Negative Behavior: Accept, Change, and Love Yourself
Do you have a habit or behavior you wish you could change—something that affects your relationships, work, or happiness? Most of us do. The difference between staying stuck and moving forward is the willingness to try.
It’s a myth that people can’t change.
In reality, we change all the time—when we grow older, meet new people, or face life’s challenges.
You can change too—by first accepting yourself.
Start With Awareness
To change your behavior, begin by becoming aware.
Don’t just say, “I want to be happier”—that’s too vague.
Instead, focus on one specific behavior you’d like to shift.
Ask yourself:
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What behavior makes me feel stuck?
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How does it affect my mood or my relationships?
Once you identify it, you’re ready to move forward.
As Joel Osteen reminds us, “I’m positive”, and you can be too—by believing change is possible.
Motivation Follows Clarity
Motivation is easier when you understand why you want to change.
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Want to improve your relationships?
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Be more confident?
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Reduce stress and anxiety?
Think about how your current behavior impacts not just you, but the people around you. That realization will push you to act—and keep acting—when things get hard.
Recognize and Avoid Triggers
Once you know your behavior pattern, watch for triggers:
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What environments or emotions usually spark your negative habits?
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Who or what tends to be around you when they happen?
Plan ahead. Instead of falling back on the same loop, replace your response with a new, positive habit:
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Read a book
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Go for a walk
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Journal
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Take a relaxing bath
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Call a friend
Build a list of “safe” coping activities and reach for them instead of your old default reactions.
Accept Yourself—Even When You Slip
If you don’t succeed at first, don’t beat yourself up.
Behavioral change is not instant—it’s a process. And it’s okay to fall as long as you get back up.
Engage in regular acts of:
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Self-care
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Self-compassion
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Mindfulness
Unwanted behaviors are often stress responses.
Be gentle with yourself. Learn to treat yourself like someone you truly care about.
You may also want to try yoga, meditation, or breathing exercises to support your emotional regulation and build new patterns of calm.
Final Thoughts
Real change happens when you accept who you are, but also believe in who you can become.
You don’t need to be perfect.
You just need to be committed.
Love yourself through the process.
Because happiness doesn’t come from changing who you are—
It comes from loving yourself enough to grow.
Ugh, yes. This spoke to me so much. I tend to be negative and I have to work on being more positive daily.
This is so great! I think being aware is the mot important. Just saying I’m being a Debbie Downer is SO important!
What a great, uplifting post. I need to practice this more. I especially like the part about doing random acts of self-care and self-compassion. Thank you!
I’ve been working on trying to be more positive and not worrying so much. Very informative post!
This is such great advice. I know many people who this post could benefit. Thank you.
With the kind of situation I am into right now, this post definitely helps me out. Thanks!!!!
Very well said. I don’t know why people keep saying that we can’t change. We can if we really want to.
I totally agree, we control our thoughts and outcome of things, if we stay on the positive, that is how things will turn out! Thanks for the reminder
Love this post. Most of those tips can be easily forgotten. The self care is one of the most important. Love this post. Thanks for the reminder.
I tend to be more negative toward myself too. Definitely need to work on that!
I’ve always believed that if we truly try, we can change our negative behaviors to lead happier, more fulfilling lives. Thanks for the info!
It’s so hard to be around someone who is always negative too. There’s someone in my family like that and it’s really challenging at times not to say something. 😉
Rosey, It certainly is draining to be around negative people. Thanks for your support.
I love this post and found it very motivating … just what I needed to read today. Thank you!
Great post! I am working on having a more positive look on life as a whole. I’m casting out negativity and believing for the best in everything!
I deal with negativity a lot. I find myself sucked into feelings that nothing is going to get better. Faith and focus on God helps. I love to meditate too. Thanks for sharing these great tips.
Thank you for the reminder and tips to be positive. I do have to remind myself to not be negative – it’s a work in progress for me.
It starts with self. We have to look at how we treat us and then the rest of it will fall into place. If you get up every morning and say I am fat and ugly then that’s how your entire demeanor will be all day. Get up in the morning and say I look good and I don’t care about anyone and their thoughts watch how things change.
It’s always possible to change if you’ve got the right attitude. Great advice!
Being positive can go a long way. Positive people live less stressful lives and have more friends…
This is fabulous advice! I’m a firm believer of the law of attraction and thinking positively to attract good into my life. I totally agree with all of this. It’s great to be reminded of these tools thanks again!
tHank you for covering this topic. This morning I was just reviewing what thoughts cause me to have low self esteem. Even those thoughts can be negative. I plan to think positively every morning.
Really great post with lots of helpful information we could all use!
This is definitely something I am working on. Positive speaking, energy, etc. So important because what you think becomes reality so many times.
Our thought become things. So if we have negative thoughts then we will put out negativity in the world. I’ve read some great books that focus on the positive thoughts and our subconscious mind. I wholehearted agree that we should be gentle on ourselves and practice daily self care. Great post!
Our thoughts become things. So if we have negative thoughts then we wilt out negative energy in the world. I’ve read some great books that focus on positive thoughts and our subconscious mind. I wholeheartedly agree that we should be gentle on ourselves and practice daily self care. Great post!
Yes I agree. Negative thoughts do lead to negative behavior and self doubt. Sometimes it takes a lot of energy to stay focused and positive but it’s vital for your well being.
Great Advice, It’s always nice to get encouragement to know how to live a better life.
Truly the most important key to becoming a better, wiser person is learning to love yourself–faults and all. You’ve given great tips for those of us who may still strugge with negative self-talk. And I think everyone goes through it every now and then.
So true! Self-accept makes you a happier and more positive person!