How to be an optimist.

by Laurence Shorter from Here!

1. Be kind to yourself.

2. Listen carefully to your inner "chatter". Do you catch yourself in a full negative mode, blaming yourself, blaming others, exaggerating situations or panicking.

3. Notice how this inner chatter makes you feel: would you let someone else talk to you like that? Would you talk that way to someone else.

4. Take responsibility for your feelings. This is the first principle of optimism. Your feelings, however they started, happen inside of you and only you can decide how to react to them.

5. Think about how you can help others, if you don't already.

6. If you find yourself compulsively checking the news bulletins, stop. NOW. Our addiction to bad news feeds off our boredom and negativity....and the news repays the favour by feeding us with fear and anxiety.

7. Take practical steps to take care of your basic needs: rest, routine, work, companionship, freedom and flexibility. And enough holiday.

8. Practise some variety of energy management to keep your emotions on an even keel: exercise, sport, yoga, therapy, dancing, or just jumping up and down on the stop.

9. Develop appreciation. Before you fall asleep every night, try thinking of three things that went well in your day. In psychological trials, this simple exercise has been proved to raise levels of subjective happiness for sustained periods.

10. Finally, have fun. It's a long road, and you've just begun.