How to Change Your Mindset: 5 Ways to Change Your Mindset

A mindset is a person’s established rules, attitudes, and world views. A person’s mindset matters because it supports sound decision-making and determines a point of view. Successful people rely on a positive outlook that prioritizes mental health and self-improvement. Positive mindsets allow you to step outside your comfort zone and navigate challenging situations.

Negative mindsets, however, are pessimistic: They feed into self-doubt and negative thoughts. Understanding why your mood changes from time to time and how to control it aids with positive thinking and personal growth. There are many ways to establish a positive mindset—from getting exercise to journaling periodically—and doing so can beneficially change your life, outlook, and trajectory.

It is possible to change your mindset from a negative to a positive one or vice versa. Fixed mindsets can be dangerous as they inhibit growth. People often want a mindset change when stuck in a rut, learning new skills, or dealing with negative self-talk. These shifts are a series of small steps that require patience, and instating healthy habits and a new mindset can help foster optimism and a growth mindset.

Mindsets can also slip from positive to negative ones. This can happen when a person has challenges at home or work or is experiencing depression, anxiety, or self-doubt. You may think bad things and long for more brightness and excitement. Consider therapy, and assess your habits and lifestyle to deduce what gives you joy and causes stress.

Mindset shifts happen over time. Everyone has a unique perspective, experience, and situation, so you cannot easily gauge how long it will take for each person’s mindset to change. New habits and lifestyle changes inform mindsets; generally, building habits can take a few weeks or months.

Revisit and reframe your mindset to check your mood and what you’ve learned through your experiences. Track and take pride in your growth: little steps, fresh feelings, and reflective journaling illuminate a way forward to solidify a new way of thinking outside your comfort zone.

To improve your mindset, try these activities:

1. 1. Embrace change. Changing your mindset may mean making new friends, leaving a job, or moving to a new area. This can be logistically complex, but if you embrace it, you can come out on the other side stronger and healthier than before.
2. 2. Set goals. A healthy mindset can make goals more attainable, so write out what you want so you can see it in print and act to work toward it. Break down your goals into smaller, accomplished steps, so you set yourself up for success.
3. 3. Surround yourself with positive people. Friends and family who think positively will prove necessary in changing your mindset. If negative people surround you, their habits will rub off on you and make self-improvement more challenging.
4. 4. Take walks. A good walk can clear your head, put things in perspective, and give you some easy exercise. Daily exercise can help you think more clearly and release endorphins to uplift your mood.
5. 5. Talk out your feelings. Changing a mindset can be hard work. Talk to a friend or therapist and express your feelings. Indulge in long phone calls with loved ones, or try keeping a journal to articulate how you feel.

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