Positive Thinking: Is it Really Something to Think About?

Have you ever wondered how our thoughts impact our physical, emotional and mental health? Do you think there is any truth when someone says to you "take a walk on the bright side of life?". The Mayo Clinic has been conducting numerous studies that are concluding that our thoughts have a very deep meaning to how our body reacts. Here is an example I think many of us can relate to; your standing in line at the grocery store and the clerk is brand spanking new and struggling with some of the procedures. She is trying to move as quickly as she can, but is making mistakes and begins fumbling. The person in front of you is obviously in a foul mood and is reflecting her bad energy onto the clerk and everyone around her. With her frustration mounting she eventually blurts out a very rude and unnecessary comment as the clerk completes the transaction and then leaves the store, but not without having ruined the day of 3 other people. Sound familiar? I have seen this all too often and, suffice it say, have also been one of those rude and disgruntled customers going around ruining other peoples days. So what does positive thinking really do for us and how can we go about making the small changes on a daily basis to encourage positive thoughts. I reflect on these questions below. First up: health benefits of positive thinking

1. Weight Loss - Obesity has been linked to depression and depression is a form of negative thinking. We, as humans, are built to move. Our jobs, unfortunately, restrict much of our movement on a daily basis as we are chained to a desk, stuck in a chair for 8-12 hours a day (depending on your job). When people include some form of physical activity in their everyday regime, be it walking, running, swimming etc., they are less likely to suffer from depression as physical activity promotes the release of all those "happy hormones" called Endorphins. People who move around on a daily basis are also less likely to gain weight as they are using the food eaten throughout the day as a source of energy or "fuel" to keep us moving.

2. Happy Thoughts - Back to those endorphins I mentioned earlier - Positive thinking helps to keep those feel good chemicals secreted from your brain flowing, which in turn makes us feel pretty darn good. However, start thinking negative thoughts, and the brain will actually start to secrete hormones which will keep us in that negative state of mind. Those hormones are serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.

3. Physical Effects - Thinking positive reduces our bodies overall feeling of pain and lethargy as well as gives us an extra boost of energy to help us get through the day!

4. Future Effects - By thinking positive, we are able to easily influence others who will enjoy being around us simply because we are happy and positive. For example, the last time you went in for a job interview, can you recall what your mood was like? If you walked into the interview feeling strong and confident and made sure to answer the questions with a positive outlook and a friendly smile, did you get a call back or better yet...land the job? It is a well known fact, that interviewers will look for a candidate with a positive outlook on life to help keep the morale of the team up. A grumpy candidate just doesn't land the job. Something to think about when going out for your next interview...put on your best smile!

5. Karma - We've all heard the saying "Karma is a bitch" and you know what? that bitch is right. You are what you reflect. By reflecting a positive vibe or feeling onto others, your more likely to influence another person or attract another person with the same feelings. In a grumpy mood, it's almost a guarantee that the majority of people you run into that day or week will also be grumpy. On a side note, it takes more muscles to frown then it does to smile, so why are we prematurely aging ourselves?

6. Financial Effects - Your wallet will thank me for this one day - Comfort spending is at an all time high when you are in a negative kinda mood. I too have been a victim of comfort spending. You walk into the mall, telling yourself that your not going to buy anything, but then it spirals out of control suddenly and you end up leaving the mall with 2, 3 even 4 bags in hand! What happened??? Your mind sucked you into it that's what happened! Your emotional state of balance needed some comforting so your mind did the only thing it knew how to do in that particular moment. Searched for comfort. Now, your wallet hates you. Now you hate yourself and now you have to make another trip back to the mall to return all the items you never should have purchased to begin with. It's amazing how what was purchased only felt good for a short period of time thereafter. Comfort spending happens because we aren't dealing with the issues that are causing us to spend money in the first place. Deal with your issues and your wallet will thank you.

Now we come to the second part having looked at some of the benefits to positive thinking, we take a look at some ways to help us change our habits to increase our positive thoughts throughout the day.

1. Talk to the mirror - saying positive things to yourself about how you look, feel and what you desire first thing in the morning and during the day will help you to believe it. The more you believe it, the more you will reflect that image onto others.

2. Find humour in Everyday life - laughing brings out those happy hormones which helps to reduce stress and encourage positive thoughts!

3. Make a "Dream Board" - find a wall in your house that you walk past everyday and place your dream board there - make it pretty too. Fill your dream board with everything that makes you smile, makes you think, makes you persevere.

4. Positive People - surround yourself with positive, action minded people to keep the positivity flowing. As your positive energy builds, you will naturally start to attract like minded people.

5. Positive Media - find songs or books that inspire you and encourage you. Find media that will help you relax, make you laugh and keep you learning, all in a positive way. The more we train our brain with positive information, the less likely the negative information will try to take over.

Can I say that I do this on an everyday basis, truthfully, no, but I am only human and I do try to go about my day with a genuine smile on my face when greeting new people or dealing with lifes' dilemas. Nothing in life is perfect, and I have learned that if you try to fight every tug and pull of the rope, then you will always go through life in turmoil. If you can learn to just "roll with the punches" suddenly, life seems a little bit easier and alot less stressful.

I would like to pose a challenge to those who are reading this post - I would like you to start each day with a smile and greet everyone you meet the same way you would like to be greeted each and every day and then write down or try to keep tab of the reactions you received. Comment below on how your day(s) went as you took this challenge on. What was the general consensus you came to after having completed the challenge.

Can't wait to read your replies!

Until next week, keep a happy spirit and enjoy a happy life!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Katerina
Health and Wellness Blogger, GEM Magazine LI