Unlocking Wellness: 7 Unconventional Ways to Boost Your Mental Health

Maintaining good mental health requires more than just traditional self-care methods like therapy and medication. While those are vital, you might be surprised at the unconventional approaches that can have a profound impact on your emotional well-being. Exploring fresh, outside-the-box methods can rewire your mindset, build resilience, and create a lasting sense of inner peace. If you’re looking for innovative ways to improve your mental health, consider these ten unique practices.

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How to Avoid Burnout While Becoming Your Best Self

Embarking on a personal development journey is exciting, but sustaining progress over time requires a thoughtful and balanced approach. Rapid changes and unrealistic goals can lead to burnout, making integrating practical strategies that support long-term growth essential.

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Turning Trials into Triumph

Adversity is a teacher clothed in harsh lessons and challenging moments. When faced with difficulty, you possess the power to transform obstacles into stepping stones toward personal development. Embracing the journey through rough patches not only sculpts resilience but also enriches your character in myriad ways. This guide delves into how navigating through life’s trials can catalyze profound personal growth and fortify your inner strength.

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Steering Through a Midlife Crisis


Navigating the tumultuous waters of a mid-life crisis can feel daunting and disorienting. Yet these years can also be transformative, opening doors to reevaluate, reimagine, and reinvigorate one’s life. This article sheds light on actionable strategies that foster inspiration and positivity during this transformative phase.

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How to Plan the Perfect Self-Care Getaway


Self-care isn’t just a question of everyday activities like eating healthy and drinking enough water. You can also make self-care a special treat by taking a mini trip to focus on yourself, get pampered, and unwind. Picking the right destination is important, so here are some tips from Be Positive | Stay Positive to get you started.

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The Power of Positive Thinking is Remarkable.

The Power of Positive Thinking is Remarkable.

In fact, the idea that your mind can change your world almost seems too good to be true.

I can assure you, however, that I have experienced AND witnessed the good that focusing on the positive can bring.

But before I get into that, let me ask you a question.

Can you guess what the most successful and happy people think about all day long?

The answer is quite simple…

Healthy, happy people think about what they want, and how to get it, most of the time. In this way developing a positive attitude can truly change your entire life.

When you think and talk about what you want and how to get it, you feel happier and in greater control of your life. When you think about something that makes you happy, your brain actually releases endorphins, which give you a generalized feeling of well-being.

As a result, you develop a positive attitude.

How To Think Positive

Based on many psychological tests, happy people seem to have a special quality that enables them to live a better life than the average.

Can you guess what it is?

It’s the quality of optimism!

The best news about optimism is that it is a learnable quality. That means you can learn how to think positive by taking adopting an optimistic mindset.

By the law of cause and effect, if you do and say what other healthy, happy people with positive attitudes do and say, you will soon feel the same way, get the same results, and enjoy the same experiences that they do.

Happy People Find Good In The World

Optimists seem to have different ways of dealing with the world that set them apart from the average.

  1. First, they keep their minds on what they want, and keep looking for ways to get it.  They are clear about goals and they are confident that they will accomplish them, sooner or later.
  2. Second, optimists look for the good in every problem or difficulty.  When things go wrong, as they often do, they say, “That’s good!”  And then set about finding something positive about the situation.

What we know is that, if you are looking for something good or beneficial in a person or situation, you will always find it.  And while you are looking, you will be a more positive and cheerful person.

The Power Of Positive Thinking

Optimists seek the valuable lesson in every setback or reversal.  Rather than getting upset and blaming someone else for what has happened, they take control over their emotions by saying, “What can I learn from this experience?” 

Resolve today to learn how to develop positive thinking and a positive attitude toward yourself, the people around you and your life.

How Do You Train Your Mind To Think Positive?

Training your mind to think positive can be achieved by leveraging a simple concept. Your mind has enough bandwidth to only focus on one thought at a time. All you have to do is keep it focused on uplifting thoughts until you form the same types of neural pathways that are created when you establish a new habit.

When a negative event occurs, remember that it’s your response that truly determines the outcome. Always look for the positive response or optimistic lesson when such events take place.

Positive affirmations are positive phrases that can be repeated over and over to teach you how to get rid of negative thoughts and encourage a positive attitude.

I also find motivation from inspirational quotes and messages to be very useful when trying to induce positive thoughts.

Decide To Be Happy

Resolve from now to see your glass of life as half full rather than half empty. Happy people give thanks for the many blessings in life rather than worrying or complaining about the things they do not have.

Assume the best of intentions on the part of everyone around you.  Most people are pretty decent, honest and are trying to do the very best they know how to.  When you look for something good in their words and actions, you will almost always find something.

Finally, resolve to be cheerful, no matter what happens.

Looking on the bright side is most important when things go wrong.

Your Positive Attitude In Action

It is easy to to be cheerful when everything is going according to plan.  But, it is when you encounter unexpected setbacks and difficulties that you demonstrate to yourself, and the world around you, what kind of an attitude you really have.

Make sure that it is a positive one!

How Positive Thinking Can Help You

Developing a positive attitude can help you in more ways than you might realize. When you think positive thoughts, you don’t allow your mind (conscious or subconscious) to entertain any negative thoughts or doubts.

After you learn how to think positive, you will notice amazing changes all around you. Your brain will actually begin to operate in a state of free-flowing feel-good hormones called endorphins, which will make you feel lighter and happier. You’ll also notice a major boost in confidence and will feel more capable of taking on new assignments and challenges that might have previously been outside your comfort zone.

By reducing your self-limiting beliefs, you will effectively release your brakes and experience growth like you never imagined. Essentially, you can change your entire life simply by harnessing the power of positive thinking.

Thank you for reading my blog about the power of positive thinking and developing a positive attitude. I hope it will inspire you to see the good in others and help you to improve your life.

 

“Brian Tracey”

Stop Negative Self-Talk to Reduce Stress

Positive thinking helps with stress management and can even improve your health. Practice overcoming negative self-talk with examples provided.

Is your glass half-empty or half-full? How you answer this age-old question about positive thinking may reflect your outlook on life, your attitude toward yourself, and whether you’re optimistic or pessimistic — and it may even affect your health. Read More

9 Unique Hobbies You Should Try at Least Once

Photo credit: Pexels

In the quest for well-being, it’s always worth trying new, enjoyable things. Hobbies in particular are especially useful for this. Having a hobby can help those who are suffering from depression or recovering from an addiction. Developing hobbies can also help you connect and build bridges with new people, which Harvard Health Publishing notes is a powerful aid in preventing loneliness and adverse mental health conditions. Read More

Two Reasons It’s Not Good to Be Happy All the Time

Research shows that happiness isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

James Scott/Unsplash

A few days ago, I had a Zoom meeting with a colleague. Making small talk, I greeted her with the customary, “Hi! How are you?” Fully expecting an answer like “good” or “fine,” I was shocked when she answered the question honestly. “Stressed out and anxious,” she told me. “But at least I’m keeping busy!” Although I genuinely care about my colleague, I found myself feeling uncomfortable with the forthrightness of her answer. “Isn’t she supposed to just say ‘good’ or ‘fine?’” I thought.

My slight discomfort at her answer is influenced by the strong push in American society to be—or at least act—happy. Convenience store clerks remind us to “Have a nice day!” when we depart their company. Advertisements depict images of smiling people, as if buying a new toaster or switching washing machine detergents were really what life was about. Even if you’re not familiar with most songs from past decades, chances are you know The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” and Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” But the world doesn’t look so wonderful lately. Whether we’re talking about the looming backdrop of coronavirus or the tragic killing of George Floyd, it’s unreasonable to expect that people will be happy all the time. In fact, contrary to our culture’s bias, it’s normal and even healthy to experience everything from anxiety and fear to loneliness and grief.

Positive psychology, a field born about 25 years ago, is often accused of perpetuating the myth that a good life is all about being happy. Within the past couple of decades, countless books—some of them quite good—with titles like The How of Happiness and The Happiness Advantage have hit bookshelves. But not everything “positive” makes us happy. In fact, Martin Seligman, often credited with founding positive psychology, defined the field as the study of optimal human functioning, not necessarily only the study of happiness. And, in order to function optimally in our lives, it’s not a great idea to be in a state of bliss all the time. Here are two reasons why.

1. Happiness and Meaning Are Not the Same Thing

Take a moment to consider what experiences, actions, and relationships make your life worth living. If you’re like most people, your answers will fall into two general categories, what psychologists call “hedonic” and “eudaimonic.” Hedonic experiences are all about pleasure: seeing a beautiful sunrise, eating a delectable slice of cake, or having great sex. Eudaimonic experiences, on the other hand, are about personal meaning and purpose: living according to our values, completing an important life project, or making a difference in the world in some way.

The reason this distinction is important is that sometimes the things that are most meaningful to us aren’t pleasurable, whether we’re talking about working hard, keeping our promises even when inconvenient, being honest when we’ve made a mistake, or forgiving someone we love. For years, I worked as a psychotherapist in a hospice, helping dying people come to terms with how to live the last weeks or months of their lives. While I can’t say the job was pleasurable, I can definitely say it was the most meaningful work of my life. On the flip side, many pleasurable experiences are not actually meaningful. Although binge-watching every episode of Survivor or eating an entire tub of ice cream may make us happy, it’s hard to argue that these activities contribute to our life being truly “good.”

2. Negative Emotions Can Make Life Better

Although most of us might prefer to feel happy all the time, research shows that negative feelings, while unpleasant, can sometimes be good for us. Anxiety and fear can protect us against potential threats. Guilt can motivate us to make amends when we’ve done something wrong, allowing us to preserve our most meaningful relationships. Even anger can be useful. In one study, experimenters asked participants to play the role of a seller, negotiating with a buyer. Their task was to sell a batch of mobile phones to the “buyer” (whom they believed was another participant like themselves, but was actually an actor) at the highest price possible. The better the deal they were able to strike, the greater the reward they would receive in the real world at the end of the experiment. Some participants were led to believe that the buyer was growing angry with them, whereas others were led to believe that the buyer felt happy. The results were clear: Participants who thought they were dealing with an angry buyer offered their cell phones at more than a 30 percent discount over participants who thought they were dealing with a happy buyer. Remember that the next time you need to call your cable or cell phone provider to dispute an unfair bill.

Of course, there’s a difference between feeling an emotion like anger and acting violently. There’s also a big difference between experiencing negative emotions in healthy, manageable amounts and being completely overtaken by them. Like most things in life, virtually any emotion is best in moderation. But, as this and other studies show, just the right amount of certain negative emotions, acted on in effective ways, can be useful. Political movements that change the world can be fueled by anger, while urges to change our life for the better can be fueled by sadness or regret.

Perhaps the most important lesson in all this research is that living a good life isn’t just about being happy. It’s about being authentically who we are, including pleasure and pain, happiness and sadness, love and conflict. If we felt happy all the time, we might end up missing opportunities to improve ourselves, fight for what we believe in, or engage in some of the most meaningful endeavors of our lives.

My colleague who said she was feeling “stressed out and anxious” is a physician taking care of patients with COVID-19. Every day, she faces gut-wrenching medical decisions and fear of contracting the coronavirus. But she also told me that, despite her worry, she feels that what she is doing brings purpose to her life: “Sometimes the hardest experiences are also the most important,” she told me. “I’ll be happy when it’s over, but I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.”

Source: James Scott/Unsplash

12 Simple Ways to Stop Worrying What Other People Think of You

Your mind starts racing.

Did I say something stupid? Did I act in a weird way? What if people think I’m stupid, annoying, or just awkward?

Worrying about what other people think about you can easily get your mind wandering to dark places. Doing so can trigger feelings of self-doubt, anxiety, and insecurity. So to avoid potential embarrassment, you hide who you truly are.

Better to be invisible than negatively judged, right?

You already know you shouldn’t worry about others’ opinions of you, but that’s just easier said than done. Now is the perfect time to step out of your self-created prison built on fear of judgment. Below are 12 simple ways to help you do just that.

1. Realize That You’re Not a Mind Reader

Do you really know what other people think about you? We often think we know, but assumptions can often lead to bad conclusions.

When I was planning to leave my corporate job in Paris and head off to New York to start a business, I was afraid to tell people. I thought they’d be unsupportive, try to talk me out of it, or perhaps call me crazy.

When I talked about it later with one of my ex-colleagues, she had similar plans and thought I was brave for taking the leap. The moral is that you never know what people think unless you give them a chance.

2. Act on What Will Serve You Long-Term

Judgment from others can hurt. But not as much as the pain of missing an opportunity due to fear of getting a negative reaction. Same as when walking up to an attractive person at a party – you face instant rejection but also missing out on meeting the love of your life if you don’t act.

Negative comments from others affect you instantly, but regret over missed opportunities is something that festers and grows over time. Be willing to take short-term rejections in exchange for what will serve you long-term.

3. Stop Judging Yourself

We have the ability to think others judge us based on what we judge ourselves for. Just pause for a second and think about it. What you’re afraid others will judge you for is really what you judge yourself for, isn’t it?

So, who’s judgment are we really talking about here? That’s right, your own. We’re so aware of what we find awkward about ourselves that we tend to look for reactions in others to confirm our beliefs. When we stop judging ourselves and accept whatever that is making us feel insecure, we have no need to fear judgments from others.

4. Stop Judging Others

The more we judge others, the more we think they judge us. It’s an ongoing vicious cycle that you must break. So, instead of judging people, appreciate them for what they are. See them as your teachers, helping you improve and develop in life.

When you catch yourself judging others, replace that judgment with curiosity. What can you learn from this person? Why are you reacting the way you are? Sometimes all we can learn is how not to be, and that’s also a great reminder.

5. Know Who Counts

We fear other people judging us. But do you know exactly who these “other people” are? When I try to define them, I always come back to my high school classmates. Not high school friends – but classmates.

Now, do I actually care what they think about me and how I live my life? Not really.

The people who really matter in your life will (or at least they should) love you no matter what.

6. Realize That It’s Not About You

People’s negative reactions are about their experiences, wounds, and perspectives. It’s about their own fears and limitations. It has nothing to do with you – nothing.

Quite a relieving thought isn’t it?

For example, when I decided to start a business, a person told me, “Sure, but just be aware that you’ll have no free time whatsoever in the coming months or even years.” After having played this appalling thought in my head on repeat, it hit me – this was her idea of starting a business, not mine.

7. Focus on What Makes You Happy

If you’re afraid to do what makes you happy because of what people might think, you’re just wasting your time. Worrying is useless. It doesn’t take you anywhere, and it doesn’t change anything. It just keeps you busy doing … nothing!

Instead, channel that precious energy of yours into what will make a difference in your own life. Simply shift focus from them to what will make you happy. The more you love what’s in your life, the less you will need others’ approval of them.

8. Sort Out What Upsets You

What is it you worry others will judge you for?

Your job situation, your relationship, or perhaps your skills and intelligence? Acknowledge what triggers uncertainty within you, and sort that out. Either accept the situation as it is or change it in some way.

When you come to peace with your situation, you won’t need to worry about the reactions from others any longer. You have your own approval, and that’s all that matters.

9. Expect Reactions

Instead of being afraid to create reactions – expect them. If you haven’t created a response in someone (positive or negative), you probably haven’t dared to be yourself fully.

Don’t be scared of awakening feelings in others, even if they’re negative. You don’t have to agree with everyone, and they don’t have to agree with you. And that’s perfectly fine.

10. Talk with the Person You Think Is Judging

Next time you think someone is judging you, have a conversation with the person and touch on the subject. You’ll be surprised to see that they usually have other worries on their mind – worries you never even could have imagined.

Many times, they are too caught up in their own lives to even think about yours. Who knows, perhaps they’re worried about what people like you think about them?

11. Do What Scares You

Whatever makes you feel insecure or scared – dive into it. Talk about it, express it, and write about it until you become comfortable with it.

Wear your leopard tights in public (oops, busted … hehe), talk about your awkward interest with people, and dare to ask questions that might seem stupid. Do the contrary to hiding, and be more open with who you are and what you’re about.

12. Accept Yourself

This is what it all eventually comes down to, isn’t it? If you accept yourself fully, you don’t really worry about what others think about you. Accept your imperfections, flaws, and weaknesses. Be your imperfectly perfect self.

You are unique; never has there been or ever will be a person on this planet with the same set of DNA, personality traits, and talents as you have. Don’t rob the world of your uniqueness. In that lies your excellence.

The World’s Waiting for You

When you doubt yourself, it’s easy to worry about what other people think about you, which only leads to more doubt. It’s a harmful cycle that leaves you feeling insecure, frustrated, and even paralyzed in moving forward.

You are capable of so much in this life – don’t let the fear of judgment hold you back. You deserve to live life as the happy, passionate, and a bit crazy person that you truly are. (Don’t worry; we all are too in one way or another.)

Now is the time to take your power back. The 12 simple ways mentioned above should keep you on track with this. And always remember the one opinion about yourself that matters most – your own.

Now, go out there and show the world who you truly are. We are waiting.

Written by Maria Stenvinkel