Osteolife | June 7, 2021 | Uncategorized
Some practical tools for feeling more positive. In my last article, I stressed the importance of having a positive attitude when it comes to overcoming health challenges, including working with me as your osteopath to speed up your own recovery. The link between “positivity” and better health isn’t hocus pocus but scientific fact. It’s been established in a range of studies by globally renowned researchers – some of which we canvassed in the last article. But how can you embrace positivity in your own life? What practical tools can you use to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative – as the old Bing Crosby song goes – to make it less likely that you will have negative health outcomes?
I can bring my professional skills to help you overcome your challenges. But as I continually emphasise, effective treatment requires a partnership between me as practitioner and you as patient. I can’t make you more cheerful, more energetic and less anxious. It is YOU who holds the key to harnessing positivity as a healing tool on the path to genuine wellbeing. So grab that key and begin unlocking new ways of looking at life that will almost certainly improve your health by adapting some practical tools for feeling more positive.
I mentioned research from the John Hopkins Medical Centre in the United States that contained some tips that were startlingly simple. Just smiling more reduces heart rate and blood pressure during stressful situations. We also examined ways to “reframe” stressful situations and to build resiliency to setbacks and loss, such as maintaining good relationships with family and friends, learning to accept that change is a part of life and confronting problems head on rather than letting them fester or hoping they disappear.
A cynic might say: “this is all a bit new age” or “not another bout of mysticism”. But I repeat: The evidence between embracing a more positive attitude to life and better health outcomes is irrefutable. So let’s start examining pathways you can follow to achieve a greater sense of wellbeing and the physical dividend that will inevitably flow from that.
There’s no need for me to reinvent the wheel because the researchers at the Mayo Clinic in the United States have done it for me. And what a great job they’ve done. Please take the time to read their suggestions. And try to build their tips into your own life. As they say: if you tend to be pessimistic, don’t despair – you can learn positive thinking skills. And it’s never too late!
Positive thinking doesn’t mean that you keep your head in the sand and ignore life’s less pleasant situations. Positive thinking just means that you approach unpleasantness in a more positive and productive way. You think the best is going to happen, not the worst.
Positive Thinking often starts with self-talk. Self-talk is the endless stream of unspoken thoughts that run through your head. These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative. Some of your self-talk comes from logic and reason. Other self-talk may arise from misconceptions that you create because of lack of information.
If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook on life is more likely pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you’re likely an optimist — someone who practices positive thinking.
Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:
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 — and get more physical activity, follow a healthier diet, and don’t smoke or drink alcohol in excess. this is why it is important to try these practical tools for feeling more positive.
Not sure if your self-talk is positive or negative? Some common forms of negative self-talk include:
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:
Here are some examples of negative self-talk and how you can apply a positive thinking twist to them:
Negative self-talk | Positive thinking |
I’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. |
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. So try using these practical tools for feeling more positive.
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.
….So a lot to think about there. But all of it positive in terms of your own journey on the path to wellbeing. Do try to build these tools into your own life. And I guarantee you will feel the difference!
Stay safe. And stay well.
Get in touch today! info@osteolife.com.au.