Are you a glass-half-empty or half-full kind of person?

Both types of mindset impact your physical, mental, and spiritual health on a far greater level than you might think: I can’t tell how many times I’ve seen my client’s whole perspective of life change, once they realize, that by changing the way they view life, life literally changes for them!

Imagine yourself on the morning of delivering on a stressful deadline, a project you have been working on for weeks. Whether you are a glass-half-empty or glass-half-full kind of person will significantly impact how you approach this situation.

Living from a half-empty state, you’ll properly start your day with a mindset filled with worries and negative thoughts, your body will then react to this by releasing stress hormones like cortisol. This will induce a state of stress in your body, raising the stress level in your nervous system.

A heightened stress level will tend to weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to illnesses, and also raise your blood pressure. Down the road increasing blood pressure can increase your risk of heart disease and other lifestyle-related diseases.

You might notice that you have been struggling with insomnia the night before, tossing and turning as your mind raced with concerns. Poor sleep quality (or lack thereof) and constant worrying affect the choices you make during the day, leading you to maybe skip the gym (just don’t have the energy) and opt for unhealthy comfort foods (I need this), which will further impact your physical and mental health.

But what if you changed this and tried a different approach?

What if you decide to start your day practicing gratitude, writing down three things you’re thankful for each morning. Replacing worry and negative thoughts with positive affirmations of gratitude can stimulate the release of hormones like endorphins and serotonin, which enhance mood and promote a sense of well-being.

Maybe you start by doing a little yoga, to get out of your head and into your body or engage in mindfulness meditation to clear your mind and focus on positive thoughts. You’ll instantly feel a significant energy shift. Your stress levels will decrease, your immune system will strengthen, and over time your sleep will improve, and you’ll be able to feel more relaxed.

Being well rested and relaxed you’ll be able to make healthier lifestyle choices, like exercising regularly and eating balanced meals. You’ll find yourself more resilient in the face of challenges, and a more positive mindset helps foster better relationships and greater overall well-being.

Cultivating a more positive mindset is not in itself a cure-all. But it will help you make better life choices, and these choices can accumulate to create a more fulfilling and joyful life.

What a positive mindset is not.

Cultivating a more positive mindset is not about walking around with a constant big grin on your face. Nor is it blind positivity or denying difficulties. A positive mindset balances optimism with practical solutions and resilience and helps you maintain a more open and clear state of mind from which to make your life choices.

It’s a healthy balance of acknowledging and processing all emotions, facing challenges with resilience, and maintaining a realistic yet optimistic outlook on life.

It is also not:

Ignoring negative emotions.
It’s not about ignoring or pretending negative emotions don’t exist. A positive mindset acknowledges and addresses negative feelings constructively.

Suppressing feelings.
It’s not about suppressing or bottling up negative emotions. Instead, it involves working to process and understand them to foster emotional health.

Being unrealistically optimistic.
It’s not about being overly optimistic or ignoring real challenges. A positive mindset involves a realistic approach to life, seeing both the positive and negative aspects of situations.

Ignoring problems.
It’s not about ignoring problems or pretending they don’t exist. A positive mindset involves being okay to tackle problems head-on with a constructive attitude.

Avoiding reality.
It’s not about living in a fantasy world where everything is perfect. A positive mindset accepts reality and works towards making the best out of any situation.

Being Naïve.
It’s not about being naive or gullible. A positive mindset is informed and wise, making well-thought-out decisions while maintaining an optimistic outlook.

How to achieve a more positive mindset.

Having a positive mind is powerful, and with the right attitude, you can achieve a lot in your life. Living from the inside out, and not the other way around, means that you are in control of what happens to you by maintaining the right state of mind.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that everything will always go just how you want it to, but you can confront life more easily by being positive.

Here are 10 easy ways to help maintain a more positive mindset.

Get yourself moving every day.

Your body was made for movement. Exercising increases endorphins, dopamine, and adrenaline. These are all brain chemicals associated with feeling confident, happy, capable, and less anxious and stressed. So, try to fit in movement, like taking a long walk, a little daily exercise, yoga, or any kind of activity that gets your blood pumping.

Eat fresh foods.

Ultra-processed food can sabotage your happiness and mood. Specifically, overeating sugar can have a long-term effect on your health, including increasing the risk of depression and anxiety. Making healthy eating choices will make you feel more energized and focused. So, make active choices to feed your body the best way possible to impact your mood, by eating fresh ingredients, such as legumes and other vegetables.

Surround yourself with positive people.

Being around positive or negative energy is very contagious. A positive person can light up a whole room and fill it with energy and good vibes. Surrounding yourself with positive people can improve your self-esteem and increase your mood and general energy. Being around positivity will lift you up and help you see the bright side of the most challenging things.

Laugh it off.

Don’t take life so seriously! Allow yourself to laugh and be open to humor, especially in difficult situations. That will immediately lighten the mood, lift the energy, and make things seem less complicated.

“The silver lining” and the “The bright side of things”.

Challenging situations are a part of life, so when faced with one, try to focus on the good things that might come from it and what the situation might be able to teach you. No matter how small it might seem at first. If you look hard enough, you can always find the silver lining in every cloud. For example, if your friend cancels your coffee date, focus on how this then frees up time for you to catch up on other things or activities you enjoy.

Practice gratitude.

Practicing gratitude can help reduce stress, improve self-esteem, and foster resilience even during difficult times. Thinking of all the little things in life that you’re grateful for can bring comfort and a deeper sense of happiness into your life. Even when your washing machine breaks down once again. Be grateful for the fact that you get to have a washing machine in the first place (many people don’t!). Try to express gratitude at least once a day, to build a habit of cultivating gratitude.

Creating rituals and healthy habits.

Creating rituals and healthy habits will help you maintain a more positive mindset over time. Expressing gratitude is just one way, there are many other ways to implement a bit of positivity and joy into your daily life. Having uplifting and positive rituals you can easily do every day, will help you keep the right mindset.

Like:

• Each morning or evening, write down three things you’re grateful for.
• Create a favorite song or playlist, you can listen to whenever you need a pick-me-up.
• Passing by the mirror, give yourself a compliment.
• At the end of the day, reflect on the positive moments and achievements of the day.
• Engage in activities and hobbies that you enjoy and that bring you joy.
• Have positive affirmations where you can see them every day, like on your laptop, mobile, or on the wall of your bedroom.

Boosting positive feelings by meditating.

Dedicate some time each day to mindfulness meditation. It doesn’t have to be long, just 5-10 minutes can do wonders. Sit quietly, focus on your breath, and bring your attention to the present moment. Let worry and stress wait outside the door as you engage in being present in the here and now and in your body.

Question your thoughts.

Unfortunately, as human beings, we are biologically primed to remember and focus on the negative. This is a way for your mind to ensure your survival long-term. But if you find yourself stuck with a negative thought, that won’t go away, try asking yourself the following questions:

Do you know for sure that the thought is true?
How will you feel about it tomorrow or in a week?
What would you tell a close friend if they had that feeling?

Also try to flip it, to an alternative statement that focuses on it from a more positive view. For example, instead of thinking, “I’m a failure because I made a mistake,” reframe it to “I now know that this is not the way to do it, what did I learn from finding this out?”.

Practice kindness and compassion.

Engaging in acts of kindness and compassion towards others, does wonders for your overall health, as it boosts your mood and helps you create positive connections with others. So, do some volunteering, help someone in need, or simply be sure to be kind in your daily interactions with the people around you.

In closing.

Maintaining a positive mindset is not a magic silver bullet; it won’t make all your problems disappear. You still live in the real world, experiencing real issues and real problems. But it can help you change your perspective on things, and help make things more manageable and easier to handle.

Positive thinking is proven to benefit you in a multitude of ways.

• Better quality of life.
• Higher energy levels.
• Better physical, mental, and spiritual health.
• Faster recovery from injury and illness.
• Fewer colds and infections.
• Lower rates of depression.
• Better stress management and coping skills.
• Longer life span.

Also check out the Serenity Prayer, which is an excellent little prayer to keep in mind.