Throughout the day situations can come up that make you feel high and low and plenty of people will test your patience. If you’re not careful, you can easily become negatively influenced by the things that bother you. Your thoughts can become cynical and your mood can crash resulting in a bad day all around! Keeping a positive mindset is important and you can help to do this by remembering some daily positive thoughts.
There’s a lot of debate over whether positive affirmations work, so it’s up to each individual to see if they work for them. Personally, I find remembering to practise daily positive thoughts more helpful. You don’t have to say them out loud – you can simply keep them in the back of your mind for when you need them most. Keep remembering them until it becomes a habit. Better still, write them down!
The benefits of daily positive thoughts
So what are the benefits or daily positive thoughts? The benefits might seem obvious but let’s look at what the science says;
- Increased life span
- Improved wellness
- Better resilience
- Stress relief
- Increased immunity
In my opinion, the biggest benefit of daily positive thinking is the increase in resilience. This is priceless and can help to get you through some tough times.
“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.”
Marcus Aurelius
I particularly like this thought from Marcus Aurelius because it reminds us that life is how we choose to perceive it.
So if you need some inspiration, here are my favourite, hand-picked daily positive thoughts to remember.
1. “I can conquer the day,”
When you wake up, face the day head-on by getting straight out of bed and getting yourself ready to head out or to start getting focused on your work.
2. “I am worthy of my successes,”
When you feel imposter syndrome creeping in, remember that you are worthy of your success, no matter how small they are. Celebrate them as if you are celebrating a friend’s achievements.
3. “I can change this situation for the better,”
No matter what life throws at you, you can always change the situation to be a positive one by taking small steps and acting calmly.
4. “This does not have to bother me,”
Many things can potentially bother you in your day-to-day life, but you always have the choice not to react to them, and if you do, you can react to them positively.
5. “I am capable of doing great things if I put my mind to it,”
This is a useful daily positive thought to remember, especially when you’re feeling challenged. Even when you can’t see it yourself, you are capable of doing great things and overcoming anything.
6. “The most important thing is to be kind,”
The most important thing to do each day is to be kind. There is enough anger and sadness in the world with people going through a whole host of things. Be kind and set an example for others.
7. “I am healthy and whilst I am, I am blessed,”
There are plenty of people in the world who are not blessed with good health or perhaps they are handicapped. A good daily positive thought to keep at the front of your mind is that whilst you have good health you are truly blessed with a fully functioning body that allows you to do the things you might take for granted.
8. “I have my support and those that love me,”
If you’re having a bad day, it’s important to remember that you have a family member or a close friend that you can always speak to if you need to. You’re never on your own.
9. “I am alive, therefore, I can do anything,”
To be alive can feel painful at times, but, (and whilst it sounds obvious) if you’re alive, you really do have the opportunity to do anything if you put your mind to it. Plenty have come and gone before you but whilst your heart is beating you have countless opportunities.
10. “Life is short so I’m going to make the most of it,”
Human life is short compared to the age of the universe. Don’t get caught up in the small stuff – go and do the things you keep putting off whilst you can.
11. “Right now I choose to release my anxieties,”
When you’re anxious it’s as if you’re holding onto your worries with a tight grip. However, what if your anxieties were just in your own perceptions and not based on reality? Why not set them free and feel your body loosen up?
12. “I focus on myself, not what is around me,”
Keep your thoughts positive by remembering to focus on how you react and interface with the world around you – not on how others behave. Be the kind of person you would want to be around.
13. “All will pass with time,”
It’s easy to get wrapped up in things but yesterday’s news really is today’s chip shop paper. How much has already been covered by time? In the end, everything eventually gets swallowed by history and so whatever you are going through right now will too. Life is about constant flux and change so try, although it’s difficult sometimes, not to get caught in loops and look forward as that’s all there is.
14. “I am confident and strong,”
Sometimes you need to hear it from yourself. Like a soccer player visualises scoring a goal before actually doing just that, think of yourself as confident and strong to manifest those things in reality. Your reality will often follow your thoughts so lay a good amount of groundwork with some daily positive thoughts such as this one.
15. “Change will initially require small steps,”
A good thing to remember is that no matter what you’re trying to change, it will require those first small steps in the right direction. It’s important to be patient and build towards a different path slowly and realistically so you don’t burn out your new habits and go back to bad ones.
16. “I am always learning and growing,”
When you feel stuck in a rut, remember – you’re always learning and growing as if you’re a long-term project. You’re not going to know everything straight out of the gate so don’t feel foolish or be embarrassed to look foolish for asking questions or making mistakes along the way.
17. “I am useful and contributing to the world,”
This is one of the daily positive thoughts on this list that is useful to remember when you’re at work and feeling fed up. Perhaps you feel burnt out or as if you’re undervalued. If you’re working or helping someone else – you’re contributing to the world no matter how small a contribution it may feel like at the time.
18. “The world is beautiful and I see the beauty in it,”
It can be easy to think of the world as a place that is getting worse or as if it’s becoming a place for petty arguments and even continuous war. Whilst these things do occur, there is still another side to the world that is beautiful in nature and full of love between people, for example. The planet itself is a beautiful place and one that seems unique in a vast and what we think of as an empty universe.
19. “I have enough and so everything else is a bonus,”
Try to find gratitude for what you have and don’t grieve for what you want. There’s always something we have our eye on but by finding deep appreciation for what you already have you can find a sense of happiness. Will that new thing really make you any happier?
20. “Change is okay and I will move with it,”
Change can be difficult and uncomfortable but everything is constantly changing so getting used to the idea of change is helpful. Change isn’t always bad and it’s often where you learn the most.
21. “I deserve more if I work for it,”
Keep in mind you deserve just as much as anyone else, as long as you’re willing to work for what you want. There’s no free lunch in life so work hard if there are things you want to change or obtain. Whilst some people will be better than you at certain things, it’s usually because they have been doing it longer than you.
22. “What kind of day do I want to create?”
You can decide what kind of day you want to create by the way to face it so this is a useful daily positive thought to remember in the morning. Sure, there may be things that come up that bother you but always remember you can react the way you decide. If you react negatively, you feel it in your body and a negative loop begins. Picture the kind of day you want to have and then try to live it out.
23. “Am I living or am I simply existing?”
If you’re stuck feeling like you’re in a rut, ask yourself this question. What is something you can do today to break the cycle? It might not need to be a big thing at all, it could simply be something like taking the time out to go for a walk and gaze at nature to break your week up if this is something you don’t often do.
24. “How am I distracting myself today?”
“A man without purpose distracts himself with pleasure,” – Friedrich Nietzsche. If you’re seeking pleasure throughout your day, ask yourself; are you lacking direction? Are there things you do through habit that you know aren’t benefiting you but are distracting you from finding a meaningful purpose?
25. “I will be myself for I am original,”
Everyone is unique yet everyone is also influenced by everyone else. Still, try to be yourself as much as you can even if you want to be like someone else. After all, there is only one you out there and that’s something special.
26. “I’ll face whatever comes as I have before,”
How many times have you been distressed by things in the past? Somehow, in some way, you managed to overcome them. With this in mind, remember that you’re capable of overcoming whatever happens in the future as you have before.
27. “If I choose to think good thoughts, the rest will follow,”
The soul really does become dyed with the colour of its thoughts. So if you think negatively you’ll feel negative and the opposite is also true. Sometimes it’s hard to see the light when you’re feeling low but if you start to identify the good, your soul will follow. Keep doing this consistently and you’ll likely begin to feel lighter.
28. “I will focus on that which is in my control and discard the rest,”
A lot of mental freedom comes from letting go of that which is not in your control. Allow the world to spin without trying to cling onto it and instead look inwards at yourself and what you can control and you’ll find a sense of peace.
Final thoughts on daily positive thoughts
There are many different daily positive thoughts you can remember but I think the ones above are some of the most important to keep in mind. It can be difficult to reinforce these in your mind on the days when you just don’t feel great but those are quite often the times when you need to think of them the most.
When the world feels daunting and out of your control, remember – you always have your mind and your reaction to the world so try to breed a positive environment within it with thoughts like these and you may find the sensations in your body start to change for the better.
Sean C is a writer, passionate about improving one’s self by maintaining healthy habits and doing the things that make life more meaningful.