Our minds are powerful tools for creating health and wellness. While studies haven’t identified precisely why positive people are healthier, researchers suspect that it is because people who are more positive process stress better and move through hard situations more easily. Negative attitudes and feelings of helplessness can create chronic stress, which can, in turn, damage the immune system. Anger and hostility are related to health conditions such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, digestive disorders, and increased instances of infection. Surprisingly, the tendency toward a positive or negative outlook does have a genetic component. However, this doesn’t mean that people can’t improve their outlooks. Some tips to improve your outlook include:
Smile More - Even fake smiling can reduce heart rate and blood pressure during stressful situations.
Practice Reframing - Instead of stressing about a particular situation, try finding an positive aspect to it.
Build Resiliency - Having friends and family nearby to share the situation with, accepting that change is a part of life and finding new ways to adapt, and feeling like you have the control to change the current situation are all ways to embrace whatever life throws your way.
Share Your Feelings - Often, we spend too much time in our heads. Sharing our feelings with a trusted other can help find a different way to look at a situation. If others are mired in their current negative situations, encourage them to share their fears.
Some Additional Tips for Creating a more Positive Outlook:
Get better sleep. • Take a walk outside. • Follow a healthy lifestyle. • Practice positive self-talk. • Surround yourself with positive people. • Be open to humor or create a place for smiling and laughing every day. • Consciously work on experiencing three positive emotions for every negative one. • Actively evaluate your self-talk at various points during the day to see how you're doing. #positivity #positivethinking
"Optimism is the most important human trait, because it allows us to evolve our ideas, to improve our situation, and to hope for a better tomorrow." – Seth Godin [American Author]
Content Credit: ClearCare
