Why You Should Be More Positive

If you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all! How many times have you heard that in your life? For me… too many! But there is something to it.  You probably know people who are positive, life-affirming people. Maybe YOU are the positive person. Just so you are aware, that is a good thing! There are more and more studies showing the benefits of positive thinking on your health.

One of the risk-factors for heart disease is actually having a Type-A personality. You know the type. They can be a little uptight and anxious. If you don’t know someone like this, then your friends want me to tell you that it is you, and you need to chill out. All jokes aside, someone who is constantly stressed and thinking negatively can actually increase the risk of heart disease.

You may say to yourself, but my mom and dad had this ailment, so it means I am genetically predisposed.  What if I told you that you don’t have to agree with that? Your outlook and the things you do to your body gives you the ability to switch genes on and off. Don’t let yourself get sucked into agreeing that your grandmother had arthritis, and your mom has it, then that must mean you will get it. Start saying to yourself, “That is not my fate!”

When you are positive, it causes good/happy hormones to be released and when you are negative, it causes stress hormones to be released. Negative thoughts lead to more negative thoughts. You have to take those captive and stop yourself going down that path. It’s not easy to do, so it will take some practice. If you get some bad news, the thing to do is try to see the bright side. If you can’t do that, then tell yourself that everything is going to be okay. Eventually, you will believe it. Fight the urge to wallow in self-pity. Even if the situation is bad, negativity is not going to improve that. Try to stay positive.  In the long-run your health with be better for it. Some research actually says that by thinking more positively you can better cope with stress and stressors.

My husband was recently in a really bad accident. He had a broken neck, some broken ribs, blood was everywhere. It was a terrible and scary situation. The one thing that kept us calm was looking at the positive things in the situation. He was neither dead nor paralyzed. By the grace of God he did not require surgery. Everyday brought new challenges, but we overcame and staying positive helped us stay calm.

Have you ever gotten sick or had a problem and your mind goes to the absolute worst possibility? We’ve all done it. Stop it! Focus your thoughts on complete and total healing and wholeness. The more you give in to thoughts of pain and suffering, the sadder you become and the more it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I have a friend who has a rare and aggressive cancer. He and his family have been through hell, but he still keeps a positive attitude. He is not happy about the situation, but he is able to get up every morning and see his wife and children for at least another day. He has fought and continues to fight every day. He and his family believe that he is going to beat this thing, and I join them in that because he wants to live and wants to press on in his fight. They speak life every day and he has already beaten the odds by years.

Sometimes your problem may be that you feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. I struggle with motivation at times too. I read somewhere that the best way to get motivated is to simply start. If you have a list of things to do and don’t really feel motivated to do them, just start with the easiest and get the ball rolling. You will be motivated to keep going once you start. It’s nice to have your list checked off.

Let’s say for a moment that you are not a positive person. There are ways to make yourself be more positive, but you actually have to want to be positive.  One way is to make yourself smile. Even if the smile is not real, practice and eventually it becomes real. Dave Ramsey, personal finance personality, radio show host, author, and businessman, requires the people answering phones to answer with a smile on their face because it makes them sound more upbeat, friendly, and happy. If you are like me, you just tried it and figured out it is true. Another way to be more positive is to give people the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps the lady that looked right through you when you said hello didn’t see you because she was in deep thought about something else and didn’t even see you. Another way to be more positive is to not sweat the small stuff. Maybe someone cuts you off in traffic and you want to give the one-fingered salute. You don’t have to give them so much control over your emotions that you get angry and it ruins your day. You can’t change people, but you can change yourself and how you respond. The last way to make yourself think more positively is just to say it. Even when it’s not true, speak the outcome you want to see come to pass. Keep speaking it until it’s true. Say to yourself, “Today is going to be an awesome day!” Even when there are set-backs, dust yourself off and get back up because tomorrow is a new day. Your health depends on it!