Advanced Life Skills

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

Decreased negative stress

• Greater resistance to catching the common cold
• A sense of well-being and improved health
• Reduced risk of coronary artery disease
• Easier breathing if you have certain lung diseases, such as emphysema
• Better coping skills during hardships
   

Positive thinking people are HAPPIER… Pessimists are more inwardly focused and have more depression, anxiety and other mental health problems in general. Positive people have a greater capacity for love, joy and warmth that brings happiness into their lives, and also into the lives of their families and everyone else they meet. They have a greater capacity for love and are loved more in return because they are more outwardly focused, kinder and more considerate to others.

Positive thinking people are HEALTHIER… It’s unclear why people who engage in positive thinking experience these health benefits. But 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.

Positive thinking people are MORE SUCCESSFUL… or to put it another way, successful people think positively. Optimists are happier and more productive in their jobs, get promoted quicker and earn more than pessimists. These people set higher goals, persist at them longer, and achieve more of them.

You Can Learn Positive Thinking (I know you can)

You can learn to turn negative thinking into positive thinking. The process is simple, but it takes time and practice - you are creating a new habit, after all.

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

Start by following one simple rule: Don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to anyone else.

Examples of typical negative self-talk and how you might apply a positive thinking twist include:

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

Practicing positive self-talk will improve your outlook. When your state of mind is generally optimistic, you’re able to handle everyday stress in a constructive way. That ability may contribute to the widely observed health benefits of positive thinking.