Eager to have a more optimistic outlook on life? You’re not alone. Who wants to always walk around with a dark cloud over their head? It’s healthy and normal to feel negative emotions from time to time, but if you find your pessimism persistent, it might be worth making some changes. Training yourself to see the silver lining doesn’t require hard work. Check out these five tips for having a more positive outlook in life:
Tip #1: Surround Yourself With Positive People
One of the best ways to stay positive is to surround yourself with positive people. When you’re around others who are upbeat and optimistic, it’s easier to remain positive. Likewise, if you’re constantly around people who are negative and always complaining, it will be harder for you to see the good in things.
When you surround yourself with positivity, here are the things that will happen:
- You will feel better about yourself
- You will have more fun
- You will be more likely to reach your goals
- You will feel more supported
Tip #2: Volunteer or Do Something For Others
Helping others is a great way to feel good about yourself and your life. When you volunteer your time or do something nice for someone, it’ll not only make them feel good, but it’ll also make you feel good. One simple act of kindness can turn your day (and someone else’s) around.
Volunteer Your Time
There are many ways you can volunteer your time. You can volunteer at a local church, homeless shelter, food bank, or animal shelter. You can also look for opportunities to tutor kids or help at a senior center. Or, if you’re ambitious, you can start your own volunteer project!
Do Something For Someone
You can also do something nice for someone without expecting anything in return. For example, you could pay for the person’s coffee behind you in line, leave a nice note on your neighbor’s doorstep, or help someone carry their groceries to their car.
Tip #3: Practice Gratitude
Gratitude is one of the simplest but most effective ways to shift your focus from negative to positive. Whenever you’re feeling down, take a step back and think about all the things in your life that you’re grateful for—no matter how big or small they may be. From the roof over your head to your health to your family and friends, there’s always something to be thankful for.
Attend Sunday School
You can show gratitude by attending Sunday School because you can learn more about your religion and how it helped you in the past, present, and future. By attending, you will also have access to the Sunday School curriculum, which can help you understand the bible more, grow closer to God, and be more grateful for what you have. You can also share your testimony of gratitude with others.
Tip #4: Avoid Social Media
Social media can be a breeding ground for negativity and comparison. If you find that scrolling through your feed makes you feel worse about yourself and your life, it might be time to take a break from social media—or at least cut back on your usage. Remember, social media doesn’t accurately portray real life, so don’t compare your life to what you see online. Focus on living your best life, not someone else’s. There are ways to manage your social media use:
- Log out of your account when you’re not using it
- Delete the apps from your phone
- Take a break for a week or month
- Unfollow or block people who make you feel bad
Tip #5: Smile More Often
It sounds clichéd, but it’s true—smiling can make a difference in how you feel. When you smile, it sends signals to your brain that tell it that everything is okay—which then triggers a release of feel-good hormones like endorphins and serotonin. It also positively impacts others because it’s contagious—when you smile at someone, they’re likely to smile back. Give it a try next time you’re feeling down! Smiling also has a lot of health benefits:
- Reduces stress
- Boosts your immune system
- Lowers blood pressure
- Relaxes your body
- Triggers the release of endorphins
So even if you don’t feel like smiling, forcing yourself to do it can help boost your mood and overall outlook on life.
To have a more positive outlook on life, follow these steps, but realize that it’s up to you to mostly choose how you see the world. If something negative occurs, look for the good instead of fixating on the bad. It won’t be natural at first, but with effort, you can educate yourself to think more positively—and once you do this step consistently, you’ll feel so much better!
