By Volunteer | Posted: April 07, 2020
An old couplet in Hindi says, ‘jaisi mati waisi gati’. It means that the quality of your mind determines the quality of your life. Positive thoughts create a happy and fulfilling life, and thoughts imbued with negative emotions diminish life’s quality.
The scientific community has come to similar conclusions. In fact, studies show that optimists have a longer life span, lower levels of cardiovascular diseases, and stronger immune function. A positive outlook links to better work performance, and an ability to deal with different circumstances and events in life with more calmness.
With career issues, relationship troubles, family matters, friendship problems, self-doubt, and money problems, it can seem like positivity is meant only for saints. The good news is that it’s not!
“Mind cannot be handled from the level of mind,” says Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. This is a realization to come to, and when you do, it is easier to develop a positive mental attitude. Positivity is just three steps away. The very realization of these steps can bring the much-needed twist in your approach towards life.
A positive mental attitude can be your anchor in life. It is possible to nurture a positive outlook when you know what to do when negative thoughts bombard you, and how having a high prana (life force energy) can play a vital role in uplifting your state of mind.
Three secrets to being positive
1. Don’t counter negative thoughts with words
Staying positive is the same thing as reducing negative thoughts. The first thing we naturally try to do is counter negative thoughts with positive words--but that only has a short-term effect. Our negative thoughts relapse in no time. The second other common reaction to negative thoughts is suppression or anger at the way they bubble up without warning. No thought asks permission before coming!
There is, however, a third way to overcome negativity–it is to do nothing at all. Be silent and just observe your thoughts. Like how mud settles down in water naturally, so will your thoughts. When you become silent and observe your thoughts, they will lose their grip on your mind automatically.
If you’re unable to observe your negative thoughts, stop giving importance to them. They will simply fizzle out. If too many negative thoughts are bothering you, give your mind sufficient doses of silence.
2. Change your habits
Many of us are accustomed to seeing the negative in others and clinging to this as though they are eternal truths. We ignore the likelihood that our perception could be flawed. Perhaps our biases did not let us see the complete picture, or maybe it is a habit for us to notice the negative.
The solution to this is to consciously reverse our habit. Instead of looking for something to complain about, look for something to praise.
3. Augment your prana level for a positive mental attitude
When the mind is agitated or sad, we tend to become more negative in our outlook. Suddenly, the next person we encounter appears to be irritating, and our situation in life seems less favorable. But, if we change the state of our mind, our outlook also changes.
A way to make the mind more positive is to augment our prana level, or our vital energy force. Less prana in the body creates agitation, sadness, and tension, while a higher prana level dissolves negative emotions and breeds a positive mental attitude. Practicing pranayama and breathing techniques like Sudarshan Kriya can significantly augment your prana level.
Join this limited time offer online Happiness Program to learn more about how to breed a positive mental attitude and the secrets of prana with powerful breathing techniques.
With inputs from Prashant Lalchandani, Faculty, Art of Living. This article first appeared on the Art of Living India blog.
