• Keep a stress diary to evaluate your negative self-talk.Jacqueline Veissid/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  Negative thinking can damage your ability to maintain relationships and excel at work. How you look at yourself can allow you to accomplish goals or become stagnate in your daily life. "Psychology Today" states that many people find it easier to provide kindness to friends and strangers rather than themselves. Applying positive thinking methods will help you make permanent changes in your life.
  
  

Apply Rationality

• Many people who struggle with positive thinking anticipate the worst possible outcome for any situation, according to the Mayo Clinic. When you avoid going places and doing things because you fear the worst, this greatly interrupts your life. Stop and think about the situation; ask yourself how often the worst happens in that situation. For instance, if you do not want to go to a restaurant because you might get food poisoning, think about how often that actually happens and push yourself to go anyway.
  
  

Develop Self-Compassion

• When painful feelings arise, accept your feelings rather than rejecting them. Allowing your feelings to become part of yourself will help lead you towards positive thinking, according to "Psychology Today." Write down your painful feelings. Then write down how those painful feelings have helped grow your character. This will help you accept yourself completely rather than trying to shut off parts of your emotions.
  
  

Keep a Stress Diary

• Mindtools.com suggests keeping a stress diary throughout the day. At the end of each day, evaluate what causes you the most stress. Address why each item causes you stress and apply positive self-talk to the item. For instance, if doing badly on a project at work causes you stress, evaluate the root of this. Do you measure your self worth through your job? Say positive things about your work ethic, education and personal attributes to change your negative thinking into positive.
  
  

Support Group

• The people you spend time with affect the way that you think about life, according to the Mayo Clinic. Choose relationships that encourage you. If you have a family member who constantly berates you or has a pessimistic attitude, spend less time with that family member. Look for friends that have a positive outlook on life.