When you have multiple things going on in all aspects of your life, things get hectic and you easily start to overwhelm yourself. Before you try to tackle everything that life’s throwing at you, take a moment to pause and make sure you’re mentally prepared to succeed at your tasks. If you throw yourself head-on into your many work and personal trials, remember that keeping a positive mindset will lead you to be more productive and accomplish more in a shorter amount of time.

Staying positive throughout your day-to-day activities may seem like a no-brainer and maybe you’ve even forgotten how important it really is. When you’re positive about the upcoming events in your life – even if they seem daunting – amazing things can happen. Being positive means you’re mentally prepared for the challenges facing you and that you’re confident in your ability to accomplish them. Basically, by maintaining a positive outlook, you’re already halfway to achieving your goals.

Follow these 5 steps to create and maintain a more positive mindset:

  1. Eat a well-balanced breakfast – Sounds easy enough, but how often are you running late in the morning and just opt for a large cup of coffee instead? Your caffeine fix will help you get through that traffic-filled commute and maybe the first couple hours of your day. Why settle for a dragging morning when waking up 15 minutes earlier could help you power through all the way till lunch? Try this morning menu instead to jump start your day – 1 cup of plain vanilla yogurt, a handful of blueberries, and ¼ cup of granola.  Or if you crave something more savory in the morning – 1 plain bagel toasted, 1 over medium egg, and 2 slices of lean ham.
  2. Get a good night’s sleep – Again, a simple tip – yet hard to fall into habit. The trick to getting a good night’s sleep is sleeping at the same time every night. Granted, you’re not sleeping past 12 and only getting 5 hours of sleep. When your sleep pattern is off, even by just a couple of days, you’ll wake up feeling exhausted and automatically in a bad mood as a result. To make sure you’re not skipping out on any sleep, try this: prepare your next day’s clothes, pack up your briefcase, and set aside your breakfast before you go to sleep. This way you don’t have to worry about waking up earlier or rushing to get them done in the morning.
  3. Keep yourself physically healthy – Exercise is key to getting serotonin (your body’s natural happy chemical) released in your system. When your body is healthy and happy, so will your mind. Sometimes fitting in time to get to the gym and keep up a daily workout regimen can be tough. But there are tons of ways to get in good, quick workouts to keep yourself healthy. You can easily fit in a walk around your block every night with your family or give the 7 minute workout a try.
  4. Cross something off your to-do list – One of the best things you can do to get yourself in a positive and productive mindset is cross something off of your list. If you don’t keep a daily to-do list, start one for today. To-do lists keep you organized and let you know what tasks take the highest priority. When you cross one task off of your to-do list, you’ll be motivated to cross off more. To-do lists help you stay positive by giving you a clear image of the progress you’re making towards achieving your goals.
  5. Spend time with people that uplift you – When you feel emotionally drained from different obligations in both your work and personal life, the biggest thing preventing you from staying positive is being around people that are not positive themselves. If you have certain friends that seem to complain and bring you down whenever you converse with them, maybe it’s time to take a step back and spend more time with those that encourage you to be the best you can be. Social interaction with people that bring out the best in you and share common goals with you are bound to help you feel more positive about yourself and the different events happening in your life.

Accomplishing your goals and getting through busy personal times all begins with a positive mindset. Sometimes it’s easier said than done, but we hope these 5 steps take the obscure idea of “positivity” and break it down to be something more easily obtainable. Let us know what tips you have for staying positive and remember to keep these new tips in mind when things start to get overwhelming.