If you turn on the news or look at social media, you’ll unfortunately see quite a few negative stories. Right now, we have a lot of frustration and anger in the U.S., ranging from politics to poor behavior to climate. For many of us, the desire to remain informed conflicts with the desire to remain happy. And we always run across those who seem to look at everything as a “glass half empty.” So how can we keep a positive outlook in the face of negativity?
- Don’t force happiness. Trying to be happy ends up as a chore. Instead, get involved and engaged. When you do this, you focus on the activity or the situation at hand rather than getting into your own head about what might go wrong or what’s not as you hoped. Listen to a beautiful piece of music and hear the chords blending together; go on a hike and focus on being outdoors rather than the fact it’s raining; throw yourself into a project and focus on the completion of it rather than the fact it’s taking you longer than you had hoped. When you engage fully, positive feelings occur without trying to find them.
- Mind your language. The way you talk to yourself has a lot to do with how you deal with tricky situations. The pessimist goes to a party and thinks nobody will talk to him because they find him uninteresting and pathetic; the optimist thinks, I need some help here because I don’t know anyone, finds the hostess and asks her to introduce him to a few people. The pessimist thinks, I’ll never lose that weight; the optimist thinks, I haven’t lost that weight yet, and makes a plan. So next time, try reordering your thinking or adding one little, positive, powerful word to your vocabulary.
- Start and end your day on a positive note. Before going to bed, think of three things that went well during your day. Even if it’s something small, it counts. Maybe you had a terrible day at work, but you heard a great song on the radio coming into work or the feel of your favorite bedsheets make the end of the day better. When you wake up, set your goals and expectations for the day: Write them down and expect they will happen. You may want to go over long-term goals as well. Then, check on them partway through the day to remind yourself to stay on track. You also may want to consider a short, positive meditation to start your day on a good note.
You don’t need to turn into Pollyanna overnight (or at all), but attempting a positive outlook will help you feel calmer, be more successful and even potentially live longer. For help with any of your health needs, consult the experts at Medical Professionals.
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