Dear Reader,

Is your glass half empty or half full? How you answer this timeless question may reflect your outlook on life, your attitude toward yourself and those around you, and your overall quality of life. Research suggests that optimism and pessimism are more than just character traits. The way you see that glass may affect your health, well-being and even life span, studies find.

For many people, stress is a daily occurrence. It’s just not possible to eliminate it completely. However, it is possible to reduce its ill effects. Optimism is a tendency to expect good things in the future. Optimists do that well, and they also tend to be confident and persistent when faced with difficulties. They expect good outcomes, even when things are hard, which results in a relatively positive mix of emotions.

Even if you aren’t naturally inclined to optimism, you can learn to be more positive. Here are some ways to think and behave in a more positive and optimistic way:

Identify areas to change. First identify areas of your life that you usually think negatively about, whether it’s work, your daily commute, life changes or a relationship. You can start small by focusing on one area to approach in a more positive manner. Think of constructive ways to manage your stress instead of counterproductive ones.
Check yourself. Periodically during the day, stop and evaluate what you’re thinking. If you find that your thoughts are mainly pessimistic, try to find a way to put a hopeful spin on them.
Be open to humor. Give yourself permission to smile or laugh, especially during difficult times. Seek humor in everyday happenings. When you can laugh at life, you feel less stressed.
Follow a healthy lifestyle. Aim to exercise for about 30 minutes most days of the week. You also can break it up into 5- or 10-minute chunks of time during the day. Exercise can positively affect mood and reduce stress. Follow a healthy diet to fuel your mind and body. Get enough sleep. And learn techniques to manage stress.
Surround yourself with positive people. Make sure those in your life are positive, supportive people you can depend on to give helpful advice and feedback. Negative people may increase your stress level and make you doubt your ability to manage stress in healthy ways.
Practice self-compassion. Amit Sood, M.D., links self-compassion to being kind and comforting to yourself while accepting your imperfections and acknowledging your place in the wider world. He explains that being compassionate to yourself doesn’t make you self-indulgent or narcissistic. On the contrary, accepting yourself motivates you to accept others.