How to Have a Positive Attitude Every Day

Maintaining a positive attitude is one way to alleviate the consequences of stress on our emotional and physical wellness. Chronic stress can have a negative impact on your health, relationships and quality of life. While it is unlikely you'll be able to maintain a constant positive attitude, it is possible to feel positive and optimistic practically every day with motivation and training.

Instructions

• 1

  Smile frequently throughout the day. Practice smiling while you are working at your desk, working out or driving. Although the smile may feel forced at first, it usually feels more natural with practice. Smiling also tends to make others smile in return. Smile when you order your coffee or make a bank deposit and you will likely receive a smile in return, which reinforces your efforts.

• 2

  Laugh daily. Watch a funny movie or read a book written by a comedian. Visit with a friend or family member who makes you laugh. Tell your co-worker a joke. If you do not know many jokes, search for a website that will send you a new joke each day via email or text. Find the humor in daily events, such as realizing you have on mismatched socks or that you forgot to take the tag off your shirt.

• 3

  Read daily affirmations. Keep them beside your bed or near your toothbrush so you can read them before you begin your day, and take them with you during the day for when you feel negativity building. You could purchase a book or calendar of daily affirmations, or you could write your own positive statements in a notebook or on sticky notes.

• 4

  Listen to your internal dialogue. Write the negative thoughts you recall from the day on a sheet of paper. Take out another sheet of paper and rewrite the statements in a positive way. For example, if you wrote a negative statement such as, "My parents call too much and drive me crazy," rewrite it as, "My parents call so often because they love me." Practice this activity daily until you become more aware of negative thinking. That will help you catch your negative thoughts as they occur throughout the day and correct them.

• 5

  Practice gratitude. Take account of all you have to be grateful for and review it daily. Health, a job, family, education, special talents and friends are assets you might list. Appreciate what you have. For example, if you wish you had a larger home, be grateful you have a safe, clean place to live. If a neighbor brings you a pot of soup when you are sick, appreciate the gesture even if it tastes terrible.