How to Maintain a Positive Mindset

A positive mindset is more than just a philosophy or a way to focus on the good things in your life. In fact, positivity influences health outcomes and lowers the risk of heart disease, respiratory illnesses, stroke, cancers and infection.

Beyond the physical health benefits that come with maintaining a positive mindset, positivity also contributes to your mental and emotional health.

Some of the major benefits include:

• Lowers rates of depression

• Gives you more energy

• Allows for effective stress management

• Assists with creating better coping skills

The benefits of a positive mindset speak for themselves, but it might feel overwhelming or intimidating to adopt the necessary strategies to maintain a more positive mindset. Here are some helpful tips to get started on your journey.

Use Positive Affirmations

Daily positive affirmations are linked to greater academic success, lowered stress, and even a better handling of criticism.

Using positive affirmations may feel strange at first, but try the following five affirmations as practice and see how they affect your mood:

1. I accept and love myself

2. I am in charge of my emotions

3. I am choosing to be happy

4. I am strong and resilient

5. I am worthy of love

Practice Gratitude

Gratitude is an important subset of a positive mindset. Gratitude also helps to reduces stress, improves your self-esteem, and helps create a resilient mindset during tough times. Try jotting down a few things you are grateful for at the beginning or end of each day, like:

1. I am grateful for my loved ones

2. I am grateful for supportive friends

3. I am grateful to have a roof over my head

4. I am grateful to have a job to support my family

5. I am grateful to start fresh each morning

The Power of Laughter and Humor

Positivity means finding humor and joy not only in the extraordinary moments but in our everyday lives. As they say, laughter is the best medicine, but it can also reduce anxiety and depression and improve your overall mood and self-esteem.

Giving yourself permission to laugh is a great step on the road to developing a positive mindset. Laughter can make even the most difficult of situations easier to cope with. Even if you’re not feeling particularly joyful, the physical acts of smiling and laughter help improve your outlook and give a psychological boost.

Looking for more tips on embracing a positive mindset? Read more blog posts like this one by subscribing, or see our latest post on The Power of a Positive Mindset by clicking here.