Positive thinking can add so much to your life – and now we know that positive thinking can add years to your life. When you think positively you get rid of stress and tend to live a healthier life and make better choices. If you’re naturally a negative thinker, there are ways you can change that thinking and get on the path to a life-changing way of thinking.

If you really want to begin to think positively and change your life for the better, look at the following ways you can incorporate into your own lifestyle:

1. Be responsible for your thoughts

No one can tell you what to think or control how you react to your thinking. When you begin to take responsibility for your thoughts, you’ll face the reality of what they’re doing to or for you and be more able to change those negative thoughts.

2. Plan to think positively

So many of our thoughts come from the subconscious mind. When you plan to think positively, you won’t be as apt to take what you’re thinking as reality. Instead, you have the time and opportunity to think it over and come to a conclusion that reflects the reality of the situation.

3. Avoid negative people

Negative people can ruin your best-laid plans to think positively. They can feed the fire of self-doubt and anxiety. It can sometimes be classified as a crowd-mentality, so don’t fall prey to it. Think for yourself.

4. Write down your thoughts

It’s helpful if you can see at the end of the day what your thoughts have been. For a while, take the time to write them down. You’ll see what went wrong with your thoughts and be able to improve them.

5. Consider the repercussions

For example, if you have a deadline for an assignment and it becomes clear that you’re not going to meet it, consider what might happen. If you finish it on time, it won’t be as good as you wanted. If you take more time, it may cause other problems. Also, consider solutions. For example, you could ask for an extension to the deadline.

6. Minimize catastrophic thinking

Rather than thinking the worst about a situation, try to minimize it and lower your anxiety level by being practical about it. If you’re susceptible to those thoughts, avoid situations (such as television news) that might cause you anxious thinking.

7. Live for the moment

When you spend too much time trying to guess or analyze the future, you’ll convince yourself of failure – especially if you’ve failed in the past. If you think you’ll fail, you probably will.

Accept the reality that you can control your thoughts. You’ll become more empowered to face stressful situations in your life and to change the way you think. It will become easier to maintain a positive attitude the more you practice thinking positively and critically.