Get a Positive Attitude

It is so much easier to drown yourself in misery and self-loathing. Negativity is like junk food to the soul. It feels good while you indulge in it, but with every bite you feel yourself getting heavier and unhappier. To reach for the healthy meals feels strenuous. Having to put on a smile is harder, when you could just numb your senses by watching mindless TV infomercials. It's time to bring happiness into your life.

It's not everyone's cup of tea to automatically look up Yoga classes or join a meditation group, but here are a few easy and doable steps to get your glass looking fuller:

Prioritize
Divide your worries into manageable chunks. Each chunk deserves a different level of priority. Don't worry about that spaghetti stain on the ol blouse that you didn't like that much in the first place, the same way you would worry about your outstanding mortgage payment. Take a good look at your list of worries, and deal with them one by one at a designated time of day. Tackling them one at a time will make your life much easier.

Start and Finish
Get into the habit of beginning and ending your day with a positive thought. You might wake up with "Oh no, I'm late for work! My boss will kill me!" but immediately follow that thought with something you might look forward to. Perhaps it's the new shoes you'll be wearing parading in front of your co-workers or the yummy sandwich your wife made you in preparation for the long day. On the same note, count your blessings every night before falling asleep. Even if you feel silly, ignore it. It will go away.

Shake it off
It's surprising how you can pick the worriers out of a big crowd just by looking at their body language. Worriers sink into their seats, their posture crumbles, and their foreheads start to wrinkle. Mental tension makes the muscles cramp up. Relax your shoulders instead and sit up straight.

Share and Communicate
There is nothing more important than to vent your frustrations to your friend, your spouse, your journal or through your art. Releasing stress and anxiety also lessens their powers. It feels good to be validated and heard. And who knows, perhaps a new solution presents itself.

Live in the Now
Of course we must plan for the future. But don't spend your days packing and repacking for a vacation that's three weeks away, when you could be enjoying a nice evening in with a good book. You don't want to spend your workweek only looking forward to the weekend. Find things you enjoy every day.