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?

Your health practitioner:

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.

In the previous article:

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!

By Mayo Clinic staff:

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.

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
• Improve psychological and physical well-being
• Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
•  Increase 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 — 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.

Identifying negative thinking

Not sure if your self-talk is positive or negative? Some common forms of negative self-talk include:

• 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.
• Personalising. 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.
• Catastrophising. 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.
• Polarising. 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 usually 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.
• 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 humour: Give yourself permission to smile or laugh, especially during difficult times. Seek humour in everyday happenings. When you can laugh at life, you feel less stressed.
• Follow a healthy lifestyle: Aim to exercise for about 30 minutes on most days of the week. You can also break it up into 10-minute chunks of time during the day. Exercise can 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. Think about things you’re thankful for in your life.

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

Putting positive thinking into practice

Practicing positive thinking everyday

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.

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