ROBERT J.R. GRAHAM: Keeping a Positive Outlook on Life

How to Keep a Positive Outlook on Life

by: Joe Cline

Everybody gets overwhelmed once in awhile and ends up feeling down. Unfortunately, without a little bit of work it can get easy to slip into this mode of thinking all the time. Thinking negatively will leave you feeling drained, acting in a way that pushes friends and family away, and generally not getting what you want out of life. Here are some simple things that will help you stay positive in your daily life.

Keep Moving

A little bit of exercise every day can do wonders for even the worst of moods. You don’t need to do much. Even fifteen or twenty minutes of regular exercise early in the day can help you feel more energized and happy later on. There is no need to make it a chore, either. Choose something you enjoy doing, like biking around your neighborhood, swimming, or simply walking to the store whenever you can instead of driving. With just a few minutes of intentional activity every day you can do quite a bit to improve your mood and outlook later on.

Get Enough Sleep

A good night’s sleep is absolutely essential for enjoying your day. Many people get caught in the trap of sleeping too little on work days and then oversleeping on weekends because they’re exhausted. Giving yourself that extra hour or so of sleep a night to make sure you wake up refreshed. Try to keep the same sleep schedule on work days and weekends alike, and work toward the goal of getting up because you’re actually awake before the alarm goes off. This may require going to bed earlier regularly for a few weeks until you find out how much sleep you really need.

Stay Mindful

Try to be aware of how you are thinking throughout the day. When you catch yourself thinking about something that makes you angry or uncomfortable, try to clear your mind and focus on something immediate that makes you happy. If you get cut off in traffic, consciously focus on a song on the radio or something you like about your car. If you catch yourself worrying about a stack of problems, try to step back and concentrate on something nice that is happening right now.

Be Kind

One of the best ways to remain positive in your own life is through making a positive impact on someone else. Consider the things you like about people you know, and compliment them. Smile when you talk to people or make eye contact, even if you aren’t feeling particularly happy. Try to concentrate on what you can do to help others instead of what others can do to help you. If you have a big problem that you can’t solve, help someone else solve something difficult in their life that you can handle.

Concentrate On The Good Things

When you start wishing your life was somewhere other than where it is, concentrate on the things you do like. People who have a positive outlook work hard at maintaining that outlook in all that they do. Catch yourself if you start concentrating on a problem you can’t solve and try to aim your thoughts about something you can change. People who are happy are not happy because they have everything they want, they are happy because they have learned to accept who and where they are right now.

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