Upbeat Thinking – How To Stay Positive By Training Your Mind

Remaining positive despite the relentlessness of it all

Upbeat at 5:30am after another night of disturbed sleep. Staying upbeat despite a head pounding with the pressure. Determined to remain positive although I’ve got to keep it together today. I know I’m the one who has to keep a cool head through the challenges the day is sure to bring.

It’s a been a week where it has been difficult to preserve any mental clarity or stillness. One thing has happened after another without time to recover and readjust. As a result I have been left treading water mentally, drawn along by currents beyond my control. In times like these, when the ebbs and flows of life bring us to a new unchartered destination, we need to take stock, reassure our beliefs and keep the faith in ourselves.

Staying Focused, Staying Upbeat

The question is how to stay truly focused on the positives. How to effectively challenge negativity. How to persist with a pleasant internal narrative when the daily chaos of managing several competing difficulties threatens to thwart any chance of sustained inner peace. In the case of yours truly the difficulties happen to be a serially ill child, a postnatally depressed wife and a busy period in a demanding day job.

I have written before about mental strength consisting of adaptability, endurance and effectiveness. This week it feels like endurance is the key aspect to staying upbeat. I remember that one needs resolve, one needs persistence. In a period where I thought things would be settling down, I find I’m like an embattled Roman gladiator, fighting foe after foe in the arena for no real reason other than the entertainment of the Gods.

A reflection on the circumstance

It is genuinely harder to keep things together than I thought it would be at this point in the life course. I’m not that young any more but I couldn’t be called old. I recall how my mood as a teenager used to depend on the weather. Or rather, at least I used the permanently bad British weather as an excuse for my permanently poor demeanor. Now I no longer feel I have Seasonal Affective Disorder and I am no more negatively impacted by an overcast day than the average person.

One way of generating endurance and upbeat thoughts is the idea that ‘this too shall pass’. Staying aware that everything changes. Seasons change, times change, trends change, people in positions of influence change. Good times come and go, just as much as bad times come and go. Everything comes to an end. This means that the turbulent times one may experience for a few days, weeks or even months at a stretch eventually wind up. They transition into other events, or at any rate, in the long run result in a changed individual and changed perception.

Watch the weather change

The sky can be thought of as a vast container, a huge home for the clouds. It is an endless and open space for winds, rain drops, snow clouds, storms and other weather systems. A human mind is something like the sky – sometimes full of activity, sometimes bare and empty, open to the Heavens above. As one thinks, so the patterns of mood and emotion are affected.

This process focuses our outward energy. If a person remains downcast for too long they will manifest negativity in the world around them. By the same token a persistently upbeat individual will create ripples of positive energy. Through noticing our thoughts as they enter our minds we can label them, and if they are negative thoughts, we can (perhaps with some effort) discard them. Separating ourselves from our thought patterns in this way is helpful in staying optimistic and upbeat.

A brief mantra to help you start each day

In one of the books I mentioned in a reflective post on contentment versus change called Indestractible, Nir Eyal talks about using mantras to enhance positive thinking. I recall a time I felt the most motivated to get up and go swimming and to the gym, and I was training five times a week. It was a great period and my energy was almost boundless.

For several months I stayed in great shape and good condition, using a daily mantra for motivation. When I awoke I repeated a short phrase in my mind several times while a smile crept across my face (possibly at the cheesiness). The mantra went like ‘I am the beating heart of [insert triumphant sports personality of your choice] and I will make an impact today’. At the time it was Jessica Ennis who I used. I guess today it would be someone like Tyson Fury or Emma Raducanu.

Beginning with positivity

I would say getting a good start to the day is key for mental strength. After so many nights of broken sleep facing difficult days, I’ve learned that the attitude you start the day with conditions so much of your perception of events. The first few breaths in the morning are your chance to draw in energy and feel a focus on your core.

Believe that there exists a goodness that is ever present despite the horrors of news headlines and the distractions of the daily grind. Bring to mind an inspirational figure (as above) and think as if you were thinking from their point of view. What drove them to success? What can drive you the same way? It may seem a bit odd at first but focus your thoughts on the power of their personality and drive yourself into the day.

In conclusion, to stay upbeat through challenging times:

• Remember nothing is permanent, everything changes: This too shall pass
• Don’t entertain negative thinking
• Use a mantra as a means of motivation
• Start the day on a positive note

An Upbeat Final Thought

Events and circumstances are just as fluid as the weather systems we witness in the wider world. As sure as the sun comes up there is always a new day dawning and a new chance to kick start an upbeat adventure.