How to change negative thinking patterns

Bad days happen. We all have them. Sometimes we have more than one in a row.

But don't let a bad day or a bad patch fool you into thinking it's a bad life.

Try not to spiral into that cycle of negative thinking that can dominate how you feel and behave.

How?

Here's a surprisingly powerful and proven technique to lift your spirits:

Instead of focusing on the problems and woes in your life, remind yourself of some good things - in the past, in the present, or what's to come in the future.

It can be small things - really small things - but just remind your brain about some of the good stuff. Maybe...

• A call you received from a friend

• A hot cup of tea you enjoyed in peace

• That small thing on your to do list you finally got done

• A kindness you were shown or that you showed to someone else

This mental workout is based on neuroscience. Thanks to neuroimaging, we've seen how this exercise quietens the primitive, emotional mind and activates and strengthens the intellectual mind - and that's the mind that is generally positive and which can help us live a calmer, happier life, free from anxiety, depression, and/or anger.

So, yes, try to see a bad day or a tough period in your life as temporary, and take the wind out of its sails with this little brain hack of zoning in on some small positives.