially since digital commuting and communication are becoming increasingly more common.
4. Make Gratitude a Priority
It’s a true cliche: people who take time to smell the roses get more out of life than the glass-half-empty folks. Acknowledging the good that falls your way — even the tiniest things — can significantly lift your mood.
We’re not suggesting it’s never OK to get mad, frustrated, or angry. It’s unavoidable. Heck, it’s natural and healthy to vent! But also pay attention to the neat, beautiful, and positive things around you.
Make it a habit, and you’ll find yourself spirling much less.
5. Eat Well
Here’s another cliche: we are what we eat. And while life as a cronut may not sound terrible at first, remember their lifespans are mere flashes in the pan.
So, evaluate your diet if you want to know how to have a healthier mindset. Eliminate the bad, and add the good stuff.
Eating a balanced diet of vegetables, fruits, proteins, good fats, and complex carbohydrates is premium fuel for the human body. Folks who eat well:
- Live longer
- Look better
- Have better teeth, hair, and eyes
- Don’t get sick as often
- Have healthier mindsets
6. Define Your Fears
Fears are the number one thing standing in the way between you and success. You could have a fear of failing or a fear of succeeding. Or maybe you keep telling yourself you’re not smart enough to achieve your dreams.
Whatever the details, limiting fears are holding you back.
You don’t need to conquer every fear to have a good mindset, but you should know how to recognize them. Because when you do, it drains them of power.
7. Exercise
You didn’t think we would skip exercise on a list of mental health tips, did you?
Yes, it can be challenging to start, but force yourself. Working out is one of the best things you can do for your body and mind. Exercise improves:
- Brain health
- Weight management
- Bones and muscles
- Sleep quality
- Emotional health
Start slow and work your way up. And don’t forget that things like cleaning the house and gardening count as exercise.
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8. Keep Journals
Journaling is like exercise for the mind. The more you do it, the better you’ll feel.
As a bonus, your linguistic skills will inevitably improve — even if you don’t pay much attention to grammar and other writing rules while scribbling your thoughts.
Try not to make too many rules for yourself. Just shoot for at least 10 minutes a day. Also, keep at least two separate journals: one for good thoughts and the other for negative ones.
That way, when you need a boost, you can go back and read the positive one without fear of being triggered.
And don’t give a second’s thought to whether you’re writing well. If it sounds like the illiterate ramblings of a 3-year-old, so be it.
9. Enlist a Therapist or Life Coach
It rarely hurts to get a professional involved. After all, they have the knowledge, tools, and insight to set you on the right path. Therapists and life coaches are objective third parties skilled at self-development journeys.
When you work with someone, they can notice patterns and personal quirks that could take you years to realize on your own.
10. Learn How To Gain Perspective
Perspective is critical if you want to cultivate a changing mindset.
Knowing what’s important and what’s not is a valuable skill. So is being able to control and adjust your emotions. When things go wrong, before flipping out, take a deep breath and assess the situation.
The goal is to be someone who, when faced with an unexpected hurdle, immediately (but not frantically) starts brainstorming solutions.
Few problems in life are as catastrophic as they may seem initially. Slowing down and taking things in stride will polish your perspective and balance your brain.
11. Face Your Faults
One of the least-used, most-effective tools to shape a magnificent mindset is facing your own faults.
Yes, it can be tricky (because we humans tend to ignore our shadow selves assiduously); and yes, doing it right can shatter your ego and sense of self.
But amazing things follow once it’s done and the emotional levee breaks.
Why is acknowledging faults so empowering and freeing? For starters, your capacity for compassion increases tenfold.
Secondly, once you’re comfortable with yourself exactly as you are, you spend much less time stressing about stupid, useless, image-conscious things.
Besides, if you never stare down your faults and demons, they’ll cling to you and fester.
12. Create an Alter Ego
This is one of our favorite self-development tips — because it works so well!
OK, so how do you create an alter ego? It’s easy; just make a character with all the qualities you admire and need to reach your goals. Common attributes include: being disciplined, confident, fearless, and outrageously talented.
Then, slip into your alter ego persona when you’re working on something. People who use this technique immediately feel smarter, more capable, and inspired when they “flip the switch.”
It may sound a little out there, but psychologists and psychiatrists fully endorse the behavior.[2]
13. Follow the 90-Second Rule
Harvard neuroscientist and Oprah favorite, Jill Bolte Taylor, came up with the 90-second rule.
Her research revealed that emotional chemical reactions last 90 seconds, and anything beyond that is a choice.
How can you leverage that physiological feature?
Bolte suggests trying to distract yourself during those initial 90 seconds. Whether you repeat a poem in your head or have affirmations on hand is up to you. Try various options to see what works best for you.
Final Thoughts
Mindfully changing your mindset is a powerful way to level up your life.
Start slow. Just make sure you’re steady. The more you internalize these tools, the better you’ll feel, in both body and mind.
