Keeping a positive attitude isn’t always easy, especially when faced with adversity. Life is a path of uphill battles and it’s often a matter of keeping a level head and a positive mental outlook to overcome any struggles. Often, the way to remain optimistic in tough times is to adjust your attitude to the situation. By finding ways to be positive, you will improve your overall happiness.
Meditate On It
Often times our reactions to situations can exacerbate a situation, making it far worse than it initially was. By meditating, you allow yourself to reflect on a matter introspectively before expressing your emotions on a matter. Meditation is a relaxing activity that can be done at home, while driving, or during a stroll through the park. Find what works for you and allow yourself to think things through thoroughly.
Get Your Exercise
For many people, exercise isn’t just a matter of physical well being – it’s about mental health as well. Exercise releases serotonin and endorphins, which naturally calm the mind and bring about positive vibes. Exercise can allow you to refocus while sometimes providing a welcomed distraction.
Show Gratitude
Believe it or not, there is an actual science to gratitude. Research has found that not only does gratitude increase happiness, it even lowers blood pressure and promotes a healthy immune system. Demonstrating appreciation and saying “thank you” is positive for all parties involved.
Trust In Music
Music has an undeniable ability to affect our moods. Angry music provokes anger, up tempo music can encourage happiness, and mellow music can often calm us down. While simply listening to music can affect our mood, playing music often amplifies the effects. If you don’t know how to play, you can learn through online educators like Jam Play that offer online lessons from seasoned professionals.
Volunteer Your Time
In addition to those you would be helping, offering your time and abilities for charity has been proven to be beneficial to the volunteer. Dedicating your time improves social skills and decreases negative feelings. A study done by the London School of Economics, found that individuals who volunteered regularly saw at least a seven percent increase in happiness levels which improved their overall attitude every month.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Often times, our hostility revolves around a lack of sleep. Everyone’s sleep requirements are different, so find what best suits you. For most people, this means a minimum of eight hours. If it’s possible, doctors recommend waking after a completed REM cycle, which lasts 90 minutes, to ensure you don’t wake in the middle of a cycle and still feel tired. Sometimes, dreams that occur can also help us resolve issues and improve our outlook when we’re awake.
Embrace The Little Things
Seek out the positive things in your everyday life. This is often something minuscule like someone holding the door, or even showing appreciation when you hold the door for them. When you actively seek moments that are positive, negative moments seem to hold less weight and become less difficult to handle. Do things that make you happy like singing, dancing, or playing with children.
Many times people like to blame outside problems for their own dissatisfaction. By embracing the problems you’ll be able to control your emotions and your outlook on situations. Your attitude is solely dependent on you and it’s up to you to keep it positive.