Naturally positive people don’t just hope for the best — they practice it daily.
There is a severe lack of positivity right now. And somewhere between wanting to bury our heads in the sand and feeling deeply concerned, if not genuinely worried, about the state of the world, can we learn to see the bright side of life?
The answer is “yes,” you can still maintain a balanced state of mind that isn’t affected by all the negativity we are constantly being bombarded with daily, if you learn how to harness the power of positive thinking and become a more naturally positive person.
Here are 13 simple habits of naturally positive people:
1. They choose what they take in and absorb
If the negative starts outweighing the positive, it’s time to change the channel or switch the station. You may not be in control of what’s going on in the world, but you’re in control of the TV remote.
2. They read more than the front page of the newspaper
There are other sections of the paper that feature articles that can actually make you smile and feel hopeful about people and the world.
3. They spend less time with pessimistic people
Do you really want to surround yourself with negative people? Some people are doomsdayers and subscribe to the belief that the world is coming to an end. The world keeps getting predicted to end, and we’re still here.
Be clear about what your position is on how you see things turning out: positive or negative.
4. They avoid (or prepare themselves for) violent TV shows or movies
Sometimes, we’re not prepared for the disturbing images we see on TV or in a movie — it can feel like an assault on the senses, as explained in a psychological study of journalists in the newsroom and the impact of witnessing images of extreme violence.
Decide ahead of time what kind of images you want to take into your psyche. Violent ones can be jarring and hard to shake off. There are many uplifting movies and shows to see instead.
5. They do things that support a positive mindset
Plant a vegetable garden, donate to charity, give blood, volunteer at a hospital or a home for the aging, or just let someone go ahead of you in traffic or the checkout line who only has two items. Think of ways to keep your thoughts proactive, productive, and not just about yourself.
“Observe your life from a new angle,” advised career coach Lisa Petsinis. “Climb a mountain or stand on a chair and imagine yourself looking down at your life. What do you see? What new insights do you have? Or think of a metaphor. Visualize a beautiful bird or a dog that has been caged. Walk up to the cage, open the door, and let that bird fly or let that dog run through the pasture. Now, free yourself to new possibilities.”
6. They’re solution-oriented
Instead of criticizing how things are, decide if you’re a “candle lighter” or a “complainer of the darkness.”
Research shows that “thinking about solutions rather than problems during a self-coaching writing exercise increases both people’s immediate affective states and their goal-directed motivation,” according to a report in Frontiers in Psychology.
7. They don’t let negative people bring them down
Try and stay positive and loving toward them, even if they’re not acting very lovable. When your energy is elevated, it can’t help but bring someone else’s energy higher.
8. They smile at as many people as they can
Keep on smiling, it can awaken someone’s sad heart and make them feel hopeful about life again.
9. They compliment others
Tell them something nice about what you think of them. Everyone wants to feel valued and important.
When you mirror the best in another person, they feel seen by you for who they really are, and that feels good. A 2021 study explored how the accumulation of frequent compliments does not lessen the positive impact the compliments have.
10. They say ‘I love you’ as often as they can
Offering your love to others is the greatest gift you can give them. Love will always have power over negativity and create more light and deeper meaning in your life and others.
11. They laugh
There are so many great comedies to watch that will definitely put you in a better mood. Some of them are classics, like Charlie Chaplin; others might be modern funny guys like John Mulaney or Nate Bargatze.
Laughing always balances the seriousness of life, and research on the therapeutic benefits of laughter in mental health showed it is a proven treatment for depression.
12. They adopt or spend time with animals
Caring for an animal you saved from being euthanized is one of the most gratifying things you can do. The love you will feel for this animal will melt away any kind of negativity in your life.
13. They watch informative news, not bad news
Do you ever have those times when you feel like talking back to the TV when the news is on? They’re always talking about something upsetting, and you just want to yell, “Do we really have to hear this negative stuff again?!”
Of course, you can always change the channel if you don’t want to listen to who shot who, what was the worst accident of the day, or how close we are to experiencing the “fiscal cliff.”
And even though that’s a political term referring to tax increases, it sounds like we’re all at the edge of a cliff and about to fall off. The saying “no news is good news” doesn’t really apply to our lives now because, these days, with 24-hour news coming from every conceivable electronic device, there is no such thing as “no news.”
Truth is, it never stops coming, and most of the time, it isn’t so good. The best type of news to listen to is unbiased and the most informative. Avoid the ones that are blatantly biased and hurt you.
And definitely avoid the news channels that spend most of their time talking about one horrible thing after the next, as explained by a study of how news media use anger, fear, and disgust to manipulate viewers. They’re like the blues news and not what you want to be listening to before you go to bed.
Put on some Zen music and visualize yourself in paradise, even though the newscasters will make it sound like you’re not. When life is full of nothing but negativity, you wish you knew how to be more positive. So how can we stay connected to what’s happening in the world without feeling like it’s ending? And even if it is, are we supposed to feel bad because things aren’t always so good?
By making a conscious decision to harness the power of positivity and live your life with less negativity in it, you become the arbiter of what you let in and what you don’t. We always have a choice as to how we want to live our lives and what kind of quality we want them to have.
You can limit the amount of negativity in your life by taking control of it and welcoming positive thoughts. Entrepreneur and motivational speaker Michael Altshuler said it best: “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”
