Choose What Helps You Grow: 5 Tips To Cultivating a Positive Mindset
Think of your mind as a garden. The content you consume are like seeds, plant those that nurture your growth, not the ones that create chaos. Neuroscience as found that the content you choose to watch and listen to affects your mood and emotions. When you choose nurturing, uplifting material, you create a flourishing space for growth.
Here are 5 practical steps to cultivate positivity and protect your mindset.
Unfollow Negativity
The first step to cultivating a positive mindset is to prune away the negativity. Social media feeds and other content sources can sometimes create stress and comparison.
What to Do:
-
Evaluate the accounts and sources you follow and be aware of how they make you feel.
-
Unfollow those that consistently make you feel inadequate or drained.
- Surround yourself with profiles, pages, and communities that inspire and empower you.
By actively choosing to remove negativity, you’re clearing the path for more nourishing, supportive content to take root.
Set Limits
It’s easy to get lost in endless scrolling, which can rob you of time and energy. Setting limits is a way to reclaim your day and focus on what really matters.
What to Do:
- Use built-in smartphone features or third-party apps to monitor and limit your screen time.
- Allocate specific times of the day for social media and stick to them.
- Replace digital time with activities that enrich your life—reading, journaling, or taking a quiet walk.
By setting boundaries, you create space to invest in activities that contribute to your overall well-being. Evaluate and reflect on how you feel after doing this for a few days, show your brain the value of limiting the noise of negative content.
Choose Uplifting Content
Your media consumption greatly influences your mindset. Just as you would choose nutritious food to fuel your body, select content that nourishes your mind.
What to Do:
- Follow accounts that share inspiring quotes, positive news, and motivational stories.
- Pick books, movies, and music that make you feel good and encourage you to grow. Less mainstream news and more healing frequency music is how I started to wean myself off negative content.
- Consider creating a curated playlist or list of recommended resources that align with your values. It's good to have a good go list of sources to replace the negative ones you were used too.
Choosing uplifting content isn’t about ignoring reality—it’s about filtering out the noise so you can focus on what uplifts you.
Protect Your Mornings & Nights
First thing in the morning and just when your about to go to sleep is the gateway to the subconscious mind. It's when your brain is most impressionable and soaks up information like a sponge, which is why our morning and evening routines set the tone for your entire day. Keeping these times free from digital overload can help you start and end your day on a positive note.
What to Do:
- Dedicate your mornings to mindfulness practices like journaling, meditation, or simply enjoying a quiet cup of tea. I use positive affirmation playlists or simply write in my notes a few intentions for the day.
- Establish a digital curfew before bedtime to allow your mind to wind down. Replace scrolling with reading or listening to a podcast is you prefer audio.
- Create a calming environment with gentle lighting and soft music. I use red light at night because it's less disruptive to your sleep-wake cycle. You can buy red light bulbs at cost effective prices!
By protecting these key moments, you ensure that each day begins and ends with a focus on what matters most—your well-being. This helps your mind stay focus on your goals, yourself and your family.
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is about being present in the moment and drowning out the noise of content overload. It’s a practice that helps you become more aware of your thoughts and emotions, giving you the power to steer them in a positive direction.
What to Do:
- Take brief breaks throughout your day to check in with yourself—notice your breath, your feelings, and your environment.
- Use mindfulness apps or guided meditations to support your practice.
- Reflect on small moments of joy, gratitude, or accomplishment to keep your mindset focused on growth.
A few mindful moments can dramatically shift your perspective, helping you to stay grounded and appreciate the beauty of now.
Small Steps, Big Change
Remember, even small changes can make a huge difference in how you think and feel. By choosing what helps you grow—unfollowing negativity, setting limits, consuming uplifting content, protecting your routines, and practicing mindfulness—you’re cultivating positivity in your mind that will flourish over time.
Embrace these steps as part of your daily routine and watch as your mindset transform, one nourishing seed at a time!
Emily, founder of Happy Goods
Here are few uplifting art prints that are inspired by self-development, intentional living, planting seeds to grow and bloom into the best version of YOU!
Get them here.
