Even the most optimistic people are not immune to occasional negative thoughts. We all have to deal with moments when our problems seem too big, our pain too strong and our future too gloomy to look forward to. But the great thing is that as these moments pass and we learn that “Everything has a happy end, and if it is not happy, it is not the end”.

But until we realize that the situation that we considered the most difficult and problematic, actually turned out to be exactly the situation that changed (and improved) our life the most, we need to learn how to deal with destructive emotions on a day-to-day basis and stop the flow of negativity.

9 Practical Ways to Stop Thinking Negative Thoughts

1. Don’t Cherish Negative Thoughts

This is a strange statement – how can anyone cherish negative thoughts? Yet I bet that you know a couple people, who cling on to their problems and misfortunes and take strange satisfaction in telling everyone how miserable they are. Usually these people are not looking for solutions, only for empathy.

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Sometimes, we get so caught up in a whirlpool of our daily routines, responsibilities, urgent deadlines, business meetings and snap decisions that we start living in our heads. We become too business-like, too rational, too busy to open our eyes and truly see the colors of the world.

But then we stumble on a stunning picture, an inspirational video, a genuine smile, an uplifting quote and like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold, rainy day, they spread warmth through our stomach and fill our heart with joy and gratitude.

They pull us out of our daily routines, social templates and the drama of things that are not really important. And they shift our focus onto everything that is good in this world.

We need these Reminders to stay grounded and to help us find peace, joy and warmth every day.

Here are a few Irish Blessings that you may like:

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Don’t you wish that instead learning about Ancient Mesopotamia and the speed of electrons at school, they had taught us something more practical – for example, how to be happy.

In fact, this subject is taught. Just not at high school but at Harvard University. The course is called Positive Psychology and its underlying premise is that we can learn to be happier, just as we can learn to drive a car or to speak a foreign language.

For everyone, who does not plan on applying to Harvard in the near future, below are

10 Happiness Tips from Harvard’s very-sought-after lecturer Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar:

1. Become conscious of things that make you happy

There is a great little technique to do this. Take a piece of paper and complete the following sentence: “To bring 5% more happiness into my life…”

Think of experiences, not things. It is not a million dollars that will make you happy. It is the opportunity to spend more time with your family, to travel around the world, to gain financial stability. But Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, suggest that we start with the smaller blessings.
If you feel that you have run out of ideas, here are some things from my list.

2. Combine pleasure and meaning

Aristotle had a great concept called “golden mean”. He believed that we should look for a desirable middle between two extremes. This makes a lot of sense, but when it comes to making everyday life choices, we often forget to follow his sage advice.

Let’s take food for example…

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