You can reduce stress by thinking positively about what is going on in your daily life. Most of us have heard someone say “Think positive!” or “look on the bright side” when things are not going well. It may be hard to hear but there is some truth to that. Positive thinking can reduce your stress levels, help you feel better about yourself (and your situation), and improve your overall health and outlook.

The only problem is that it’s not always easy to be positive and some circumstances make it more difficult than others. Good news: With a little effort to turn your negative thoughts around, you can become an optimist.

Meditation can be defined in many ways. But one simple way to think about it is to train your attention to achieve a calm state of mind and positive emotions. How can simply modifying your thoughts and emotions lead to so many positive outcomes throughout the body? Researchers believe that the benefits of mindfulness have something to do with its ability to reduce the body’s response to stress. Chronic stress can weaken the body’s immune system and exacerbate many other health problems. By decreasing the response to stress, alertness can have an effect on the entire body. – American Psychological Association.

Mindfulness can improve mental and physical health. People have been practicing meditation for thousands of years, often as part of a spiritual practice. But in recent years, mindfulness has become a popular way to help people manage stress and improve their overall health — and several studies show it is effective. Psychologists have discovered that mindfulness meditation changes our brains and biology in positive ways, improving mental and physical health.