There is nothing more frustrating than to be in a negative mood and have people tell you to be more positive. It is not just a switch you can flip. Imagine telling someone “Be more rich” or “Be more athletic” – it takes steady effort over time. Instead of telling you the one secret to being more positive, we have come up with 10 ways to improve your positive mindset.
- Get Physical – Doing more exercise is well known to improve your mood and boost positive thoughts. Once may not do the trick, make it a habit.
- Change Your Reading Habits – Where you are getting your news is going to affect your mood. If you are reading, listening or watching negative news all the time, you cannot also have positive thoughts. Reduce consumption or find a source with more happy topics.
- Change The Time You Spend With People – You will often here that you should get rid of negative relationships. But you cannot always do that. What you can do, at least, is lesson the impact they have on you by limiting time and interactions with people who bring you down.
- Swap In Positive Activities for Wasted Time – Neutral activities, like unwinding in front of the TV at night, can be turned into mood boosters by swapping that time for more active activities, such as hobbies, time with friends, learning a new language, etc.
- Get More Social – Speaking of friends, more social people are usually happier and live longer.
- Develop a Positive Mindset With Stoicism – Stoicism is a simple philosophy that helps you deal with daily challenges and focus on what you can control and reduce how much other things bother you. To get started, sign up for the Daily Stoic.
- Ask Your Significant Other To Support Your Effort To Improve – If you have a good relationship with someone you respect and can be honest with, work together to point out negative thoughts and comments and try to focus on more positive things. The buddy system will help you both reinforce a change in focus.
- Get Away From Electronics More – Be more aware of your surroundings, nature, people and things happening in the real world. This means less time with your nose pointed at a device. Time to think, away from online and email, will help you be more creative and more positive.
- Leave Work at Work – Do you have a stressful job? Practice leaving work at work. If you go home and discuss and think about problems at work every day, you need to practice leaving work at work OR find a new job that does not have negative consequences in your life outside of the hours you are paid.
- Clean Up Your Diet – Positive moods are difficult when you feel sluggish and you are out of shape. Eat cleaner, healthier food more often. Cook more. Then give yourself a cheat day to eat those bad things you miss. Your mood will lift with the accomplishment of disciplined better eating as well as the well-earned cheat day where you eat your old favorites.