Did you know that having a positive attitude will actually change your life for the better? In fact, a large body of research supports the idea that being positive and having a gratitude attitude can help us live healthier lives and change our perspective to be happier. Grateful people have a good appreciation for life even during hard times.
How to Create a Gratitude Attitude
- Every day make a list of at least one thing you are thankful for and think about it for a few minutes. If you do this every day, your brain will rewire itself to feel happier.
- Write your good feelings down in a journal.
- Help other people by volunteering somewhere.
- Tell someone either by letter, phone call, or in person why you are thankful for them.
- Give a stranger a compliment.
- Spend time with someone whose company you enjoy.
- Exercise to get your endorphins flowing.
- Develop good sleep habits.
- Participate in a hobby that you like.
- Limit use of social media, because it can cause depression. It may seem like everyone has a better life then you do, which isn’t true; they just make it look that way.
- Limit your time watching the news on TV or online. It’s mostly negative.
- Find the positive in everything. Looking for the good that can come out of a bad situation is a choice, and people who do that are generally happier people all around.
- There is nothing too small to be thankful for. Appreciate everything!
What a Gratitude Attitude Will Do for You
- Help you be kinder
- Create deeper relationships
- Help you be less self-centered and envious
- Help you be more optimistic
- Help you be friendlier
- Improve your health
- Improve your sleep
- Improve decision making
- Help you be happier
That last seems silly but it’s true. The more positive you are, the happier you become. If you constantly surround yourself with negativity, you become negative. The same holds true for the opposite. Surround yourself with positivity and you will feel happier. Bad things still happen but it’s how you choose to deal with them in your life that affects your positive outlook.
How to Deal with Negative People
Negative people are a part of everyone’s life but you can usually choose how much time you spend with them and how they affect you. If a negative person is family or friend, limit the time you’re around them. When running into negative people in the general public, try responding with humor (smile, wave, give a thumbs up) rather than responding with anger to their negative comment or action. You can’t change them, but you can change how you react to them. A smile is showing kindness, which will make you feel good. Being nice to a negative person may (or may not) help them rethink their actions. It will confuse them to some extent as they were looking for a reaction of anger. Don’t take anything personally, though, because their negativity is about them, not you.
Be grateful every day for the little things in life. Create an attitude of gratitude for yourself. Your body and mind will thank you.
