· By PYM STORE
How To Have A Positive Outlook On Life
Life is a roller coaster; it’s the ups and downs that keep it interesting. When you’re able to have a positive outlook on life, no matter what it is throwing at you at that current moment, it can really influence the direction that your life goes. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to do, though, especially if you’re in one of the downswings. PYM has a few tips that can help you learn how to maintain an optimistic attitude about life in any situation in which you find yourself.
What We’re Not Talking About When We Say “Positive”
It’s important to differentiate between being positive and “toxic positivity.” More and more, people are under pressure to be positive and positive only, no matter what may be going on in life. This also means that they need to reject any negativity or “bad vibes,” avoiding anything that may trigger those feelings. Unfortunately, repression like that doesn’t make those thoughts go away… they just appear out of nowhere in other areas of your life.
Embracing the positive side of life doesn’t mean you do it at the expense of allowing yourself other emotions. You can still accept and work through negative feelings with a positive outlook, choosing to see the lesson in them instead of living in them. Emotions are complicated, just like humans are complicated, and they deserve respect and consideration.
Monitor The Tone Of Your Self Talk
While you need to experience negative emotions to appreciate the positive ones fully, that doesn’t mean that you have to allow the negative voice in your head to be the loudest. Being able to monitor and moderate your own “self talk” is one of the keys to maintaining a more positive outlook on your life. Not sure whether your self-talk is positive or negative? Pay attention to the way that you react when something “bad” happens. If you tend to filter out any positive spin, take non-personal things personally, always seem to anticipate the worst, or see things only in black and white, you are likely dealing with negative self-talk.
The good news is, this is something that can be turned around with a little self awareness and practice. Creating any new habit is tricky, and you have to be committed to making a change in order for it to really stick. A great place to start is by randomly paying attention to what you’re thinking. If you are dwelling on the negative, find a way to turn those thoughts more positive. Being able to redirect your self-talk is a skill you’ll be able to use for the rest of your life.
Treat Your Body Well
While your outlook is mental, not everything that affects it is. The way that you respect and treat your physical body can also have an impact on the way that you look at and approach life. When your body feels good, it makes it much easier for your mind to be optimistic and resilient as well.
For starters, evaluate your sleep pattern. You should regularly be getting between seven and eight hours of quality sleep every night. Luckily, with so many smart watches and phone apps that can track sleep to the minute, it has become much easier to see what is going on while you’re safely in dreamland. If you’re not sleeping well or enough, try going to bed a little earlier or coming up with a bedtime routine that helps calm you down and get you ready for bed. Put your smartphone and other electronic devices away at least an hour before you head to bed as well.
Your diet also influences how you feel. If you’re eating poorly, you probably feel sluggish, bloated, and generally heavy. When you focus on eating more fruits and vegetables, forgoing simple carbs for complex ones, and cutting back on refined sugars, you can totally revamp how your body feels… and how you feel about your body. You’re also less likely to have vitamin and mineral deficiencies, like vitamin D and B-12, that can negatively affect your mental health. Supplements that can also help to manage your feelings of stress and anxiety on a biological, hormonal level (like our sugar-free PYM Mood Chews) are another great addition.
Be Grateful
Gratitude is one of the most consistently underrated mental health tools out there. It often gets used as a buzzword instead of giving the respect that it deserves. Practicing gratitude in your daily life impacts nearly every facet of your life, from your relationships to your job and even the way you think about yourself. It may even be able to help you sleep more soundly and boost your immune system!
The best part is, gratitude is both free and easy to practice. If you’re not sure where to start, try a gratitude journal. This doesn’t have to be on paper, either, as it works just as well on a notebook app on your phone. At the end of each day, think of just a single thing that makes you feel grateful. This can be literally anything, from the silly to the serious. That’s it! The more you do it, the more natural it becomes. You’ll likely start doing it unconsciously after not too long.
To share this outlook with your family, try sitting around the dinner table and sharing your gratitude with your children. Encourage them to share their own, too. It’s a great practice to start early, as it will really benefit them as adults as well.
In Conclusion
Having a positive outlook doesn’t mean that you have to shut out negative feelings. When you have a more positive attitude, you can work through less than optimal moments in time and learn from them instead of letting them drag you down. PYM Mood Chews wants to help you develop that skill so that you can approach your life as the beautiful, complex roller coaster that it really is. After all, if you don’t experience the lows, the highs don’t soar quite as high.
Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/positive-thinking/art-20043950/in-depth/art-20043950
https://www.mindful.org/an-introduction-to-mindful-gratitude/