Everyone wants to live to be upbeat and positive, rather than negative, fatalistic, and melancholy. Unfortunately, though, it can often seem as though the “positivity” or “negativity” of how you experience things is entirely beyond your own control.
Fortunately, though, there are actually plenty of things you can do to help improve your baseline levels of happiness and positivity, and to make yourself better able to appreciate the blessings of each day. Here are just a few tips for making your life more positive:
Treat Yourself
From time to time, and take the time to enjoy what you have, mindfully. It’s a weird fact of life that many of us tend to take the things we have for granted and to feel guilty about treating ourselves when we do actually get around to it.
First and foremost, you can take steps to actually enjoy what you have more, by engaging with your belongings and small comforts, in a more mindful manner. In other words, really take the time to pay attention to what it is you’re doing, and don’t constantly try to multitask or allow yourself to move through the day in a state of ongoing distraction.
A famous psychological experiment involving two teams passing a ball, and a man in a gorilla suit, demonstrated clearly that we can miss even the most blatant features of our environments if we are not looking out for them. So, don’t let the good things in your life get ignored in that manner.
As well as being more mindful in order to better appreciate what you have, don’t be afraid to treat yourself from time to time and take pleasure in doing so. A set of custom made sheepskin seat covers is the kind of indulgence that can genuinely brighten up a day, in the right situation and context.
It’s all About Balance
Try out a bit of “Learned Optimism”
The psychologist Martin Seligman is best known for pioneering the field of “Positive Psychology,” a branch of psychology focused on enhancing feelings of happiness and meaning, among other things.
In his highly acclaimed book “Learned Optimism,” Seligman lays out a straightforward series of mental exercises that can help a person to challenge their subconscious and habitual negative thoughts, and condition themselves to be more optimistic, by habit.
Many things in life are largely guided by our habits – and our regular thought patterns are no exception. Focus on practical steps to optimize your diet, energy levels, and health. While you can certainly train yourself to think more positively, you’re going to be swimming upstream if, at the same time, your health and energy levels are in freefall.
If you feel like you aren’t as energetic as you should be, or in the frame of mind you should be, it’s certainly worth investigating whether there might be an underlying health issue that needs to be addressed.
Bear in mind that these sorts of health issues don’t have to be huge and melodramatic. A simple (but very common) deficiency in an essential vitamin-like vitamin D, or vitamin B12 can wreak absolute havoc on your mood and energy levels, for example.
Get tested if needs be, and take practical steps to optimize your diet, energy levels, and health. This can make all the difference in the world to how positive you feel.
