When negativity tugs at your spirits, take physical action, which activates your body to change your behavior and reduce stress. Here are three of my favorite tips to maintain a positive attitude:

1. Go outside every day. Being in nature has a way of giving you perspective. As you look at the ever-changing sky, clouds, trees, flowers, birds, even tiny insects, you will transport yourself outside of your boxed in world and expand your mind. If you live near the mountains, the ocean, a lake, the desert, a park or forest, interesting rock formations, or an open prairie, admire the majestic beauty of nature. For me, I do my best thinking, my clearest thinking, while walking in the woods.
2. Smile! A smile is one of the most universal forms of communication. It is also one of the easiest things to do. The more often that you smile, your face will tell your brain that you feel better. Before you know it, you will feel better. When you enter a room, or pass someone on the street, how do you say, “Welcome” or “Hello” or “I’d like to get to know you”? Think about how you look to other people as they meet you. Are you frowning or smiling? A smile is much more inviting. Even if you don’t feel like smiling, slowly turn the corners of your mouth up to form a gentle smile. You will begin to feel more positive.
3. Nap. Economist Frank Knight got it right when he said, “Never waste any time you could spend sleeping.” He knew the value of 40 winks. The world would be a much better place if more people took short 10- to 15-minute naps to ease their mind, rest their eyes and refresh their spirit. Once your body gets accustomed to taking short naps, you will wonder why you lived without them for so long.

The next time you feel negativity creeping into your life, get physical and change your perspective.

What if you could spend one day, one week, or longer with no negative thoughts or actions? What impact would that have on your life?

Dr. Emmet Fox, Scottish born philosopher, scientist and spiritual teacher, developed a small pamphlet in 1938 entitled, The Seven-Day Mental Diet. This tiny gem challenges the reader to take a “mental diet” for one week, which means you cannot think any negative thoughts or say anything negative during that time. If you lapse from the diet, you must start at the beginning again, at Day One. In this diet, you cannot use negative language or think bad thoughts about yourself or someone else.

I tried the diet, thinking how hard can this be? I created guidelines for myself: Remain positive all the time. Let my anger or frustration simply melt away. This meant no road rage, no negative thoughts about other people or myself. It sounded so simple. My first attempt lasted just a few hours before negativity crept back into my psyche. As I struggled through the first day, I was shocked to discover that I was more negative than I had thought. It was an eye opening experience. I would highly recommend this exercise if you are interested in improving your positive outlook on life.

Keep forging ahead even if you struggle the first few days (or minutes!). Over time, this exercise will become easier and you will notice a difference. Soon your newfound positive attitude will become natural to you.