80 percent of Americans report one or more of the symptoms of depression, a very common one being feelings of negativity or being stuck in a negative state of mind. It can be exhausting to realize that everything in your life makes you feel negative about your job, the people around you and the little life annoyances.

Negativity sneaks up on folks, all of a sudden they realize the weight they are carrying around with seeing the world half empty. It is hard to accept, but to get out of a negative mindset, it takes changing habits, people, routines, even jobs, but mostly your mentality.

Choose to see the glass half full, even in difficult or stressful situations. It might not feel easy or automatic, but creating habits around positivity will increase the feeling over time and switch up the mindset.

The process of changing mentality is called reframing, especially about changing the way that someone feels about a subject or situation. Reframe negative thoughts to see the good around you, and retrain your brain to default to positive outlooks.

Life is full of difficult moments but changing the way you think about them will put you on the road to success according to the science of happiness. 

What Is Reframing?

In life, there are plenty of reasons to see the glass half empty, it is normal. Remembering to look on the bright side sounds cliche, but it is a decision to choose happiness and positivity.

Reframing is the ability to look at a situation and change the thought process. When you have a negative thought, try flipping it.

For example, someone may feel like they are unathletic when they struggle to finish a 5k run. To reframe that thought process, they need to decide they are getting stronger which is why it feels difficult. This also reflects a growth mindset, compared to a scarcity mindset. 

The opposite of a scarcity mindset is an abundance mindset, which insinuates life is abundant and that negative situations are isolated, not reflective of the world. Seeing abundance goes hand in hand with reframing negative thoughts because it helps you to move past mental roadblocks.

To reframe a situation or a thought, it takes practice to automize the process for living more positively.

Related: Why Is Change So Hard And How To Deal With It

Why Is It Important?

Reframing is vital for getting out of a negative mindset. Someone who is feeling sad will only be able to stop feeling sad when they are ready to move past their feelings and begin to see the other side.

Everyone gets stuck in a negative mindset sometimes, the important part is reflecting on that moment and pulling yourself out of it.

Seeing a situation negatively is somewhat of a choice, there is no one around to make you think something is negative. Although when the urge does come, it also presents an important opportunity to reflect on your situation and consider making a change.

Sadness, stress and negativity feel like bad things, but they can actually be signals from the subconscious that it is time for a change. If you feel stuck in negativity, it is always a good idea to speak with a mental health specialist for resources and skill-building.

After reflecting on your individual situation, reframing is the first step to getting into a positive mindset, avoiding stress and feeling good.

Related: How To Change Your Scarcity Mindset For A More Fulfilling Life

How To Make It A Habit

Start by writing down some things that annoy you or that you tend to feel negative about. Literally, write them down, and then positively rewrite them. It might feel really hard to see a positive side, but try your best to think of something.

By reframing some of the bigger sources of negativity, it will help you to automate the process for the smaller annoyances. Once you have worked out the reframed ideas, make mantras and say them to yourself each day, or write them, to get the ideas to sink in. Mediation and mindfulness come into play here to be aware of your thoughts and process.

Working on the big ideas is the hard work for changing your mentality, but practice the skill in the small daily annoyances. Learn to recognize your feelings of negativity and frustration, literally stop yourself in the moment and take a breath. Think about why you feel annoyed, try to relax your muscles and slow down your thoughts, and if possible reframe the situation.

It takes both working on the mentality and getting into the habit of recognizing your emotions and physiological cues to make big changes. It will become more natural with time as the habit becomes more automatic, either way choosing to reframe is already a big step on the road to living happily.

Next: 10 Ways To Practice Mindfulness And Gratitude

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