Think Positive for Health's Sake!

How are you doing on your healthy habits? Don't worry if you aren't ready to move on to this week's habit. Stick with the habit that you really need to keep working on until it becomes a habit. 
 

This week we are going to focus on developing the habit of thinking positively. Side Note: Don't forget to join our Facebook group - this is where we delve deeper into our weekly habits, share our success and struggles with the healthy habits we are working on.

Every time you find yourself in a new situation, what are your first thoughts?

• Are you the kind of person that thinks, "Oh man, this is horrible!"

• Are you the kind of person that thinks, "Awesome, something new!"

Take cynicism, for example: A 2014 study published in the journal Neurology linked high levels of cynicism later in life, i.e. a general distrust of people (and their motives), to a greater risk of dementia compared to those who were more trusting, even after accounting for other risk factors like age, sex, certain heart health markers, smoking status, and more.

This way of thinking may also hurt your heart. A 2009 study from the journal Circulation looked at data from nearly 100,000 women and found that the most cynical participants were more likely to have heart disease than the least cynical folks. The more pessimistic women also had a higher chance of dying over the study period, versus those who were more optimistic about humanity.

Another bad attitude that's been linked to poor health outcomes: hostility. According to a 2014 study published in the journal Stroke, people who scored higher on measures of unfriendliness, as well as those with chronic stress and depressive symptoms, had a higher risk of stroke than the friendlier, kinder participants.

A study published way back in 1990 found that negative thoughts increased pain sensations.

185 people suffering from chronic pain, sickle cell anemia, and rheumatoid arthritis were studied to see how negative thoughts affected their pain, and vice versa.

Those who thought negatively and had a lot of negative self-talk reported not only more pain, but also greater psychological distress. Patients suffering from chronic pain tended to have more negative thoughts during the painful flare-ups than those suffering from the intermittent pain caused by arthritis and sickle-cell anemia.

Finally, there's depression, which is a serious diagnosis that can have repercussions far beyond feeling sad or losing your appetite. It's been connected with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, heart attack, and a greater chance of disability later in life.

Our thoughts and emotions have widespread effects on bodily processes like metabolism, hormone release, and immune function.. One theory is that when you're stressed or depressed, cortisol levels increase, making your immune system less able to control inflammation, which could lead to disease over time.
 

What is Positive Thinking?

When you find yourself in a situation, your mind tends to "explain" it to you. It gives you the explanation of why something has happened, and the way you explain it indicates whether you are a negative or positive person.
 

Benefits of Positive Thinking

There are a surprising number of benefits offered by positive thinking, and you'd be amazed by how positivity can affect your health for the better!

Boost Immunity

Did you know that stress can reduce your body's natural immunity to disease? Positive thinking helps to fight stress, thereby preventing it from messing with your immune system. In fact, positive thinking has actually been found to boost your body's ability to fight off disease.

Improve Heart Health

Your heart is a surprisingly delicate organ considering all the hard work it does, and both stress and anxiety can mess with your heart function. However, positivity can lower your risk of heart disease, including stroke and heart attacks. People who think positively tend to exercise more, eat healthier, and live happier lives!

Fight Stress

As you read above, stress can lead to all kinds of health problems. Not only are there health problems CAUSED by stress, but nearly every disease and disorder on the planet is made worse by anxiety and stress. Positive thinking can help manage stress, thereby preventing a wide range of health problems!

Increase Resilience

Studies have found that positive thinking has helped victims of crises recover more quickly. Thinking positive thoughts helps you to be more resilient, enabling you to bounce back even from serious or traumatic experiences.

Extend Lifespan

A study conducted at the University of London found that seniors who thought positively tend to age healthier. This means that they suffered from fewer physical and emotional health problems as they got older. They even had a longer life expectancy than their negative counterparts!

Tolerate Pain

In one study published in Science Direct, positive thinking was proven to help people tolerate pain. Considering that stress and negativity causes pain sensations to be stronger, it's easy to see how positive thinking can help reduce the pain--but it also helps you to take your mind off the pain, and thus tolerate it better.

Makes You Healthier

In numerous studies published online, researchers have found that people practicing positive thinking tend to be healthier thanks to the fact that they take care of themselves. They do more exercise, eat better, enjoy their hobbies and recreational activities more, are more socially connected, sleep better, and life better lives.

Prevents Hypertension

High blood pressure is one of the many things that can cause heart disorders, the #1 cause of death in the world today. Positive thinking has been proven to lower blood pressure, thereby preventing the risk of hypertension and other heart problems. Anxiety has been directly linked to heart problems, so positivity is the key to a healthy heart!

How to Change Negative Thoughts to Positive Thoughts

Are you the kind of person who has a problem with chronic negativity? Are all of your internal thoughts put-downs and negative? Is your self-talk filled with the word "can't"? If so, it's time to change your negativity to positivity, for your health's sake!

It's not going to be easy to change the way you think, but it can be done! Here are some ways you can change your habits from negative thinking to thinking positive thoughts:

Smile

It may sound trite, but did you know that smiling has been scientifically proven to improve your mood and thought patterns? The muscles in your forehead are directly linked to your brain's emotional center, and creasing them into a frown can make you moody and depressed. Smiling, on the other hand, sends positive, happy thoughts to your mind. Get in the habit of smiling more, and you'll be happier all around!

Do Yoga or Meditate​

What makes Yoga such a great activity is that it helps you to bring your focus inward and listen to your self-talk. Meditation does the same thing, and both of these activities will help you to hear yourself and the way you think. If you hear a lot of negativity, make a conscious effort to replace those thoughts with positive ones. There are a lot of free apps like CALM that can help you take a stress-free break to meditate or just calm your mind. 

Consciously Replace Your Thoughts

Whenever you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts, make a conscious effort to replace it with a positive one. In fact, you can make it a habit that every time you think something negative about a person, situation, or challenge, you HAVE to think two or three positive ones. Within no time, it will become a habit!

Take Control of Your Life

Instead of complaining when you find yourself in negative situations, take control and don't allow it to happen. Make a conscious choice of whether or not you will do something, and stop being a victim in your own life. Start thinking about your choices.

Be Around Positive Thinkers

Take a look at the people you call friends. Are they positive people always looking for the good in life, or do their attitudes trend toward the negative? Instead of hanging around people that will accompany you in your misery, find people that will help to pull you out of it. The more positivity you have in your life, the brighter the world around you will become.

Solve Someone Else's Problems

Are you stressed or worried about a situation in which you find yourself? Take your eyes off yourself and start helping someone else deal with their problems. You may realize that your life isn't as bad as you thought, and things are pretty darn great for you!

Sing

Science has proven that singing helps to fight depression and boosts your mood, so belt out your favorite Show Tunes now! The more you sing, the happier you'll become. It's a great de-stressing activity, plus it's a whole lot of fun! Anytime I'm stressed out my husband knows because I usually have oldie's music on. Nothing beats singing your heart out to songs you know all the words to!

Read

Just like you should surround yourself with positive people, you should also read positivity-reinforcing books, quotes, and materials. Find podcasts that inspire you, or listen to the TED talks. Find quotes on positivity and paste them around your house. The more positivity you surround yourself with, the better!

Make a list

Worried or stress about something, or have negative thoughts plaguing your mind? Instead of giving in to the worries, list the things that you have to be positive or grateful about. Make it a habit to form a list 5 to 10 items long every time your stress mounts.

The truth is that positive thinking is going to improve your life in EVERY SINGLE WAY, so it's time to start replacing your old negative thoughts with new positive ones. Find ways to consciously catch yourself when you think negatively, and make it a habit to think positively in every situation.

Reply to this email or post in our Facebook group with any questions you have and I will gladly help.

I'll share some more tips this week to become a positive thinker, this week in our Facebook group!

This week's email is sponsored by the following.**This email contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

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Carrie A Groff