Often in society, people tend to be very negative and fail to see the positives in a situation. This has caused people to not be as appreciative of things in life or notice even the small positives they face, causing a lot of missed opportunities to find happiness. Even though many people think talking negatively is funny, it can damage their mental health without even realizing it, making even the small positives in their life a step forward to being happier.

One easy and basic way to be more positive is to start your day on a positive note. Some easy ways to do this are by being fully rested, not skipping breakfast, and waking up early. Though it is common for people to not eat breakfast due to their busy schedules, eating breakfast can allow them to find a pause in their day and have a moment of peace and enjoyment before their busy day escalates. Exercising can also promote a positive start to your day, as taking a jog around your neighborhood or doing an indoor workout can help make you feel more motivated to take on the day and be more awake too. Cleaning or completing some small tasks can also make you more positive as you are getting some tasks out of the way that would otherwise be a big list of things. Not only this but doing more tasks in the morning will get you more motivated to do more instead of sitting around all day. This will therefore make you feel happier with the rewarding feeling that you have accomplished something.

Another way to be more positive is by practicing positive self-talk. People can do this by easily switching their words from “I’m not good at this” to “how can I improve?” Additionally, they can also motivate themselves by focusing on the good things during their day and see how that can encourage them to think more positively. To keep track of the positives throughout their day, a gratitude journal is a great idea and can help you really focus on yourself with all of the distractions society brings. It is also a very good idea because whenever you are having a bad day, looking back on it will remind you of all the positives in your life.

Thinking positively not only improves your mental health, but it can also improve your physical health too and can decrease your risk of heart disease, strokes, cancer, infections, respiratory diseases, and overall promote a longer lifespan (Healthline). Students such as Juliana Neemeh (10) realize that “though it is much easier to think negatively, when [she] starts to think positive, it creates a much better environment for both [her] and [her] peers and encourages everyone to do the same.” Along with this and the many other advantages, thinking positively makes our problems much more manageable and helps us overcome the many hardships that can be present in life.