The Power of Thinking Positive

What is positive thinking?? Do you know???

How does positive thinking affect our lives? Hmmm…

Why is it so important?

I always tell my clients, and myself, to think positive. I never really read up on it though, but the other day I was listening to a Ted Talks about the power of positive thinking, and it made me want to learn more. So here is what I learned…

Positive thinking is a mental attitude in which you expect good and favorable results. As silly as this may sound, there are times that I will wake up in the morning and tell myself that TODAY IS GOING TO BE A GOOD DAY! It just gets my mindset in the right place for the day.

“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” –Abraham Lincoln

I really like this quote; one, I like a lot of quotes; and two, this quote is saying that YOU have the control of YOUR happiness. Positive thinking is all about approaching life’s challenges with a

positive outlook.

Everyone has their own challenges in life. Everyone handles those challenges in different ways. The most important thing is to try to make the most of each situation, good and bad! There is always something to learn from each and every situation and challenge; find the lesson, and move forward. It is really all you can do. Do not dwell on a bad day. Bad days happen, it is part of life, but they are temporary. Plus, if we didn’t have a bad day every once in a while, things might start to get a little boring. I know I wouldn’t want to ride a rollercoaster without ups and downs, and twists and loops.

You see the way I explained that? I related it to something fun (Unless you don’t like roller coasters). The way you explain things, your explanatory style, will give you an idea of whether or not you are a positive thinkers. Positive thinkers tend to give themselves credit when good things happen. They will blame outside forces for bad outcomes. Positive thinkers will also see negative events as temporary (Like I mentioned above) and atypical. Negative thinkers will blame themselves when bad things happen. They fail to give themselves adequate credit for successful outcomes. OMG! As I am writing this, I realized that I do that. I just did it yesterday. I did not give myself the credit for the amount of weight I squatted. I will definitely work on that… But back on track… Negative thinkers also view bad events as lasting. All of those ways of thinking are such a detrimental impact on your state of mind. Positive thinking is better for you mind, which ends up being better for your health.

Here are some health benefits of positive thinking:

-Longer life span

-Less stress

-Lower rates of depression

Increased resistance to the common cold

-Better coping skills

-Lower risk of cardiovascular disease

-Increased physical will being

-Better psychological health

I figured positive thinking was good for you, but I had no idea that it affected this many aspects of your well-being. It is definitely eye opening. But how in the world do you start to think more positively?!

First, you must become mindful and aware of your self-talk. This is something that I have been practicing quite a bit! I call myself fat/fluffy/bulky all the time, and I really need to stop it! Talking to myself or about myself like that makes me see myself in such a negative way. How can I tell people to love themselves, if I cannot do it myself? So, number one step to positive thinking is AVOID NEGATIVE SELF-TALK!

Second, be open to laughter and fun. Don’t always take life so seriously. (Remember, there is a time and place for this!) It’s okay to go out and have some fun; and I do not mean go out and get hammered. I like to go out on adventures with my love. Go to a park and walk around, go hiking, watch funny movies, shows, or videos, and so much more!

Number three, cultivate optimism. Just like one would work out to train their body; you have to practice/train to be optimistic. The definition of optimistic is to be hopeful and confident about the future. Each and every morning you wake up, be confident in yourself! Even if you aren’t where you want to be in life, you are where you are, accept it, embrace it, and strive to be better!

Last step to positive thinking is to reach out to your friends and family. You aren’t in this alone. If you are feeling down call up your best friend and go for a walk. I always tell my clients that I am always there for them. And I believe that I have really stuck to my word. That goes to you reading this blog. My contact info is on my website; contact me if you ever need anything. Seriously!

Now that you have an idea of how to start to think positive, I am going to get into why you want to do so…

“…In the same way that we need to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to be healthy, we need a variety of positive emotions in our daily experience to help us become more resourceful versions of ourselves.” –Professor Barbara Fredrickson

This quote hit home for me because I am all about eating healthy and doing things that are going to better your health. This quote also makes it easy to see how important it is to think positive. This article was a very good one. It was about the science behind positive emotions.

Positive emotions create an open mindset, helping you connect with your surroundings, be more resilient and build your physical health. Positive emotions also create easiness in the torso and a relaxed, smiling face. When one has these features, other people sense a safe feeling to approach you. You want people to approach you, whether it is for work, or for a social life. Like I mentioned above, you want a support system, so this can help create a bigger and better one. Plus, it is common that people feel more uplifted when being social.

On the whole, positive thinking has a huge impact on our life. And know that you may not be able to always be positive or optimistic, but that is completely normal. Make sure that you are looking at things from a positive point of view and being mindful of your self-talk and explanatory style. Prioritizing or scheduling positive things in your day will help as well. (Examples: I schedule in my workouts. You might schedule in your favorite TV show.) Oh and, don’t forget to think about others. Be kind and compassionate! You will be surprise on how good it can make you feel to give back.

I hope you like the blog. Please let me know what you think. I’d love your feedback, good and bad.

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