Alright y’all… positive thinking. I know, I know, it sounds like some crunchy Instagram guru bullshit at first. But listen — I’m sitting here in my apartment in [redacted], US, January 2026, it’s like 28°F outside, my heat is making this weird death-rattle noise, I just spilled oat milk all over my favorite hoodie, and somehow… I’m not spiraling into the usual “everything sucks forever” pit. That’s new. That’s the power of positive thinking quietly doing its thing in the background like a weird little gremlin roommate who finally learned to pay rent.
Here are the 5 things that actually kinda-sorta work for this extremely flawed human.
1. The Stupid 10-Second “Brain Hijack” I Do Every Morning
Power of Positive Thinking First sentence has to have it right? Cool. Positive thinking starts for me the second my eyes open and I immediately tell my brain “nope, we’re not doing the apocalypse today.”
I literally set a timer for 10 seconds (yes I use my phone, yes I’m basic) and force myself to think three dumb, aggressively nice things.
- My bed is warm af
- Coffee exists
- My dog still loves me even though I forgot to buy treats yesterday
Sounds corny? It is. Does it work anyway? Annoyingly… yeah. Studies actually back this up too → Harvard Health on positive psychology interventions
54+ Thousand Bedroom Sunlight Royalty-Free Images, Stock Photos …
And your brain going “nope, we’re not doing that today” – funny cartoon style because why not make it extra sassy?
38+ Thousand Brain Cartoon Funny Royalty-Free Images, Stock Photos …
2. I Started Talking to Myself Like I Would Talk to a Drunk Best Friend
This is embarrassing but whatever. I used to be the meanest voice in my own head. Like, Olympic-level self-roast champion.
Now when I catch myself going “you’re such a failure you forgot to answer that email for three weeks,” I literally interrupt out loud and go: “Yo chill dude, you were working 11-hour days and also your cat was vomiting on your keyboard at 2 a.m., cut yourself some slack.”
It feels ridiculous the first 30 times. Then it starts feeling… normal? Shoutout to Dr. Kristin Neff’s self-compassion work which basically saved my mental health → self-compassion.org
3. The “One Good Thing” Game I Play When Everything Is Trash
Some days everything is actually trash. Like today. My car made a new horrible sound, my boss scheduled a 7:30 a.m. meeting (who does that), and my left AirPod is officially dead.
So I started this dumb game: before I go to sleep I HAVE to write down one good thing that happened. Even if it’s “I didn’t cry in public today” or “the pizza guy didn’t judge my order.”
It’s small. It’s stupid. It still shifts something. Similar idea here: The Greater Good Science Center – Gratitude Practices
Mindful Journaling for Stress-Free Sleep | The Mindfulness App
4. I Surround Myself With Actual Evidence That Things Aren’t Always Awful
I made a private Pinterest board called “Proof Life Isn’t Complete Garbage.” Sunsets I took badly with my phone. Screenshots of nice texts from friends. That one TikTok of a raccoon washing cotton candy. Baby goats in sweaters. Whatever.
When I’m feeling like the world is ending I literally scroll through my own evidence collection. It’s cheesy but it works because I can’t argue with photographic proof that yesterday a baby goat wore a tiny sweater and looked happy.
5. I Allow Myself to Be Cautiously Optimistic (and Still Complain)
Here’s the realest part: I still complain. A lot. Positive thinking doesn’t mean toxic positivity. I’m not walking around saying “just manifest it!” while my life is on fire.
I let myself feel the shitty feelings… and then I add one tiny “and yet” at the end. “I hate everything and I’m tired… and yet the coffee is good today.” “I’m scared about money… and yet I have a warm place to sleep tonight.”
That little “and yet” is where the magic hides.
Anyway. That’s my messy, very imperfect American take on harnessing the power of positive thinking in 2026 when everything feels like it’s held together with duct tape and vibes.
