4 Easy Things Happy People Do Every Day That Keep Them Feeling Positive All Week, According To A Psychologist
Even in the darkest times, positivity is easier to grasp than you think
Look Studio | Shutterstock In the incredibly dark times we're currently navigating, it's easy to feel completely hopeless and overwhelmed — that's the point of the "shock and awe" tactics employed by our country's new regime in the first place.
Thankfully, psychologist Lowri Dowthwaite-Walsh shared some proven methods to give your brain a leg up in dealing with difficult times. They won't fix everything, of course, but adopting these daily habits can make a difference in finding relief, not just now but in the future, no matter how dark things get.
Here are 4 easy things happy people do every day that keep them feeling positive all week:
1. Move your body.
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No, this doesn't mean joining a gym or signing up for expensive yoga classes — it can be as simple as going for a walk every day. Whatever you choose, the direct connection between physical activity and mental well-being has been clearly established in a wealth of scientific research.
Moderate-intensity exercise that gets your heart rate up has an even bigger impact on perceived mental well-being. Experts say to aim for anything that gets you slightly out of breath, to the point that you can still talk easily but would probably struggle to sing a song. That's where the sweet spot is in terms of benefits to the brain.
2. Prioritize connection.
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When we're stressed and struggling, it's a natural impulse in many of us to isolate ourselves or to seek out comforting activities and behaviors that don't involve others — disappearing into a book or a TV show, for example.
Those certainly have their place, but research shows that spending time with people we care about has a far greater impact. For one, too much isolation has been shown to exacerbate negative feelings, while time spent connecting tends to have the opposite effect.
But research has also shown that spending time with people we care about not only helps us through our difficult feelings in the present, it also helps guard against them in the future, sort of like storing up positivity for a rainy day.
3. Practice gratitude.
Sure, this may sound like annoying spiritual guru gaslighting — just "practice gratitude" and all your cares will slip away! However, research has consistently found that there is some scientific basis for this.
Much like connection with others, studies have shown that having a focus on gratitude and optimism not only keeps your brain happier in the here and now, but helps inoculate against negative emotions in the future as well.
Many experts recommend the "Three Good Things" exercise, in which at the end of each day you write down three good things that happened — even if they're tiny things like your coffee turning out just the way you like it. Studies have repeatedly shown that even these tiny nudges toward optimism help your brain to cope, and offer a cumulative effect.
4. Spend time with pets and animals.
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Having a pet has repeatedly been shown to help manage issues like depression and anxiety while boosting self-esteem and feelings of well-being. If your pet is a dog, it also helps you with number one on this list with all those daily walks.
OK, so you don't have a pet. But you do likely have birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and the like around the place you live. Speaking from personal experience, just sitting in a backyard or a park and watching these weird little guys go about their daily habits can be exceptionally calming, even if you're not the type to be a bird-watcher.
It takes you out of your head and into the real world for a moment, which is grounding, and sometimes that momentary escape is all you need to pull yourself out of the doldrums and back onto solid ground.
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.