5 WAYS TO KEEPYOUR THOUGHTS

POSTIVETHROUGHOUT

THE DAYBy: Jason & Lakisha Williams

Twisters are a fierce sight. We know they’ll obliterate us if

we move too close, still there’s a reason our first urge

following a tornado warning may not be to safeguard

ourselves, but stop, turn and marvel. Pandemonium is the

gust that draws us. Chaos carries something subtly enticing;

the notion of wheeling uncontrolled down self-destructive

cycles fascinates us, just as it terrifies.

NEGATIVE THINKING IS LIKE A TORNADO . . .

In an atmosphere as stormy and turbulent as today’s,

passing through ruthless winds of negative thought can be a

chilling prospect. When life’s whirlwinds swirl, too many

suffer from tendencies to freeze in place. Immobilized, we

get caught up in harmful inclinations; we get carried away,

flung spiraling down cyclonic patterns of destructive

thinking.

. . .THAT RUINS EVERYTHING IN SIGHT .

Anyone who calls Tornado Alley home knows that surviving

a cyclone is best done by avoiding it entirely. Though

undeniably sweeping, negative thought cycles aren’t

invincible havok machines; to beat a cyclone, you need only

dodge it. To ensure you weather any mental storm, I’ve

listed below five bits of advice for shaking off negative

mental habits.

THIS IS HOW YOU OVERCOME .

1) BE GRATEFUL FOR THE GOOD.

It’s not all bad.

Consistently realizing the

value of things like

rewarding careers and

deep interpersonal

relationships, or even

enacting easy mental

tweaks like appreciating

each beautiful day will

rewrite your focus.

1 ) BE GRATEFUL FOR THE GOOD .

2) EXERCISE.

Hitting the gym, enjoying a

morning run, or simply

doing a few minutes of

yoga every day has been

proven to monumentally

improve mood. You’ll also

be healthier and more fit,

which will solidify

confidence.

2 ) EXERCISE .

3) ACCEPT CHANGE.

Not every situation will

go your way. Often,

outside sources inflict

unpreventable

circumstances; in

these cases, instead of

victimizing yourself,

try to visualize

solutions.

3 ) ACCEPT CHANGE .

4) ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR COGNITIVE BIAS.

Our threat-response mechanism

evolved to allow our cave-dwelling

ancestors to actively prevent a

saber-toothed demise. Today,

however, we might pattern our

perceived failures into a collage of

potential future threats, even (and

especially) where none exist.

Noticing and acknowledging the

times you’ve automatically assumed

a negative outcome will allow you to

break this thought habit.

4 ) ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR COGNITIVE BIAS .

5) CHALLENGE YOUR COGNITIVE BIAS.

Detach yourself

from harmful

thoughts by

analyzing them

through the

standard of

rationality you

reserve for the ideas

and opinions of

others.

5 ) CHALLENGE YOUR COGNITIVE BIAS .

THANK YOUFOR YOUR

TIME.We hope you enjoyed

our presentation.

-Jason & Lakisha Williams