HOW TO REWIRE YOUR BRAIN TO THINK POSITIVE THOUGHTS| NEUROPLASTICITY
Do you struggle with a negative mindset? It may feel like negative thoughts are constantly racing through your mind, while positive thoughts only pop up occasionally. What if I said you can increase your chances of attracting more positive thoughts?
As discussed in our previous blog post, if we change the way we view our experiences, we can physically change our minds. How is this possible, you ask? Your brain is wired to modify, adapt to new circumstances and new ways of thinking through neuroplasticity.
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
- Proverbs 17:22
WHAT IS NEUROPLASTICITY?
Neuroplasticity is the ability of neural networks in our brain to change based on information gathered through our experiences. For example, let’s say when you were a kid, you grew up in a strict household in which you were criticized frequently, and you felt like anything you did wasn’t enough. Therefore, you developed an oversensitivity to criticism because criticism was a more typical response than praise in your household. This may cause you to feel shame, unworthy, which deep neural pathways would form for these triggered emotions. This would cause you to easily feel shame, unworthy when experiencing criticism.
The more you experience criticism, the deeper those neural pathways grow in your brain. This may cause you to choose the negative thoughts associated with experiencing criticism, such as being hypercritical of yourself or having low self-esteem thoughts. The thoughts we use the most create smoother, faster, and wider neural pathways. The thoughts we don’t use the most will get trimmed off.
WHAT DO YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT? 
If you choose to continue to entertain those negative thoughts, that is how you will see the world around you. Will you choose to entertain negative thoughts, or will you choose to accept the positive ones. Working on your internal dialogue is what will help replace old patterns.
HOW CAN YOUR HEALTHY HABITS REWIRE YOUR BRAIN?
Let’s say you decide to change your internal dialogue with a more positive tone, maybe by introducing daily affirmations, therapy, or healthy coping mechanisms.
These helpful patterns will help reinforce new beliefs by creating deeper neural pathways in which it will be easier to see the world in a more positive light. This is how you rewire your brain into choosing positive thoughts. Creating healthy habits helps us get unstuck from a negative mindset and develop better responses to old situations.
