Think positive

How are you feeling today? If your head 's in a spin because you 've had a bad night 's sleep, or maybe you've just got too much to do, the chances are you 're not in the best of moods. If everything seems like an effort and you have a negative attitude, the last thing you want to be told is to ‘be positive !   【小题1】 .

Of course, developing a positive attitude is easier said than done. 【小题2】 When you're

【小题3】 . Professor Lewina Lee from Boston University School of Medicine, who worked on the study, told the BBC that : “Our findings speak to the possibility that raising levels of optimism may promote longevity and healthy ageing. ” And she advises that pessimists could benefit from doing things like imagining a future where everything turns out well.

【小题4】 .Vicki Siska says “Music feeds my soul. A sense of humour keeps things in perspective.” And Pippa Kennedy says “ being grateful for what you have — and lots of chocolate —helps ! ” 【小题5】 . That's probably why other people have recommended doing yoga as well as staying fit and healthy to help maintain a positive outlook on life.

My daughter has a new app on her phone that can clear up and improve old photos. She used it to make copies of pictures from my old photo albums, brighten them up, and email them back to me. There were pictures of Mom, Dad, Grandma, my brothers, me and my first dog Duke. Looking at them brought back so many loving, happy memories. I even put one on my laptop computer as my new screensaver.

It is a picture of me sitting in my favorite chair, across from the woodstove, next to a bookcase full of old books. I am wearing my special Snoopy sweatshirt. There is a big smile on my face and a joyful shine in my eyes. It was how I spent a lot of my winter afternoons as a boy, reading an old book.

It is strange too that 50 years later that boy still lives inside of me. I still love comfortable chairs, warm stoves, old books, Snoopy, hugging dogs, and reading books on cold winter days. Yet, when I look in the mirror now all I see is thinning, graying hair, age spots, and lots of wrinkles.

Once in a while I look into my eyes in the mirror. They are hiding behind glasses now. They are set a little deeper in my eyes. The innocence (天真) in them has been replaced with wisdom. But they still have that same joyful shine.

Looking at the little boy smiling at me from the computer screen and that 56-year-old man looking back at me in the mirror can be a bit confusing at times. They seem so different. Still, they are both me.

Over the last few years, there has been a trend to focus on gratitude. We can buy different kinds of gratitude journals, or download some apps to write down our blessings. 【小题1】 “We should also bear in mind that gratitude is free.” says Laurie Santos, who teaches a course on the science of well-being and happiness at Yale University.

【小题2】 Studies have found that keeping a gratitude journal can decrease materialism and enhance generosity among adolescents. Giving thanks can help people sleep better, lower stress and improve interpersonal relationships. 【小题3】 “It is one practice that really wins out from the field of positive psychology.” she says. Her students, in addition to keeping gratitude journals, are asked to write a thank-you letter and then read it out loud to the recipient (收信人). “They show measurable improvements in well-being even a month after they’ve done this.” she says.

What works for some people may not work for others. There’s a lack of research on how gratitude exercises help people with anxiety or clinical depression. Indeed, for all the research on the broad benefits of expressing gratitude, it is not for everyone. 【小题4】 It can’t make injustice, loss or pain disappear.

During really tough times, like when she suffers from poor health, Santos feels like she is reaching for reasons to be grateful. But she still tries to find some. “I’m grateful for the sun that’s shining or being able to wake up.” she says. 【小题5】