5 Ways To Develop And Maintain A Healthy Mindset

A healthy mindset is a tool that will help you develop a positive outlook to navigate all of the setbacks and struggles life has to offer.

And life is full of them!

But, having a positive mindset full of healthy habits will help you respond to whatever life throws at you in a positive and productive way. This helps support positive mental health so that you can become the best version of yourself and live your best life.

Let’s get into 5 simple ways that you can start building a healthy mindset today!

How to Have a Healthy Mindset

In order to learn how to have a healthy mindset, it is important to take a moment to think about your mindset as it is right now.

How do you respond when things don’t go your way? Do you express gratitude for little things regularly? Are you confident in your decisions and in your life?

Understanding your answers to each of these questions will help you get started with developing a positive mindset and healthy habits.

#1. Find Opportunities for Growth

The first step toward building a healthy mindset involves finding opportunities for growth when things don’t go your way.

The way that you respond to setbacks, failure, and stressful situations has a lot to do with your mindset. It is natural to think negative thoughts about ourselves when we fail. And it is common to feel judged by our failures, as if they somehow define us.

A growth mindset is a tool that helps us understand that failure is just a stepping stone to success. When things don’t work out, there is always an opportunity for growth hiding in plain sight.

Thinking about failures as growth opportunities is the best way to see that making mistakes is all part of the learning process. When you step outside your comfort zone and fail, it means that you are trying.

And trying means you are growing!

Fear is a powerful force in our lives that keeps us from doing a lot of what we want to do. We fear failure, judgement, and commitment, just to name a few. And when we are afraid, we run to the safety of our comfort zones.

Comfort feels warm and cozy. But when we stay comfortable for too long, we don’t take risks. And when we don’t take risks, we don’t learn or grow.

So, take risks. Show up and be vulnerable. You might fail, yes. But as the famous quote says “never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game!”

Next time you fall flat, take a minute to pause and reflect. And instead of giving yourself a hard time, remember that there is always a lesson that you can learn to improve for next time!

#2. A Healthy Mindset Expresses Gratitude Regularly

One of the most effective ways to practice healthy mindset habits is to find gratitude in simple things and express it regularly.

Take a moment to think of the conversations you had with your friends, family, or co-workers today. How many of them were focused on gratitude?

Being thankful for the things we have in our lives isn’t as easy as complaining about the things that we don’t have. This is why people tend to complain so much!

But when you have a grateful heart, it is easier to focus on being thankful for what you do have rather than wishing you had more.

Take some time every morning to enjoy a small moment of gratitude. Enjoy the smell of fresh coffee. Listen to and appreciate the first words your kids say to you in the morning. Take in the present moment and find gratitude in it.

Make yourself a gratitude journal to jot your thoughts down in the morning. Make this part of your regular routine so that it starts to become second nature. You can always look back at your favorite gratitude moments on the days where it doesn’t come as easily to you.

Practicing regular expressions of gratitude is a great way to kickstart your healthy mindset. And when your mindset shifts, it can reshape your entire day!

#3. Have Confidence in Yourself

It is easy to lose sight of yourself and your values amongst all of the chaos of daily life. With all of the pressures and uncertainties we face, it can be easy to have your confidence in yourself shaken.

But, having confidence in yourself and your decisions is an important part of having a healthy mindset. Trusting in yourself to follow your own compass and not the compass of others is one of the most important healthy habits you can develop.

Unfortunately, this isn’t always easy when life is filled with people who want to tell you what to do!

Often, these people are those that are closest to you and mean well. While other times, you may feel pressure from the media to act, behave, and make decisions a certain way.

It doesn’t help that our brains naturally want us to compare ourselves to others. And social media makes it easier than ever to feel insecure about what we are doing with our lives compared to the lives of others!

A critical component to maintaining a healthy mindset is remembering that only you know what is best for you. Anyone else’s opinion of what you do with your life is not worth any time or energy from your precious mind!

#4. Live Your Passion and Purpose

One of the easiest ways to support your personal growth is to do something that you love! Living your passions often requires very little effort since you actually enjoy doing what you love!

A healthy mindset is one that keeps you focused on the things in life that you are passionate about. From passion comes purpose. And when we have purpose, we are motivated and driven to make our wildest dreams a reality!

What is your life passion? Have you found it yet?

Spend some time reflecting on what you believe your reason for being is. How can you find ways of bringing your passion and purpose into your hobbies, your work, and your life?

If you haven’t found your passion and purpose yet, that’s okay! It can take years of soul searching to find it!

To help with your search, check out our Finding Your Ikigai planner. This printable booklet asks a series of simple questions designed to guide you through the process of finding your life passion and purpose.

When you have a healthy mindset, you will feel connected to your passion and purpose. And you will love how it feels to set and chase goals that feel meaningful and connected to your life!

#5. Regular Physical Activity and Healthy Foods

We all have busy schedules. And when things get hectic, eating healthy foods and working hard to maintain a healthy body tend to take a back seat!

However, one important thing that you need to remember is that there is a strong connection between your physical health and your mental health.

When your body is hydrated and fuelled with good food, your thoughts behave in a more positive way. And moving your body puts you in a positive state of mind, making it easier to cope with stressful situations.

Making this a new habit isn’t as easy as just staying away from junk food or jumping on the newest fad diet. Instead, put in the work to make regular physical activity and eating healthy foods part of your healthy lifestyle.

Put in a conscious effort to replace your chips and candy bars with carrot sticks and hummus instead. And adjust your daily routine to include a 15 minute walk to kickstart your healthy mindset for the day!

And lastly, take note of how great it feels to have your mind and body on the same healthy page!

Creating a Healthy Mindset in Your Life

We all have a default mindset that we fall back on when solving problems or working to overcome obstacles.

You could be one of those eternally positive people who finds that a positive mindset comes easily. Or you could be someone who struggles to find a positive mindset.

Regardless, the good news is that a positive attitude is possible to develop! As with all things, believing that you can do anything will make anything possible!

Understanding the importance of a healthy mindset and positive thinking may require you to develop some new habits. But, with the right healthy habits, you can develop a way of thinking that keeps you focused on positive thoughts and growth in your daily life.

If you find this type of thinking difficult, consider using affirmations for a positive mindset to help!

It is unlikely that your life is going to be a smooth road all the way through. You can count on there being more than a few bumps along the way! And while they can be stressful or difficult, these bumps are the ones that are going to show you the path toward growth.

When you have a healthy mindset, you will be equipped to tackle any obstacle life throws at you! And, you will be able to move forward in a positive and productive way that supports your wellbeing and growth as a happy and healthy person.

Don’t forget to share this post with your friends and family on social media! If you know someone who has been struggling with their mindset, this post could be just what they need!

---