Optimists look on the bright side of things even when faced with challenging situations. If you’re prone to long stretches of feeling hopeless, learning how to stay optimistic could change your worldview.

Staying optimistic can enhance your life in various ways and practicing the following tips may help you stay motivated, even in tough times.

Telltale Signs of an Optimist 

So how do you spot an optimist, much less identify yourself as one? Here are a few ways you can identify an optimist:

• Optimists see opportunities for growth rather than problems.
• Optimists inherently believe things will improve, so you stay engaged in life.
• Optimists draw knowledge from past successes.
• Optimists are resilient.
• Optimisits believe in themselves and others.
• Optimists count their blessings.
• Opimistists forgive others and chose not to blame others.
• Optimists turn envy into a catalyst for success.
• Optimists accept responsibilities for mistakes.

Benefits of Thinking Positively

Thinking positively has many advantages, including:

• Lower rates of depression
• Less likey to catch a cold
• More energy and faster recovery 
• Improved quality of life
• Enhanced coping skills
• Longer life span
• Improved physical amd psychological health

How to Stay Optimistic in Everyday Life

It’s only natural to get down sometimes, but knowing how to lift yourself out of these moods can feel empowering, to say the least.

Seven tips to staying optimistic—especially when you’ve experienced some setbacks—include:

1. Surround Yourself With Positive People

One of the essential ingredients to staying optimistic is surrounding yourself with people who contribute something positive to your life.

2. Give Back

There are many studies that demonstrate the power of paying it forward. Acts of kindness can help you live longer, boost happiness and reduce depression.

3. Let Go

When you let go of these five things daily, you free yourself up to cultivate a more optimistic outlook:

• Let go of anger and resentment.
• Let go of complaining.
• Let go of pity.
• Let go of justifying.
• Ket go of blaming others.
• Let go of regrets.
• Let go of comparisons.

4. Challenge Negative Thinking

While challenging at times, it is possible to turn negative thoughts into positive ones. Some ways you can shift your thoughts for the better include:

• Do things that make you laugh: You are more likely to feel less stress when you laugh, which inevitably leads to more optimism.
• Engage in positive self-talk: Monitor your thoughts and catch yourself if you slip into a pattern of negative thinking. The best way to determine if you’re engaging in positive self-talk is by assessing whether your thoughts are things you would say to a friend.
• Adopt a positive lifestyle: Healthy habits can change everything. Try exercising at least 30-minutes a day, meditating or trying some other form of stress reduction, or practicing healthy eating habits.

5. Stay Present

When you stay present, you focus on what is currently happening around you. Studies have identified present-moment awareness as a mindfulness practice that may help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

6. Cultivate Gratitude

One way to practice gratitude—and therefore stay optimistic—is to keep a gratitude journal. When you write down all the things you’re thankful for daily, you’ll have a catalog of happy memories to return to when you feel down. Practicing this habit can be a great way to cultivate an optimistic attitude.

7. Listen to Music That Mimics How You Want to Feel

Listening to our favorite songs can boost our mood and immediately impact our brains in a positive way. Music can make us feel good by stimulating hits of dopamine.

Experience More Optimism Today

There are many advantages to thinking positively. Luckily, there are numerous tips and tricks to practicing positive thinking—tips that will help you reap the rewards of optimism.

Try these strategies to find a few that work best for you and practice implementing them into your everyday routine. With practice, you may find yourself experiencing the benefits of optimism. Heck, you may even classify yourself as a tried-and-true optimist.