“Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.”—Dalai Lama

The famous words by the religious leader Dalai Lama motivate us to be positive and happy about life. However, we all know that life is not a bed of roses. It takes us on roller coaster rides now and then. So, the question is how to be more positive in life and make yourself deal with any unexpected situations. Here are some amazing ways you can think positively and live an optimistic life.

3 Simple Tips to Be More Positive in Life

1. Feed your mind with positive thoughts

Buddha once said, “What we think, we become.” No matter what your life offers you, you need to think positive in order to see the positive in and around you. I know it’s easier said than done given the brutalities of some of the life circumstances. But, the first question you need to ask yourself when feeling negative or weak inside is,” Is this feeling helping me anyway?” and then comes the next question, “Am I thinking about something that is only causing me stress and pain?” Then comes the moment to feed your mind with positive thoughts.

Here are some simple ways to think positive:

• Focus on the positive things in life and feel gratitude for them. Life itself is a miracle, but if you focus on the other good things in your life, you will find your life to be full of opportunities. The moment you start taking life as a blessing, you can overcome negative thought patterns.
• Use self-affirmations to feel confident. Simple phrases like,” I am surrounded with happiness,” “I deserve to be happy,” can work like magic if repeated every day.
• Replace negative thoughts with positive ones. For example, if your partner yells at you, instead of thinking “he is behaving badly with me to hurt me,” think “he must have had a bad day.”
• Dress up nicely and keep yourself groomed. To think positive, you need to feel positive. The simple act of dressing up can make you feel good about yourself instantly. It elevates your mood and paves the way to think positively.
• Surround yourself with the people who bring the best out of you. Keep away from the people who are always criticizing you or talking ill of others. Talk and spend time with the ones who are always talking about positivity and happiness.
• Read motivational books to keep yourself inspired. You can also find great inspirational quotes by famous people online. Watch motivational videos to learn to remain positive despite difficulties.

2. Live a healthy lifestyle

The way you live has got a lot to do with the way you feel. You cannot expect to be positive in life by leading a negative or unhealthy lifestyle. The quality of your thoughts largely depends on the quality of your life. Living a disciplined, organized, and meaningful life will surely help you to be more positive in life.

Here are some of the best practices you can follow to lead a healthy life:

• Food habit is one of the most important aspects of one’s life. Replace junk food with healthy choices like salads, fruits, vegetables, etc. Add grains and nuts to your food as they can help your brain function better by improving your memory, healing, and learning power.
• Make sure to add some physical activities to your daily routine. Exercise of any sort help releases the feel-good hormones dopamine. This can indeed help you to remain stress-free and happy.
• Follow a routine to make sure that you have enough of everything in your kitty. This way you will be able to complete your work on time and get enough rest which is necessary to remain happy.
• Being organized can help reduce stress as it saves your time and lets you accomplish more in a short time. So, start being organized not only at home but also at work. Keeping your files organized will help you to be more productive.
• Many a time we feel the pressure of multi-tasking and struggle to find time to get things done on time. The best way to handle is to learn and apply time management. Once you know the value of time and learn how to spend each moment fruitfully, you will not find it hard to complete all the tasks in the given time.
• Spend some quality time with the people that matter to you the most. No matter how busy your schedule is, take time out to spend time with your loved ones. It reduces stress and keeps your mind healthy and positive. Support from our loved ones makes us more positive in life.

3. Practice spirituality

Spirituality is about connecting with something that is beyond one’s self. It enables us to find a meaningful purpose in life. It helps us focus on inner joy more than external happiness. Thus, spiritual practices lead to a life full of positivity and happiness. But very few people understand the real meaning of spirituality. They think they need to be religious in order to be spiritual. But that is not the case. There is a fine line that separates spirituality from religion. Religion refers to the beliefs and practices of a community. On the other hand, spirituality has got to do more with individual beliefs and practices with a sense of happiness and peace. Being spiritual helps you to acquire a state of mind where you find fulfillment in life. Thus, it helps you to be more positive in life.

Find below some simple ways you can practice spirituality:

• Meditation is one of the best ways to practice spirituality. It can help you relax your body and senses. As a beginner, you can simply start sitting or lying down quietly for 5 to 10 minutes daily. You can increase the timing slowly. The purpose of this practice is to de-clutter your mind and focus on your breathing.
• Keeping your mind filled with gratitude is another spiritual practice to keep yourself positive. Never take good times for granted and feel grateful for all the lovely moments, loving people, and good things in your life.
• Practice mindfulness. Being mindful is somewhat the same as meditation. The only difference is that in meditation you tend to focus on breathing but mindfulness demands your focus on the present. For example, if you are doing dishes, bring your complete attention to the activity. Focus on the details. You can even say things like,” I am scrubbing the plate now,” or “I am washing the bowl with water.” Your undivided attention to an activity or thought is what you need to practice.
• Accept good and bad times in your life as inevitable. Train your mind to think as everything happens for good. So that, you can even see and find opportunities in the negativities. Universe has its own way of doing things. Believe in its power and believe in the power of optimism. Accept life as it unveils to you day by day.

You can only be positive if you are not intimidated by the challenges life throws at you. You always have two options- either give in to the challenges or rise above them. The second one is the best option for survival. Apply the simple tips stated above that will help you to get the real essence of life by making you more positive.