"Why Is My Brain Like This?"

You ever have one of those days where your brain is basically just a bully? Like, you wake up, stub your toe, spill your coffee, and suddenly your mind is like, "Wow, great job, everything is ruined, let’s just give up on the day now."

For a long time, I didn’t even realize how negative my own thoughts were. I was just existing in this constant state of stress, overthinking, and self-doubt—like my brain was wired to expect things to go wrong. And, well, surprise surprise, they often did.

Then I started learning about neuroplasticity—a fancy word that basically means your brain can change. Turns out, you’re not stuck with the mindset you have. You can literally retrain your brain to think differently—to expect good things, to let go of stress faster, to be happier.

And no, you don’t need to sit on a mountain in complete silence for a year to do it. Here’s how.

1. Become Aware of Your Automatic Thoughts

You can’t change something you don’t notice. And most of us have so many negative thoughts running in the background that we don’t even question them.

🧠 Example of how our brains sabotage us:
➡️ "I’m always late. I suck at time management."
➡️ "Ugh, I look awful today."
➡️ "Why am I even trying? I’ll probably fail anyway."

Imagine if you had a friend who spoke to you like that. You’d drop them in a second. So why let your own brain talk to you that way?

💡 What to do:

• Start noticing negative thoughts (without judgment).
• Ask yourself: Is this actually true? Or just a habit?
• If it’s not helping you—rewrite it. (More on that below!)

2. Flip the Script (Literally Rewire Your Brain)

Your brain believes what you tell it most often. So if you want a more positive mindset, you have to consciously feed it different thoughts.

💡 Try this:
Every time you catch a negative thought, reframe it:

• ❌ "I suck at this." → ✅ "I’m still learning, and I’ll get better."
• ❌ "Nothing ever works out for me." → ✅ "I’ve overcome a lot, and I always figure it out."
• ❌ "I’m not good enough." → ✅ "I am doing my best, and that’s enough."

At first, it’ll feel fake—like you’re lying to yourself. But keep going. The more you repeat something, the more your brain accepts it as truth.

3. Train Your Brain to Look for the Good

Your brain has something called the Reticular Activating System (RAS)—which is just a fancy way of saying:

👉 What you focus on, you’ll see more of.

Think about when you decide to buy a certain car, and suddenly you see it everywhere. That’s your brain filtering reality based on what it thinks is important.

💡 Use this to your advantage:

• Keep a gratitude list. Write 3 good things every day (even if it’s just “coffee was good”).
• Celebrate small wins. Even if it’s just getting out of bed on a tough day.
• Focus on what’s going right. When your brain spirals into “everything sucks” mode, pause and ask, “Okay, but what’s one thing that’s actually okay?”

4. Change Your Inputs = Change Your Mindset

You ever notice how spending too much time on social media makes you feel worse? Or how hanging out with negative people drains your energy?

That’s because your brain is constantly absorbing everything around it. So if you want to rewire your mindset, you have to change what you feed it.

🧠 What to do:
✅ Listen to uplifting podcasts or audiobooks.
✅ Follow inspiring, positive people online.
✅ Set boundaries with negative people/situations.
✅ Limit doom-scrolling (because reading bad news all day won’t help).

Your environment shapes you way more than you think. Choose it wisely.

5. Meditate & Use Visualization (Even If You Suck at It)

Okay, hear me out—I used to roll my eyes at meditation.

“Who has time to sit in silence? I have 500 things to do.”

But here’s the thing: Meditation & visualization literally rewire your brain. Studies show they:
✔️ Reduce stress & anxiety
✔️ Improve focus & emotional regulation
✔️ Help reprogram negative thought patterns

💡 Try this (super easy, I promise):

• Sit for 3 minutes. Just breathe. Let thoughts pass.
• Visualize your best self. How does she act? Think? Speak?
• Use guided meditations. (I swear by these—they make it easier!)

Even a few minutes a day makes a HUGE difference.

Final Thoughts

Your mindset is not fixed.

You don’t have to be stuck in negativity, stress, or self-doubt forever. Your brain is flexible, and you can rewire it—on purpose.

💡 Start small:
✅ Notice negative thoughts.
✅ Flip them into something helpful.
✅ Feed your brain better inputs.
✅ Meditate or visualize daily (even for 3 minutes).

The more you do it, the more natural it becomes. And one day, you’ll wake up and realize—you’re not fighting your brain anymore.

💬 What’s one mindset shift that changed your life? Drop it in the comments!