Research shows that what/how we think is what affects our feelings and mood. Situations do not determine mood, but how a person thinks about the event or situation does. Two people can face the same circumstances have very different reactions.
1. Be aware of your thoughts
If you can learn to be actively aware of where your mind wanders off to, and can learn to gain control of it in the first 30 seconds, you can reject the thought before turns into a full on negative session. It takes time but it is possible to develop the art of discerning a thought quickly. Learn to reject and refuse a negative thought before it occupies space in your mind.
2. Make a decision.
Research has found that no matter what happens to you in life, you tend to return to a fixed range of happiness. Researchers show that 50 percent of our mind-set comes from genetics, 10 percent is determined by our circumstances (like our job, marital status, wealth), 40 percent is determined by our habitual thoughts, feelings, words and actions.
Why is it that some people can go through the hardest of times, (death of a loved one, loss of a job, house burns down, personal rejection, etc.) and yet they still have a positive attitude and outlook on life? While others get a hangnail and the whole world must stop and send condolences.
The answer is to make the decision to choose happiness, and that choice starts with a thought.
Here are some examples for flipping the script. The trick is not focusing on what you don’t like, and switching it to positive things. Think about what you do like, or the things in life that you can control.