The Importance of Positive Thinking

What is the importance of positive thinking? You might have been told to "look on the bright side" or think of the glass as half full rather than half empty. Do positive thoughts really make a difference in more than just our attitude? You'll be surprised to learn how positive thinking effects you mind, body, and health. In fact, if you knew the power behind negative thoughts - you would never have one again!

Reasons of The Importance of Positive Thinking

"The health benefits of positive thinking

Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:

Increased life span

Lower rates of depression

Lower levels of distress

Greater resistance to the common cold

Better psychological and physical well-being

Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease

Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

It's unclear why people who engage in positive thinking experience these health benefits. One theory is that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful health effects of stress on your body. It's also thought that positive and optimistic people tend to live healthier lifestyles — they get more physical activity, follow a healthier diet, and don't smoke or drink alcohol in excess.  

Identifying negative thinking

Not sure if your self-talk is positive or negative? Here are some common forms of negative self-talk:

Filtering.

You magnify the negative aspects of a situation and filter out all of the positive ones. For example, you had a great day at work. You completed your tasks ahead of time and were complimented for doing a speedy and thorough job. That evening, you focus only on your plan to do even more tasks and forget about the compliments you received.

Personalizing.

When something bad occurs, you automatically blame yourself. For example, you hear that an evening out with friends is canceled, and you assume that the change in plans is because no one wanted to be around you.

Catastrophizing.

You automatically anticipate the worst. The drive-through coffee shop gets your order wrong and you automatically think that the rest of your day will be a disaster.

Polarizing.

You see things only as either good or bad. There is no middle ground. You feel that you have to be perfect or you're a total failure.

Focusing on positive thinking

You can learn to turn negative thinking into positive thinking. The process is simple, but it does take time and practice — you're creating a new habit, after all. Here are some ways to think and behave in a more positive and optimistic way

Identify areas to change.

If you want to become more optimistic and engage in more positive thinking, first identify areas of your life that you typically think negatively about, whether it's work, your daily commute or a relationship. You can start small by focusing on one area to approach in a more positive way. Once you know what you want to change, you can start determining the best ways to make those changes. You could consider researching holistic treatment for depression and anxiety, for example, or you might realize it’s your job that is causing you problems. Perhaps it’s your relationship or where you live. Identifying the issues means you can move forward and get past them.

Check yourself.

Periodically during the day, stop and evaluate what you're thinking. If you find that your thoughts are mainly negative, try to find a way to put a positive spin on them.

Be open to humor.

Give yourself permission to smile or laugh, especially during difficult times. Seek humor in everyday happenings. When you can laugh at life, you feel less stressed.

Follow a healthy lifestyle.

Exercise at least three times a week to positively affect mood and reduce stress. Follow a healthy diet to fuel your mind and body. And learn techniques to manage stress.

Surround yourself with positive people.

Make sure those in your life are positive, supportive people you can depend on to give helpful advice and feedback. Negative people may increase your stress level and make you doubt your ability to manage stress in healthy ways.

Practice positive self-talk.

Start by following one simple rule: Don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to anyone else. Be gentle and encouraging with yourself. If a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about you.

Here are some examples of negative self-talk and how you can apply a positive thinking twist to them:

Putting positive thinking into practice

Negative self-talkPositive thinkingI've never done it before.It's an opportunity to learn something new.It's too complicated.I'll tackle it from a different angle.I don't have the resources.Necessity is the mother of invention.I'm too lazy to get this done.I wasn't able to fit it into my schedule, but I can re-examine some priorities.There's no way it will work.I can try to make it work.It's too radical a change.Let's take a chance.No one bothers to communicate with me.I'll see if I can open the channels of communication.I'm not going to get any better at this.I'll give it another try.

Practicing positive thinking every day

If you tend to have a negative outlook, don't expect to become an optimist overnight. But with practice, eventually your self-talk will contain less self-criticism and more self-acceptance. You may also become less critical of the world around you.

When your state of mind is generally optimistic, you're better able to handle everyday stress in a more constructive way. That ability may contribute to the widely observed health benefits of positive thinking.

As you can see the Importance of Positive Thinking is a big deal.For more information on how positive thoughts influence you click here for the original article. Here is a little habit I think to practice. Every morning when you wake up (during your morning routine or commute to work)think about three things you are grateful for.  And every night before bed think about three things that made you happy today. It can be a simple as you like.

Do think for a week and let me know how it has changed your perspective on life!