How to adopt a positive mental attitude, in 6 tips
The positive mental attitude is what makes the difference when it comes to enjoying the opportunities that life gives us. And there are people who, unknowingly, always focus on the bad, without realizing that the time they spend lamenting is something they self-sabotage.
In this article we will see several keys to have a positive mental attitude and to know how to value the possibility of focusing on the good things that existence offers us.
- Related article: "11 characteristics of optimistic people"
The importance of having a positive attitude
It is true that the world is far from being a perfect place. There is a lot in it that must be fixed, but that does not mean it's impossible to be happy with what there is .
It is clear that to feel good it is very important to have access to certain basic resources, but it is also true that, having the same things, there are great differences in the way in which people appreciate the good that happens to them.
Part of happiness has to do with basic objective and material needs, while others are related to mentality, care management and the frequency with which you have positive thoughts. Let's see how we can contribute to having this more subjective and private part of well-being.
- Maybe you're interested: "Is there a recipe for happiness?" Eduard Punset and Rojas Marcos respond "
Several tips to enjoy a good mentality
Feel free to apply these keys to your daily life, adapting them to the characteristics of your habits and way of life.
1. Do not confuse pessimism with realism
In times when we feel bad, we tend to see everything from a pessimistic point of view. Right now, it is very common to believe that everything that makes us feel good is a hoax , and that reality is characterized by pain and discomfort.
Clearly, this pessimism is a bias, a way of distorting the interpretation of what happens to us. That is why we should not fall into the trap of believing that happiness is an illusion.
2. Orient your thinking towards specific objectives
If we draw realistic plans whose results can be assessed in the short term, we will have the possibility to cheer ourselves up frequently .
But the best thing about doing this is not based on those moments of enthusiasm and joy that occur when reaching a goal. The best thing is to have a motivational source .
- Related article: "Types of motivation: the 8 motivational sources
3. Surround yourself with people with a positive attitude
The way of thinking and feeling is contagious with great ease. Therefore, it is worth having social circles in which optimism prevails and the positive mental attitude. If we have stimuli that arouse joy, fun or optimism, it is easier for this way of thinking to come to life in oneself and start reproducing it automatically, autonomously.
4. Jump to long-term projects
In addition to always keeping small goals in mind, it is important to have a long-range one. In this way, we have a general purpose that guides our acts and that gives us the possibility to think about that better future we want to build.
It is true that part of the problems of sadness and psychological distress are due to not thinking about the here and now, but it is also true that if we set ourselves more ambitious goals, we will have a sense of progress that allows us to look forward to certain milestones.
5. Help others without expecting anything in return
Many people help others by expecting them to do something very concrete for them to compensate. This kind of undercover blackmail is totally detrimental, for everyone. However, help for the pleasure that this produces is something different.
The human being is empathic , and for that reason, to see the relief and the gratitude in the others is a way to have many more reasons to smile.
6. Distracted from negative opinions
Negative opinions do not have to be misguided because it is simply not giving us reasons to be happy. However, it is good to know how to distance yourself from them, put them in quarantine. Many of them are issued by the simple act of hurting, or simply to express an attitude or defend an ideology going against another.
So, we must stay alone with the possible informative value of this kind of messages , do not just focus on how they make us feel. Seeing the context is important, so it is also important to assess the possibility that the intention of the person expressing them is not to express oneself honestly. In case it is what you think, it is good to separate opinions from reasoning.
A kinder way to see life
In short, to have a more positive attitude is important do not get in the way of ourselves letting hopelessness trap us and take us to see things from a negative bias.For this, we must work on a daily basis towards clear and realistic objectives, and choose social environments that lead us to give the best of ourselves.
