In this day and age, it’s good to practice being a positive thinker
(Part I in a series on meditation practices)
If you want to make a change in your life, think about the things that matter most to you. Self-affirmation is the practice of reflecting on the things that matter to you on the deepest personal level. Gratitude journaling takes just a few minutes out of each day to write down a handful of things that you are thankful for in the present moment. Journaling may help you stay focused and committed to the changes you wish to make because you will be thinking about how your decisions affect the things that matter the most in your life. Affirmations tend to work best when you are thinking about your broader sources of meaning and purpose.
Changing your attitude may not come easy especially if you are not a naturally upbeat person. If you want to inject more positivity in your life you can start by noticing the times when you find yourself saying or thinking negative thoughts. Write them out and then try to make cases for and against why that thought is impactful. This practice over time will unveil that a lot of those negative impulses do not have sufficient evidence backing them up, which makes is easier to let go of them.
Local radio station WENG host of “All About Women Program” Mary Jones, invites her listeners to practice setting intentions at the beginning of each month. Monthly challenges to date include: Getting comfortable with making mistakes, memorizing something, maintaining a diehard belief in yourself, laughing more and developing and relying on your intuition. A more positive attitude is most definitely within reach by adopting one or more simple positive practices.
Improving and helping your outlook and overall well being is not a matter of feeling good, it is actually good for you to feel good. Studies conducted on healthy individuals in comparison with other individuals battling disease found that in both groups, being optimistic has a favorable effect on survival. Every participant experienced lower death rates when armed with positive psychological well-being. It remains unclear as to precisely why this is, but more than likely it is a combination of several factors. Suggesting perhaps, there are markers which indicate other aspects of people’s lives that are particularly important for their own optimal health and well being. Happiness has been directly linked to good social relationships.
Studies on positivity indicate there is “social protection” from a variety of negatively impactful maladies such as exposure to a common cold. Directors at the laboratory for the Study of Stress, Immunity and Disease at Carnegie Mellon University attribute this finding to the level of support one receives from friends and family. Another noteworthy factor to consider is, people who intentionally need people, most assuredly have more connections with others. Maintaining social roles in the community, being a team mate, volunteer or friend seems to offer long standing protection from developing diseases according to study findings. According to Carnegie Mellon University, “Socially integrated people have more positive emotions, they have higher levels of self-esteem, and stronger feelings of control over their environment.”
Not the outgoing type? Get involved with a volunteer group working on a cause that matters to you. Joining up with others will help you get to know more people and it will further assist your development of stronger social bonds. Expanding your social circle and cultivating meaningful relationships is positively positive and undeniably good for you.
