Take control-be an optimist not a pessimist.

I think sometimes we forget how good things in life can be. Sometimes 'bad ' things happen that can change our whole outlook.Some people are born optimists-people who always look on the bright side and overcome anything that is thrown at them. Other people are natural pessimists-people who can't always see things for what they are. Always expecting the 'worst' to happen. This negativity can often lead to depression and a general feeling of 'Why me and what else could go wrong?' I think that the following tips -which were given to me by a health visitor are invaluable;

Remember the good: List three good things that happen to you every day. This could be something simple like seeing flowers blooming on your way to work.

Visualise happiness and success:Seeing yourself as being happy and positive sets up a new pattern in the brain and you are most likely to experience that effect.

Take control:While you may not be in control of the bad things that may happen to you,you can control how they make you feel.You do have a choice about your own mood. Don't let isolated 'bad' incidents ruin your day.

Do unto others:Facial expressions are contagious,you smile and others smile.If you adopt a cheerful manner others will reflct this back to you.

Don't 'personalise' everything: Optimists are reasonable when bad things happen. They don't think-why me? They think - -why not me? They can turn the situation around. For example, they've lost their job-ok, so a better one will come along.

Fail like an optimist: If an optimist bakes a cake and it sinks in the middle,she'll think-the recipe was wrong or the oven was at the wrong temperature. A pessimist will make the failure permanent by thinking-I'm no good at cooking, it always goes wrong when I bake.

Show gratitude: Look back on your life, and think about the people who have supported you. However hard done by you feel, you'll be surprised by how many you remember. When you do this ,you will feel your own self worth and see you are a good person and should be feeling'Optimistic.'

HAVING A POSITIVE OUTLOOK NOT ONLY HELPS US LIVE LONGER,IT MAKES US HEALTHIER AND HAPPIER.