Three Ways to Start Thinking More Positively

Have you ever thought to yourself that you need to think more positively? Many people in recovery have an issue with pessimism and need to think better thoughts to help them grow and change.

Recovery involves a lot of issues, but one thing that most people in recovery battle at one time or another is a gnawing feeling of doom. After all, during addiction, things often didn’t go your way. When you were addicted, you really were doomed in a way. Most days started with seeking out your drug and ended with the drug not being enough. Maybe you tried to quit using but always ended up doomed to repeat that behavior again. There is a lot to focus on, especially with an addicted past, that can leave you with negative thoughts and beliefs.

Changing Negative Thoughts

As a clean person working towards a happy and healthy future, you aren’t doomed to anything. You get to make choices today that save you from what you once thought was inevitable. Addiction doesn’t have its hold on you, today. So how can you think more positively?

Negative thought patterns are often a regular part of being human and experiencing emotions. You don’t have to dwell in negative thinking, however.

You can begin to change your thinking once you’re aware of it.

Recognizing Negative Beliefs

What negative beliefs do you have about yourself? Everyone has them, but people in recovery struggle with them a bit more often. Examples of negative beliefs include:

I’m no good.
I’m too stupid to learn new things.
I’ll never be good at this.
I’m never on time; I’m not capable of it.
Nobody will ever like me.
Nobody cares about me.
I’m not worth the effort.
I’m not good enough.

By now, you probably get the idea. Words like “nobody,” “never,” “not” and “no” dominate these thoughts. These thoughts make you feel bad, and they’re something you should strive to eliminate when you’re trying to improve your life.

Negative beliefs are just that, beliefs. These thoughts are like feelings; they’re not facts. In recovery, they’re just another thing holding you back and helping you feel bad about yourself. It’s how the addicted mind proves you’re not worthy.

But these thoughts are wrong. They’re lying to you. You ARE worthy. And it’s time to eliminate these negative thoughts and replace them with positivity.

Here are three great ways to change your thinking:

Morning affirmations. Every morning, use index cards to change your thinking. If you find yourself telling yourself you’re not “good enough,” start the day with an affirmation to the contrary, such as, “I’m a good person, and I’m getting stronger every day.” Ask your sponsor or therapist what kinds of qualities and ideas they think would help you think more positively.
Wear a rubber bound around your wrist and STOP yourself when you’re having negative thoughts. Use the rubber band to “snap out of it” and refocus on the positives. Keep your
Every day, keep a gratitude list. You’ll notice that you are becoming more grateful for things that you’ve done yourself. For example, if you get a promotion, you’ll probably be thankful for the pay raise. But give yourself a moment to celebrate that you earned it, too.

Changing the way you think is a process, but the sooner you begin to change self-defeating behavior such as negative thinking, the better. You deserve to build a more positive and healthy attitude in recovery. So please, give yourself a chance.

Getting Help

Recovery is a journey, not a destination. We believe every person deserves another chance to change their lives, and that a recovery plan should be tailored to the individual.

Get help getting clean, no matter who you are or what drug you use. We can help you regain your life and break free from addiction. Give us a call at 1-619-363-4767.