Article: Being cheerful isn't something that's going to just come about by wishing it. To spread cheer to others, it will be necessary to actually love your life. This means finding and practicing activities that you're passionate about. Make a list of times in your life when you were deeply happy. Include as many details as possible. Include who you were with at the time, whether you were indoors or outdoors, what activities you were doing, and perhaps even what the temperature was like. These details will be different for everyone, so it's important to flesh out all those details. Then, look for trends in the details. Have you been most happy when you're outdoors in nature? Or is it when you're surrounded by people who challenge you? Notice which conditions produce the most happiness. Then, work on sharing these conditions with other people. Maximize the time you spend under those circumstances. Before you know it, cheerfulness can become natural to you. If nothing comes to mind when you think about your passions, this may take some time and effort on your part. Rest assured that everyone has the potential for passion. Experiment with many activities and situations until passion starts to emerge. Becoming cheerful requires being comfortable with yourself. You are a unique person with your own individual traits, strengths and challenges. Be proud of your abilities and strive to be happy about who you are. Avoid striving for perfection. Instead, think of yourself and your life as works in progress. This can make it easier to accept yourself. Humans are complex. Even people who appear cheerful most of the time experience a broad range of emotions throughout any given day. Don't try to force yourself to feel happy all the time. Sometimes, you might realize that being cheerful just isn't something you're capable of at the moment. There's nothing wrong with that. What's most important is that you learn to accept your emotions. Learn to work with what you feel instead of trying to focus only on those emotions that you consider most positive. For example, if you are angry at someone, don't try to reject those feelings because anger is "bad." Instead, accept your anger, and think about what you can do to feel better or forgive the person. If you're having a bad day, acknowledge it. You shouldn't just ignore the fact and continue trying to act happy. Then, after you've accepted the fact that you're experiencing a bad day, look for positives and think of ways to make the situation better. For example, imagine you've been laid-off from your job. That's probably upsetting for you, and it's okay to accept that. But, after the initial shock has passed, start thinking about ways to improve your situation. Make a plan to apply for unemployment, and for finding a new job. Perhaps this will be an opportunity to find work you like better. This will help you accept the complex nature of life. Faking cheer can be counterproductive. People will likely be able to pick up conflicting messages in your body language and facial expressions. So, it's best to just let any emotions flow through you, whatever they might be. At the same time, don't brood over a particular emotion, but instead try to learn why you are feeling it. For instance, if you are angry, that might be because you're uncomfortable and don't know how to express it. Or, you might have unrealistically high expectations for the situation you happen to be in. This might not be easy at first. But, by persistently trying to relate your emotions to what's the present moment, you can learn to control them. Negative experiences can have lasting impacts on our brains work and our ability to control our emotions. This includes traumatic events and long periods of depression. Past events like these can make it difficult to be cheerful. This doesn't mean your are completely controlled by your past. The brain and body have a certain plasticity to them. This allows us to work through negative experiences and make new, positive changes in how our minds work. Over time, you can overcome experiences that make it hard to be cheerful. If there are events in your past you can't get over, see a counselor or other mental health professional. They will listen to whatever you might be struggling with. They will also provide helpful practices or strategies for working through difficult emotions. If you can, don't be afraid to experiment with different counselors. Sometimes it takes a while to find one who is the right fit for you. Many health insurance plans provide for a certain number of mental health visits. Check to see if yours does. Journaling has many mental health benefits that can help you feel comfortable with your past. Especially if you have traumatic events in your past, try writing in about your feelings in a journal every day. Writing about your past experiences or negative emotions is a particularly useful method for working through past traumas. Sit down and write down as many details as you can remember about the experience you have in mind. Or, just describe the emotions you are feeling in the present moment. Writing about your emotions and negative past experiences can give you some distance from them. It can also make them manageable for you in future situations. If you find this overwhelming, or it is upsetting you more than it is helping, you may need professional help. Consider talking to a counselor or therapist. Meditation and/or breathing exercises can also help you control emotions related to your past. Some psychologists have called this developing "mindsight." This is an ability to make decisions about how we respond to our emotions. Sit in a comfortable place with your legs crossed and your hands in your lap. Close your eyes and take deep, steady breaths. Focus on your breathing and try let go of everything else in your mind. There are cds and mp3s available to help guide you through the meditation process. You might not be able to stop experiencing certain emotions. But you can learn to control with regard to how we let them affect our day-to-day life. Learning to meditate will help give you more control over your emotional state. Studies show that meditation helps regulate the function of the amygdala, the part of your brain that controls emotional responses. Get plenty of sleep and eat well. You need your energy and strength to feel and be your best every day. This might mean getting a little bit more exercise. Try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise every week. This can lower blood pressure and reduce stress and anxiety. If you want to be a cheerful person, you must to take care of your body. You must get the right amount of exercise and proper nutritional intake to feel your best.

What is a summary?
Find your passion. Be comfortable in your own skin. Accept your feelings. Look on the bright side, but be honest. Learn how negative experiences from your past affect you today. Keep a journal. Try meditation. Stay healthy.