How to cultivate a positive mindset

May 15, 2021Rabea

2020 really didn‘t have any business fucking with our mood the way it did. But it showed a lot of us that we can‘t rely on others for our happiness and positivity. Let me show you how to cultivate a positive mindset.

Start a gratitude list

Writing down what you‘re grateful for every single day helps you look out for positive things more. When you‘re especially down you should try and add a reason why you‘re grateful for the things you‘re grateful for. I know a lot of people write their gratitude list in their journals, but if you‘re as forgetful as I am you should use an app to remind you of it. I use Presently to get reminded and write down at least three things each day.

Start noticing when you spiral & what about

The things you go into spirals about in your head tend to have a common thread. I know mine are often related to the topic of loneliness or the fear of being alone. Figuring out what emotion and what fears your spirals draw from can help you a lot in combating them with positive thoughts and self compassion.

Look at the root of most of your worries

Most worries are connected to irrational and rational fears. You‘ll have to write down your worries and see which worries connect to one another, which ones are irrational and which ones could be rational. Once you got rid of quite a few by making it clear that they are irrational, you can look at the more realistic worries and fears and make a plan on how to prevent the worry or what you‘ll do when the worry becomes reality.

Create a morning routine

Routine is something that reduces stress significantly. In a world where you want to constantly get better by leaving your comfort zone, you also need anchors throughout your day. Ideally, you start with an anchor right when you wake up. Do things that you’re good for you in the morning. Meditate, hydrate, read, work out, journal, eat healthy breakfast, have phone-free time, tidy up the room.

Get perspective from others

If there is something that consistently goes through your mind it might be a good idea to get perspective on it from other eyes and minds. Maybe you just need a good rant to a friend or you need reassurance on a decision by a mentor. I also wanna point out that having a therapist is not something that‘s only for mentally ill people. If you worry a lot that is a pattern you‘ll want help with.

Do the worst / best / realistic case exercise

This one helps especially the anxious and depressed people out there. People with mental illness often catastrophize the future and this exercise is simple and quick. What is the worst case of the situation you‘re overthinking? What is the absolute best case? And then look at which parts from each side are actually realistic and look at the outcomes other people had with the same topic you‘re overthinking. If you want you can add a „What would I have to actively do to achieve this outcome?“ prompt to each case. That way you know that getting the worst case is just based on decisions. This exercise also helps seeing when a situation isn‘t in your hand and you just have to accept it. That way you can plan better how to cope with an outcome you can‘t control.

This post might show you how to cultivate a positive mindset, but don‘t fall into the spiral of self-judgment when you feel bad. Feeling all of your feelings is important and a part of healing and regulating your emotions. If you want to get some journaling prompts all-around self love and positivity you can get those straight to your inbox by signing up here: