How can I think differently?

Changing your mindset involves shifting your habitual thought patterns, beliefs, and attitudes. It's a process that can lead to personal growth, increased resilience, and a more positive outlook on life. Here are some effective ways to change your mindset:

1. Self-Awareness: Practice Presence. Stop constantly thinking and worrying about the past and future. Instead, pay attention to the here and now. Become aware of your current mindset and thought patterns. Pay attention to your inner dialogue and the beliefs that underlie your thoughts and actions.
2. Challenge Negative Thoughts: When you catch yourself thinking negatively or catastrophizing, challenge those thoughts. Ask yourself if they are based on facts or assumptions. Look for evidence that contradicts your negative beliefs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help tremendously to recognize negative beliefs and correct them. You can explore CBT via a plethora of self-help books (I highly recommend the Dr. Burns series) or you could seek a therapist to help you. 
3. Practice Positive Self-Talk: Replace self-criticism with self-compassion. Treat yourself as you would treat a friend, or a child. It is much easier to work with yourself as an ally than an enemy. Be kind to yourself. Replace negative self-talk with affirmations and positive statements. It can be very helpful to write some of your negative self-talk down, and think of how you could rephrase them into positive statements so you have them available when you need them. It's much harder to rethink negative self-talk in the moment. Pick 1-3 negative things you catch yourself frequently saying and rephrase them into compassionate empowering statements. Practice those and then work on some more. Build sustainable change. Remember to not overwhelm yourself by trying to change everything at once.
4. Set Realistic Goals: Set achievable and specific goals for yourself. Break larger goals into smaller, manageable steps. This can help you build confidence and a sense of accomplishment. Changing life long thought patterns takes work. Be patient with yourself. Practice.
5. Learn from Failure: Embrace failure as an opportunity to learn and grow. Rather than seeing failure as a reflection of your abilities, view it as a stepping stone to success. Failure does not equate to failure as a human being. Failure is a normal part of learning. Again, keep practicing. If one thing doesn't work, try tweaking it, or try something else. Be patient and don't give up.
6. Cultivate a Growth Mindset: Adopt a growth mindset. This means believing that your abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort and learning. Embrace challenges and see failures as opportunities for growth. Be mindful of your inner dialogue here: Even if you don't know how to do something, it doesn't mean that you can't. It is OK to not know.  Maybe there is something else you can work on, maybe you will figure out how later. Always focus on what you can do, not on what you can't. Empower yourself.
7. Surround Yourself with Positivity: Spend time with people who have a positive influence on your mindset. Seek out supportive, optimistic friends and mentors. Find media that inspires optimism, empowerment, calm, and positivity. It could be music, videos, books, podcasts, etc. Anything that helps put you in a positive state of mind. 
8. Limit Negative Influences: Reduce exposure to negative media, people, or environments that contribute to a negative mindset. Be mindful of what you consume and engage with. Practice and enforce boundaries. Watch how you interact with others and socialize. Do you commiserate over drama and negativity? If so, find a different way to connect to others. 
9. Practice Mindfulness and Meditation: Mindfulness exercises and meditation can help you become more present and reduce rumination on negative thoughts. They can also improve emotional regulation. If you have difficulty meditating, you can try guided meditations, or bowl singing, or just spend some time breathing and being present in nature. I personally find nature tremendously grounding, I go for a walk twice a day, every day. It helps me tremendously!
10. Gratitude Journaling: Keep a journal where you regularly write down things you're grateful for. This practice can shift your focus toward positive aspects of your life. It may seem awkward at first, but stick with it. As you practice, your mind will become more and more conditioned to look for things you can be grateful for. That's the goal, to shift your attention to the positive.
11. Seek Professional Help: If you're struggling with deeply ingrained negative thought patterns or mental health issues, consider seeking the guidance of a therapist or counselor. They can provide strategies and support for changing your mindset. If a therapist is out of your reach financially, consider talking things out with a Coach, a family member, or a friend.
12. Read and Educate Yourself: Read books, articles, and watch videos on personal development, positive psychology, and other topics related to changing mindset. Learning new perspectives can be enlightening. You might find some cool things to try. You can even take courses such as UQx : The Science of Everyday Thinking (edX)  that challenge you to try out new strategies and tools. 
13. Visualization: Visualize your goals and desired outcomes regularly. Visualization can help you maintain a positive and focused mindset. Make a folder of rotating backgrounds. Make a dream board. Keep a visual journey. In sight, in mind. 
14. Celebrate Small Wins: Acknowledge and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small they may seem. This reinforces a positive mindset and motivates you to keep moving forward. Remember to focus on what you can do, stay in an empowered frame of mind.
15. Be Patient with Yourself: Changing your mindset is a gradual process, it takes time and practice. Be patient and kind to yourself as you work toward a more positive and growth-oriented mindset. Remember, you are not just introducing new thoughts and beliefs, you are also working on un-conditioning old thoughts and beliefs. Change will require practice.

Be persistent and consistent in your efforts, and over time, you'll begin to notice a shift in your perspective and outlook on life. Don't be afraid to ask for help and support. Practice self-compassion and work with yourself, not against. You got this!