Is it Time to Change Your Mindset?

Your attitude could be holding you back. Here’s how to reset yourself.

Our general outlook has a powerful influence on what we achieve and the way we live. It’s been proven and written about excessively: happy, successful people believe in themselves, maintain a positive vision of their future, are grateful, and are passionate about what they do. 

Any recent professional or personal missteps could be because of your negative mindset. Take some time for self-examination. If change is in order, here are three ways to make an attitude adjustment.

The power of positivity

The sentiment has become a cliché (and the subject of numerous research studies) for a reason. An astounding 95% of the thoughts you think each day are the same every day. So, if the majority are negative (and many are, according to scientists), you are setting yourself up for a “Groundhog Day” life of self-doubt and misery.

Why not examine what’s at the root of your thinking? Eliminating that cause could change your perspective, and ultimately your life.

Is it time for a change?

After a spectacularly difficult year, the signs you need to adjust a mindset are easy to identify. Feeling overwhelmed by pandemic-induced stress can be normal, but consistent or debilitating anxiety and depression are not. Drawing on our brain’s “surge capacity” to get us through short-term challenges can lead to burnout when the stressors continue indefinitely.

If you are struggling to maintain personal and professional relationships, finding it increasingly hard to accomplish goals that in the past came easily to you, and lack your former physical and psychological resiliency, you may need to change your mindset. If a full mind-body reset sounds intimidating, try this three-step plan.

Step 1. Recharge your psyche

Start by giving your brain a rest. Figure out what calms and de-stresses you and commit to doing it as often as you can (without that becoming an additional source of stress). It may be as simple as incorporating a gratitude exercise or meditation app into your morning or evening rituals. It may be as involved as abandoning your existing routines and replacing them with healthier habits. 

Perhaps it’s time to adopt a new mental model. If your current way of thinking about the world and your place in it isn’t working, practice breaking out of your familiar set of beliefs and actions. Your inertia may simply be a failure of imagination—a mental block that is preventing you from solving your most pressing problems.

Step 2. Work on your physical self

As predictable and boring as this advice is, it is powerful and results-based. The relationship between sound mental health and physical fitness has been unequivocally established. Becoming healthier can accomplish many positive outcomes at once, including a change in mindset.

Another way starting or restarting an exercise program can have compounding benefits is by engaging in community-based classes or merely choosing a friend to be your exercise “buddy.” You will strengthen your commitment by adding a layer of personal encouragement and improve your mood by reconnecting with more humans.

Making healthier food choices can also have a positive impact on your outlook. Eating well prevents disease, controls weight, and has psychological benefits. Unhealthy food consumption is tied to heightened rates of depression, stress, and anxiety. 

Step 3. Remove other toxins from your daily life

Pay as much attention to what you put into your brain as what you put into your body. The level of toxicity each of us encounters online has become mind-altering. Even a temporary detox from technology—or at the very least, the most “harmful” sites to you personally—can give your mind a chance to reset. 

The negative aspects of social media are by now well-established. If you find yourself measuring your life against unrealistic expectations and getting fixated on untruthful or harmful sites, it’s time to take a step back. And all sources of toxicity are not online: if possible, reengineer your life to remove human and environmental stressors such as unhealthy friendships or soul-crushing jobs.

By decluttering your brain of “junk food” and obsessions with things beyond your control, you can free up space in there for positive thinking, productive planning, and new ways of thinking.

How to start moving forward

Changing a mindset requires committing to adopting a new perspective and being open to abandoning elements of your past that weren’t working. When you start purposely interrupting yourself from thinking the same thing every day, you create the opportunity for change to happen. 

If you aren’t ready for the full three-step reset, try practicing a bit of opposite thinking every day—starting now.

Carrington Legal Search is celebrating 20 years in business: we were in the trenches with our clients during 9/11 and 2008. We partner with our clients to identify leaders and mission-critical talent to shore up and grow companies even during the most challenging times. We are here for you! To make our nationwide network work for you, get in touch at 512-627-7467 or email carrie@carringtonlegal.com.