Changing That Attitude May Make All of the Difference
A pessimistic personality can drive away loved ones, and, more seriously, it can drastically impact health — in a bad way. Unfortunately, recognizing that you have an attitude problem doesn’t necessarily result in an improved viewpoint, especially if this challenge is deeply rooted in anxiety, anger or depression.
Most people don’t walk around with a permanent smile, but it should be concerning if you spend the majority of your time feeling annoyed or upset. The good news is, there are actionable steps that can make a real impact.
View Mistakes As Learning Opportunities
Optimistic people do not dwell on the situation. They move forward and use a mistake as a life lesson. Mistakes help us become better people — as long as we own our shortcomings and strive to overcome them. When you do something wrong, apologize or thank the other parties involved for their patience and then develop a solution to keep the issue from happening in the future.
Don’t criticize yourself or complain about the error if you do something wrong. You aren’t a failure, and this is just one tiny blip on the giant radar of life. Success is still attainable, especially with a good attitude.
Take Care
Optimistic people treat themselves the way they deserve to be treated — both physically and mentally. It’s difficult to be calm and happy if you’re running on 2 hours of sleep or surviving on candy bars and coffee, so keeping it healthy helps keep it positive, too. Aim to eat three well-balanced meals each day, and squeeze in some physical activity, even if that just means taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
Attend doctors’ appointments as needed, and don’t skip therapy or counseling if your mental health is suffering—remember that taking care of the self benefits everyone around you, too.
Spend Time With Happy People
Like yawning, happiness is contagious. Research indicates that spending time with happy people can make you happier yourself, so go ahead and have brunch with that optimistic pal or schedule a pedicure with a joy-filled sibling. Pay attention to how those happy friends or family members behave and work on incorporating those habits into your own positivity practice. For example, you may notice your happy sister always smiles at the waitress and greets her warmly, or you may find an optimistic neighbor starts each day by talking to the birds on his front porch bird feeders. You may need a different path to happiness, but trying on habits that work for others can help you find your own way and give you ideas to build on.
Having a negative mindset may shorten a person's lifespan, and even if it doesn’t, it can create unnecessary stress and drain some of the joy out of life. Live a long, happy life by cultivating an attitude of gratitude and happiness whenever possible, then spread it around because remember, it's contagious.
