Positive Attitude Development



Is Attitude Development Important?



Whether we like it or not, our attitude towards life can have a significant impact on the quality of life. By learning how to listen to our inner selves, we can figure out how our inner thought process works and how it may have a bearing on the way we deal with stress in our daily lives.



A lot of people discover that their internal dialogue is largely negative. If you find yourself thinking such thoughts as “What if I fail?” or “I could never accomplish that,” then you do not have a positive attitude. This can affect every single aspect of your existence.



Whenever we encounter stress, certain hormones in our bodies are activated. When produced on occasion, these hormones are no big deal. But when one’s body is constantly producing such hormones, then serious damage can be done. Cardiovascular disease is one of the long term effects of the continual production of stress based hormones.



The key to avoiding stress and the negative thoughts associated with it is to remember who we are deep down inside, outside of our momentary emotional lapses. For most individuals, the transition to a positive attitude consists of numerous small steps. Let us take a look at the ways that attaining a positive attitude towards life may be accomplished. We will start with one of the most basic fundamental human needs – sleep.



How does Sleep Impact Attitude?



Sleep is the key to the maintenance and improvement of one’s energy levels. It also helps to maintain the body’s immune system, while vastly improving the emotional and mental clarity one needs in order to focus and maintain a positive attitude towards life. Whenever you feel good, you function a lot better – and one cannot feel good without getting a decent amount of sleep every night.







If you have difficulty sleeping at night, you may want to try one or several of the following:



- Try to decrease activities that require a lot of mental energy in the evenings.

- Make plans for the following day.

- Take a hot bath before you go to sleep each night.

- Dim the lights and listen to soothing music.

- Do not read or watch TV in bed.

- Try sleeping in another part of the house if you have difficulties falling asleep in your bedroom.

- Listen to soothing natural sounds on a high quality listening device. This might include waterfalls, streams, waves, the wind, etc. You can order such soundtracks over the Internet.

- Turn off all the lights in your bedroom.

- Consult your doctor or pharmacist on natural remedies for sleeping such as valerian, calcium, and melatonin.



How does One Develop a Healthy Attitude?



There are many ways one might go about developing a positive attitude and thus greatly enhance his or her life.



You should keep in mind that it is the simple things in life that provide us with the most pleasure and stimulation. If you feel like you are dealing with an overwhelming amount of stress, do things that you enjoy. Relax. Go to an art gallery. Re-connect with an old friend. Listen to your favorite song, or go to a movie. Only by treating ourselves to a fair amount of free time can we hope to maintain a positive attitude.



Helping others also helps us maintain a positive attitude towards life. This can be as simple as carrying groceries for an elderly person, or as elaborate as calling your local volunteer center for insight in to community based programs that you can become a part of. Helping others enriches our lives, and thus improves our general attitude.



Ultimately, it is all about paying close attention both to yourself and the people around you. By treating yourself well, you can in turn use the energy that you save as “points” towards the pursuing of your ultimate goals in life.







How can I Improve My Day?



One of the main sources of our daily unhappiness is our inner critic. Our inner critic has been with us our entire lives. It is what makes us critical not only of ourselves, but of other people as well.



You should never allow your inner critic to overwhelm your thoughts. The most positive aspects of your thought will always come from a place of self love. Learn to accept your shortcomings as a human being, and you will position yourself on the road towards attaining a positive attitude.



A good way of keeping one’s inner critic in check is to keep a journal that records all the negative thoughts you can remember from that day. Try to think of a “flipside” for each of those thoughts – effectively turning a negative in to a positive – and write that down next to each of the negative thoughts.