Is it possible to learn to think more positively?

[bighead384]

Or, is it simply a character trait that, for the most part, can't be changed?

I've tried different ways to inspire myself to think more positively, but it's never a permanent thing. Something may inspire me for a week or two, but it never lasts. But of course, this is just my experience. Has anyone managed to changed the frequency of their negative or positive thoughts?

Edit: Come to think of it, I'm more concerned with other people's experiences than whether it's "possible" or not.

[Jojan]

If people can make themselves believe that there is a deity, and that Apple makes good products, then you can make yourself think positively. You just have to practice more.

[Defender]

Thinking negatively is something nobody can control. It just comes to mind. Positive thoughts don't last for a long time. There is always something that breaks the positiveness.

[Llamas]

I've had success with thinking more positively. I spent a couple years being overly negative and seeing the bad side of everything. Stressing and worrying about nothing, and just overall a pile of negativity. In the last half a year or so, though, I've managed to overturn that to a certain extent and am now a much more optimistic person than I'd been. Feels good, man.

[bighead384]

I have this thing against the idea that the acknowledgement that positive thinking is more beneficial than negative thinking should be enough to inspire a person to become a positive thinker. Positive and negative thoughts are influenced by feelings/emotions. And of course your feelings are based on rational analysis. So if you have many negative feelings, perhaps for legitimate reasons, you're going to have many negative thoughts.

I like the "militaristic positivity" tag. There's a tool on my FB friends list that fits that description.

[the_real_potomek]

Hehe, thread for me. I think it is possible to learn to think more positively, but I haven't found the way myself yet. In theory focusing on the bright sides of things should help, but in practice it's so tempting to focus on the negative ones

[mrconeman]

I would presume to say that it's possible to go from a state of thinking negatively to a state of thinking positively, yes. However to "learn" to go from one to the other is an entirely different thing. I would say that kind of thing has to happen naturally, or even chemically (heroin makes people happy, right? same with anti-depressants ...if they work, I wouldn't know).

Despite internet appearances, and a sometimes really grim view of the human race as a whole (but very rarely a grim view of individuals interestingly), I have a sometimes overwhelmingly positive thought process pretty much all of the time. I don't know why.

Anyhow, yeah, if it's possible for happy healthy people to slip into a state of depression, then it's possible to slip back to being happy and healthy, and weather or not drugging yourself, or like I dunno, meditating or some shit, qualifies as "learning to be positive" is up to your definition when you made the thread.

[Layna]

It is really difficult, of course I've tried, now that I have a new job and I never though it would be that hard, Im a teacher and after 7 hours of classes i feel like ....fed up!...and sometimes I think that everything sucks, im not in the mood, etc...I have been reading a book about neuro-linguistic programming, I consider it is really good, I have a lot of theory but to put that in practice is not as easy as it looks like.

[Layna]

I've had success with thinking more positively. I spent a couple years being overly negative and seeing the bad side of everything. Stressing and worrying about nothing, and just overall a pile of negativity. In the last half a year or so, though, I've managed to overturn that to a certain extent and am now a much more optimistic person than I'd been. Feels good, man.

How did you do that?

[My Name Was Taken]

Over the years I've noticed that my thought have become more negative. I'm not sure I know how to be positive anymore :/