Tips for Being More Positive

Life is easier when you’re more positive. That doesn’t mean that you have go around with a smile on your face all day, every day, and it doesn’t even mean that you should suppress your negative emotions. However, if you make an effort to see the brighter side of things and take the more optimistic route, you may feel happier in general. You also might do a better job of problem solving if you believe that you can actually make a difference. The tips below include large and small ways you can take a more positive approach to life.

Pay Attention to Your Thinking

It can be something of a shock if you really pay attention to your thinking. You probably have a running commentary in your head that is pretty self-critical. In fact, if someone else talked to you the way you talk to yourself, you probably wouldn’t want to have anything to do with them. A steady stream of “why did I do that? I’m so stupid” would be enough to make anyone a negative thinker. Start noticing your interior chatter and turning it in a more positive direction. Just be sure that you don’t fall into the trap of haranguing yourself to be more positive. If you are not sure where to start with changing your self-talk and way of thinking, look for outside guidance. Listen to radio shows or podcasts that help harness cognitive focus and improve your mental stamina as it relates to this specific goal. 

Improve Your Experiences

What may seem like small things can add up and make your life more pleasant in general, and this in turn can make you feel more positive. If you’re eating alone, instead of standing at the refrigerator and poking at various cartons of leftovers, heat things up, put them on a plate, and sit down to eat. If you enjoy vaping, look through a guide offering the best portable dry herb vaporizers for 2021 that will give you the best experience possible. Take the extra step in the various things that you do regularly to make them as enjoyable as you can.

Be Around Positive People

You might start to notice how much worse you feel when you are around people who are negative all the time. While there’s not much you can do to minimize exposure to a perpetually grumpy family, you can steer away from friends and more distant relatives whose primary contribution is a litany of complaints. Look at your workplace as well. If your coworkers and boss all tend to be downers, it may be time to look for a different position. If leaving your job is not a viable option instead learn how you can create a healthy work environment that does not hinge itself on the actions of others. By doing so you put the power back into your own hands and will learn how to thrive despite outside negativity. 

Managing Stress

It’s one thing to focus on positive thinking when you’re dealing with the normal irritations of life. It’s something else entirely if you are facing some of the truly difficult crisis’s life throws everyone’s way at some point. No one expects you to sail through those on a wave of happy thoughts, but the above practices can actually prepare you to weather the really tough stretches with greater resilience. At those times, listen to your self-talk and work on revising what you say to yourself so that it is more akin to the way you would talk to a beloved friend who is going through something difficult. You don’t have to feel great about what is happening, but you may be able to react in a more measured way.