Positive Thinking
Is your glass half empty or half-full?
Positivity is a great quality. I don’t think anyone can argue with that. But positive thinking does not come easily to many people.
Take me, for instance. I suffer from anxiety. It causes me to worry excessively about certain things or situations and can trigger feelings of intense stress and fear. I am therefore always interested in learning about ways to manage that condition. It’s not easy! I’m sure many of you can relate.
So, after reading a very interesting article about the effects of positive thinking, I decided to take a deeper dive into the subject. What I learned is that positive thinking helps with stress management and can even improve your health. In fact, some studies show that personality traits like optimism and pessimism can affect areas of your health and wellbeing. Positive thinking is a key part of stress management, AND positive thinking skills can be learned.
Positive thinking doesn’t mean that you should ignore life’s unpleasant situations, but rather that you approach them in a more positive and productive way, such as imagining that the best thing is going to happen instead of the worst.
We tend to have endless streams of unspoken thoughts run through our head. These thoughts can be positive or negative. Some of them can come from logic and reason, while others may come from misconceptions, from pictures we paint in our mind due to a lack of information or our preconceived ideas of what may happen. Anxious brains are particularly good at the latter.
If the thoughts that run through your brain are mostly negative, your outlook on life will most likely be pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you are someone who practices positive thinking.
The following are some of the health benefits associated with positive thinking:
Increased life span
Greater resistance to illness
Better psychological and physical wellbeing
Better physiological and mental wellbeing
Reduced risk of death from cancer, respiratory conditions, and infections
Better coping skills during times of stress
It is possible to turn negative thinking into positive thinking. The process is simple but does take time and practice.
Check yourself. Stop and evaluate what you are thinking several times a day. If you find your thoughts are mainly negative, try to put a positive spin on them.
Be open to humor. Give yourself permission to smile or laugh, especially during difficult times. It will help you feel less stressed.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Regular exercise can have a positive effect on mood and reduce stress. Get adequate sleep. This one is super important!
Surround yourself with positive people who are supportive and give helpful advice and feedback.
Practice positive self-talk. Start by following this simple rule: Don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to anyone else.
Be gentle with yourself.
Practice gratitude.
Practice journaling.
While research shows that the above suggestions are beneficial, I must point out that they are not a cure for mental health disorders. They are intended as another tool in our tool kit. Practicing them will not make you an optimist overnight. But with practice, your self-talk will eventually contain less criticism and more self-acceptance.
“It is interesting how often we can’t see all the ways in which we are being strong.”
Lena Dunham
Sources: mayoclinic.org, hopementalhealth.com