Negative thoughts lead to bad moods which lead to bad days which lead to overall pessimism. Now to be clear, I'm not at all saying that if you have clinical depression, are grieving a loss, or recovering from a trauma that you can just think some happy thoughts and poof magic everything is better.
What I am saying is that no matter who you are or what you're going through, you can choose to improve your state of mind and you can be successful at it.
First thing in the morning, think of three things currently in your life that you're grateful for. Think of them in full detail and take some deep breaths. Really feel that gratitude. Same goes before bed. And if there's not much to be grateful for, use the ones from the morning again. Throughout the day, check in with yourself every couple of hours and think of something you're grateful for and breathe that in, too.
This is easy and takes very little time...ten minutes per day, tops. It's so easy you may think it won't even accomplish anything but it's actually doing a lot. It's producing serotonin in your brain. It's lowering your blood pressure. It's centering you into a great mind space. And it's rewiring your brain to be conscious of the bright side of your life.
Do this daily for a few weeks and you'll notice a big difference. Make it a daily happiness workout for your mind and enjoy the results.
-Doe Zantamata