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The Power of Positive Thinking
This is all good news. Even better news is the fact that small and simple steps can lead to significant shifts in thinking so that if you’re not a habitually positive thinker right now, this can be changed somewhat easily. The trick is to be consistent in your efforts to shift your mental habits and your focus.
One simple and convenient way to do this is to use an app. Maintaining a dailygratitudejournaling practice, focusing onpositive affirmationseach morning, or simply making an effort to catch and change negative thoughts throughout the day can all work.
However, harnessing the power of a truly great positive thinking app can help you to stay on track with this new habit, and this route is often easier for people. The structure of amental health appcan be useful for those wanting to change their habits, but without extra strain or pressure.
The following apps are useful for many different reasons. See which ones work best for you.
Live Happy
This app is based on findings from the field ofpositive psychology. The Live Happy app has been around for years and has several great features. There is a specific focus on activities that can bring about more positive feelings, like “savor,” “strive,” and “thank,” for example.
Happify
You’ll find writing activities and games that are designed to increase your happiness, as well as quizzes, forums, and ways to track your activities. One of thegreat things about Happify appis that they can quantify the effectiveness of the app. They have found that 86 percent of frequent users are happier in two months, for example. They have also found that the percentage of positive emotions the average user experiences tends to increase after regular use and participation in the activities as well.
As with other apps, having these activities at the touch of a finger can really help you to make them habitual parts of your life.
Think UpThink UpThere is ample evidence that positive affirmations do, in fact, work. Therefore, an app that can help you to make them a regular part of your life may be quite helpful. Some reviewers have called the “Think Up” app “life-changing,' and it basically helps you to incorporate positive affirmations into your life without much of the resistance we normally feel when adopting a new habit.This app allows you to find affirmations to use or to create your own, to set them to music, and to be reminded to focus on them. There are many ways that positive affirmations can help with positive thinking, but this one may work well for those who need a little structure (which includes most of us, doesn’t it?) and may help to you stay motivated to continue.
Think Up
There is ample evidence that positive affirmations do, in fact, work. Therefore, an app that can help you to make them a regular part of your life may be quite helpful. Some reviewers have called the “Think Up” app “life-changing,' and it basically helps you to incorporate positive affirmations into your life without much of the resistance we normally feel when adopting a new habit.
This app allows you to find affirmations to use or to create your own, to set them to music, and to be reminded to focus on them. There are many ways that positive affirmations can help with positive thinking, but this one may work well for those who need a little structure (which includes most of us, doesn’t it?) and may help to you stay motivated to continue.
Thought DiaryThought DiaryTheThought Diaryapp employs the strategies of cognitive-behavioral therapy and enables you to track your thought patterns and change them when you see the need. It helps you to catch and change your owncognitive distortions, for example, and switch to healthier thinking patterns. This can significantly reduce stress levels and increase happiness and can help you to learn to make these shifts on your own without the app eventually.
Thought Diary
TheThought Diaryapp employs the strategies of cognitive-behavioral therapy and enables you to track your thought patterns and change them when you see the need. It helps you to catch and change your owncognitive distortions, for example, and switch to healthier thinking patterns. This can significantly reduce stress levels and increase happiness and can help you to learn to make these shifts on your own without the app eventually.
MindShiftMindshiftThis app focuses on anxiety and is geared toward teens and young adults.MindShift’s apphelps those who experience general anxiety to learn how to face their fears rather than engaging in avoidance coping.It allows them to understand how to face anxiety-provoking situations head-on and manage the feelings that can negatively affect their lives on a regular basis.It’s simple to use and has had great results.
MindShift
Mindshift
This app focuses on anxiety and is geared toward teens and young adults.MindShift’s apphelps those who experience general anxiety to learn how to face their fears rather than engaging in avoidance coping.
It allows them to understand how to face anxiety-provoking situations head-on and manage the feelings that can negatively affect their lives on a regular basis.It’s simple to use and has had great results.
6 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Lyubomirsky S, Dickerhoof R, Boehm JK, Sheldon KM.Becoming happier takes both a will and a proper way: An experimental longitudinal intervention to boost well-being.Emotion. 2011;11(2):391-402. doi:10.1037/a0022575
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Reaven J, Blakeley-Smith A, Leuthe E, Moody E, Hepburn S.Facing Your Fears in Adolescence: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders and Anxiety.Autism Res Treat. 2012;2012:423905. doi:10.1155/2012/423905
Fredrickson BL, Tugade MM, Waugh CE, Larkin GR.What good are positive emotions in crises? A prospective study of resilience and emotions following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001.J Pers Soc Psychol. 2003;84(2):365-376. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.84.2.365
Peterson CA.A Primer in Positive Psychology.New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.; 2006.
Seligman MEP.Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment.New York: Free Press; 2002.
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