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A healthy mindset is not always easy to get into and maintain. But it’s people with a healthy and positive mindset who usually get farther ahead in life, become wealthy, travel the world, climb Everest, achieve all kinds of incredible things, and end up living the dream.
And who doesn’t wanna live the dream? It looks different for everyone, but we all crave it.
Our mindset is like the glasses through which we see the world, and we perceive and evaluate everything in life according to these glasses.
These glasses can either magnify your opportunities or distort everything that’s in front of you.
Sometimes the glasses get stained and we don’t see the obvious.
Sometimes we spend too much time in a negative environment, for example, around whiners or highly opinionated people, and can hardly see any other point of view. (Imagine going through a snowstorm for a while so your ski goggles are completely obscured with snow, and snow is literally the only thing you can see.)
Of course, we can’t change our mindset as easily as taking off the glasses. But the idea is to keep your glasses clean so you can always see the whole picture and make an informed decision. And not allow the positive things and bold life-changing ideas to be hidden behind the stains of fear and negativity.
But what exactly is a healthy mindset, you might wonder? Let’s see.
What is a healthy mindset?
There isn’t one specific definition of a healthy mindset in any dictionary unless you count UrbanDictionary (which is actually not bad). But I’ll tell you what it means to me.
A healthy mindset is a way of seeing the world as it is, without judgment and prejudice. It’s solution-focused as opposed to problem-focused, and it is wired to see the positive side and appreciate the good. Having a healthy mindset is the first step to being successful and happy in life.
A person with a healthy mind always maintains a growth mindset and believes it’s possible to change and improve. The opposite is called a fixed mindset, which is when a person doesn’t do anything for self-development and sticks with a set of “natural” skills and initial disposition.
For example, someone saying “I’m not good at math” is not a fact, it’s a very common example of a fixed mindset. You might have impressed on your mind some idea about your limitation in one area or another, and it might be affecting the course of your life tremendously from behind the scenes, often without you even realizing it.
In most cases, all the mental blocks like that are deeply rooted in the childhood years, when a child is very susceptible to social influence, such as opinions of friends, teachers, and parents. By the time you can call yourself an adult, you already have a whole lot of ideas and notions on your mind, most of which you never ever question.
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Why a healthy mindset is important
A healthy mindset helps you get further along in life by focusing on the possibilities of the present and outcomes in the future instead of mistakes and struggles of the past. Maintaining a positive mindset is crucial for your well-being as it allows you to fill your life with joy and healthy habits and stick to them no matter what.
All your mental blockages and limitations are in your head, which is why mindset is important for achieving success in life. When your mind is at peace, you can handle stress more easily, solve problems faster, and find a way to improve the situation even when it’s not an obvious one.
With a strong growth mindset, staying on track with your goals is easier as you know that you are capable of doing hard things and achieving your dreams, even if it means you need to learn something in the process. You also remember to be grateful for the things you have and find little moments of joy in every day.
Even when you are going through difficult times, a good mindset allows you to stay positive and keep your head up because you know that better days are coming.
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10 Steps To Get And Keep A Healthy Mindset
As we are more or less clear about the definitions, here are ten ways you can get and maintain a healthy mindset as an adult!
1. Limit negativity in your life
There is no lack of sources of negativity around us: from news channels that only seem to talk about bad events, social media that make you feel less-than, and toxic friends who drain your energy and bring you down, to your own negative thoughts and feelings.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the negativity if you let it get to you.
Make sure you are in control of what kind of environment you put yourself into and what kind of thoughts you are feeding your mind.
For example, subscribe to newsletters that share positive news, limit the time wasted on social media, and say goodbye to everything and everyone that doesn’t serve your happiness.
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2. Accept yourself as you are
There are absolutely no benefits in hating yourself, thinking self-deprecating thoughts all the time, and beating yourself up for the old mistakes.
If you don’t like something about yourself, change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you look at it. Accept yourself just as you are, understand that you have been created this way for a reason, and appreciate each little good thing about yourself.
We often take our best qualities for granted, and you might not even realize that other people wish they were like you. If you can’t come up with positive things to say about yourself right away, try asking your friends and people who love you to tell you what they like about you. You might be surprised!
Tell yourself every day that you are a beautiful person who deserves the best in life, and who is already awesome without the need to prove it to anyone.
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3. Practice positive self-talk
If you never engaged in positive self-talk before, it’s about time you started!
Because you most likely have been doing negative self-talk from time to time, maybe even without realizing it. Everything you repeatedly tell yourself is an affirmation, so if you ever had a negative thought that started with “I am…” or “I can’t…”, it was you wiring your brain into believing that thing.
Maybe now you can decide to be more careful about the ideas you are feeding to your subconscious mind?
Various studies show the benefits of self-affirmation for daily productivity, achieving goals in life, and a general sense of well-being. Repeating good affirmations can transform your mindset into a healthy one and eliminate negative beliefs that have been stuck in your head for years.
Telling yourself in the mirror that you are smart and beautiful might feel silly at first, but as you get used to it, it’ll become a normal part of your daily routine. You can write your own affirmations or use the existing lists if you are new to the concept of positive self-talk.
As you grow your self-esteem and learn to trust yourself more, you’ll be able to overcome all your fears and build the life you’ve always dreamed of!
See All Lists Of Affirmations: 2500+ Positive Affirmations For Everyday
4. Have a clear vision of your future
People with a healthy mindset always know where their life is going.
You don’t have to have a 10-year plan for your future but you need to know what you want in life (Right now, what today’s version of you dreams about?) and where you are on your journey to getting there.
You may change over time, and your dreams may change, and that’s completely normal because change is the only constant in life.
But if you don’t have goals and don’t move in any direction, the best case scenario is that your life will be the same in a year, 10 years, and maybe even in 25 years. But more likely, things will get worse because changing also means adapting, and if the world is changing around you and you don’t adapt, you will just get more and more reasons to be unhappy and complain about.
They say if your goals don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough. And if you don’t have goals, if you just let the days go by, this is not even living. It’s merely existing. And have you ever seen an inspiring successful person who doesn’t enjoy life?
That’s because they are all visionaries.
5. Find a way to release stress
High achievers are facing incredible stress all the time and they need to handle it well to keep going strong.
When you accumulate stress for a longer period of time and don’t do anything to relieve it, it gets stuck in your body, leading to all kinds of illnesses. Sometimes you just catch a cold and rest in bed for a few days to recover, other times you might get a chronic condition that will haunt you for many years and make your life miserable.
Research has proven time and time again that stress is directly responsible for your body malfunctioning, which can manifest in a ton of different ways. In order to avoid all of that and stay healthy, it’s important to find ways to relieve stress that work for your life and daily schedule.
We all have busy lives and no time to add anything else, but you need to make time for self-care and relaxation if you want to live a long and fulfilled life. Think about the long run, and your body will thank you!
Besides, you need to be stress-free and clear your head regularly so ideas can flow freely into it!
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6. Maintain healthy relationships
It’s utterly difficult, almost impossible to keep a healthy mindset if everyone around you is doing the opposite.
It is said that you are the average of five people you spend the most time with. So if your close circle is all about negativity, if you meet with a friend and all you do is listen to them complaining about anything and everything, you’ll naturally adapt to this kind of behavior and will soon be doing the same.
Your surroundings set your standards, as well as the unspoken rules of what is appropriate and what is not. One person wears a suit every day while another person might walk around town in leggings. There is nothing wrong with either approach, as long as it fits the local standard and everyone around you does it.
As humans, we are social beings, and it’s our internal desire to fit in. We even have a special “happiness” hormone (it’s called oxytocin) that is getting triggered whenever you feel social recognition and welcomed by a particular social group.
And if you are going to adapt to other people, why would you wanna spend your time with a bunch of negative people who never get anywhere in life? Wouldn’t you rather be a part of an incredible positive community of goal-getters who inspire you every day?
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7. Do positive things every day
Your mind is strong but you can only do so much inside your head.
Being happy doesn’t have to be an everyday struggle if you create a positive environment that makes you happy by default.
Bringing peace and harmony into your thoughts is just one of the things you can do to keep a healthy mindset. Here are a few more ideas for daily activities that might have a positive impact on your happiness:
- Dream big and set exciting goals
- Keep a gratitude journal
- Surround yourself with fun things that bring you joy
- Keep track of your healthy habits
- Be a positive person yourself
- Spread positive vibes with people in your life
- Give positive energy gifts for every occasion
- Find the time to be more mindful
Related: 11 Positive Things To Do Everyday: Happiness Checklist
8. Learn new things continuously
A growth mindset is a big part of a healthy mindset, and this is basically a belief that it’s never too late for anything.
No matter how young you are, you can learn a new skill that will help you later in life.
No matter how old you are, you can start a new business and change your life.
Unless you are on a deathbed, it’s not too late to learn a new language, find new love, or follow that dream you had for decades but never acted on.
As long as you live, you can learn new skills and improve your knowledge about the world and things you are interested in!
Check out these platforms for some amazing online classes:
- Skillshare (tons of free creative classes if you have a subscription)
- CreativeLive (similar to Skillshare, with different courses)
- Masterclass (exclusive courses from famous people and industry experts)
- Gaia (yoga and meditation streaming platform)
- Udemy (cheap courses for everything you can think of)
9. Maintain a healthy body
Your mindset is in your brain, and the brain is part of the body, which means you can only have a healthy mind if you keep your body healthy and strong.
This is so simple but somehow many people neglect their health until they don’t have any left.
I have a list of 12 things you should do every day to stay healthy, make sure to check it out. It is not an extensive list, but if you do most of those things, you are much more likely to be healthy and feel good for years and years to come.
Even a simple thing like drinking more water, replacing your sugary breakfast with healthy cereal, or adding five minutes of exercise to your day can make a big difference for your well-being in the long run.
10. Look for ways to turn bad things around
A healthy mindset is always a positive mindset.
It’s not that you necessarily have to smile no matter what and act optimistic when everything is going wrong, it’s more about how fast you admit your defeat when it happens and get back on your feet to try again.
Sometimes we need time to heal after losing someone or after a big breakup. Other times it’s not that big of a deal, but it’s very tempting to stay longer than necessary in a state of feeling down, feeling sorry for yourself, reliving the events and feelings of the past over and over again in your mind.
Imagine life as a maze.
A person with a positive mindset knows that there is always a way out and that sometimes you might need to take a step back and take another turn.
Contrary to that, a negative-minded person will stumble upon a dead end and stay there forever, thinking that this is it. They will sit near that wall, feeling like a failure, reminiscing about their lost dream, and complaining to everyone who passes by.
Some people come very close to the end but give up not realizing that the way out was just behind the corner. This is very common with people starting a new business and giving up just before it would start being profitable. That’s very sad, but that’s actually what differentiates successful people from the rest.
Life is full of setbacks and roadblocks that make you take a detour, but you never know what the next detour brings you! Stay positive and try to see how you can make a situation into something good. If you mess up, learn from your mistakes instead of just sitting there blaming yourself. Learn your lesson and move forward!
You can always come up with a plan to improve your reality. Hate Mondays? Find a way to make them more manageable. Something happened that you didn’t expect? Accept it and let it go.
Don’t give negative events from the past the power over your future.
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Final thoughts on maintaining a healthy mindset
These were my 10 ideas on how you can get and keep a healthy mindset!
I hope you get inspired to do a necessary change and it takes you closer to a happy life. If you have anything to add to this, maybe some of your own tips that help you successfully maintain a healthy and peaceful mind, feel free to share them with me in the comments.
