I happen to believe that a healthy lifestyle not only affects your body physically, but also your mental state. One way to feel better is to be positive! I know that everyone says that you should be positive, but how many of us actually practice that?

One skill to work on is RECOGNIZING the negative thoughts or behaviors. You may not even know you are being so negative and once you clue in to these thoughts, they can’t sneak in quite as often. When you feel yourself being negative, ask yourself why are you feeling this way and then try to figure out a way to turn those feelings into something positive.

For example, sometimes I think “I wish I had a bigger house. Everything is so cramped here.” and then I will correct my brain and say “Thank the Lord I have a home and too much stuff! I could have nothing.”

The key is to not feel sorry for yourself, to focus on the good things in your life and you will automatically start feeling better. There really is THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING! For more info and some good tips, read this article: http://zenhabits.net/2007/06/can-you-spot-these-10-thinking-sins/ 

Here is a list of some other things that you could try doing to boost your mental health & attitude:

1. Limit your TV time. Record your favorite shows and watch them only when you have downtime. Never sit aimlessly in front of the TV. Learn to have quiet time with no TV or radio.
2. Think about the things that  make you really happy and savor the time you spend doing them. i.e. playing with your pets, eating a good meal, snuggling with your hubby
3. Practice acts of kindness. Not to make you feel superior or to show off, but just to be nice. Smile a lot (I’m getting better at this one!)
4. Slow Down (I have the hardest time with this one). Try not to rush doing everything. Life happens while you were busy (the real end of this quote is ‘making plans’, but I like it just being busy.)You’ll never get these moments back.
5. Take it easy – by this I mean don’t let things bother you. I used to have a really hard time taking it easy. Just because someone does or says something to you that you don’t like or that’s mean doesn’t mean you have to react or brood about it all the time. This will only bring you down. Take a deep breath and let it go. Don’t let other peoples anger affect you.
6. Which brings me to my next step. Take deep breaths! Whenever you think about this, do it and do it often! You will be surprised at how a few deep breaths during the day keep you calm and happy!
7. Be compassionate. People aren’t really that different than you are.

I am by no means a straight A student of these ideas, but I find that the more I mindfully practice them, the happier I am. I am a big believer that what you put out there, is what you get in return. So start putting out the good vibes, people!