“I have chosen to be happy because it is good for my health.” ~Voltaire
Our thoughts have a huge impact on our reality. Healthy, positive thoughts can create a life much more rewarding and joyful than when one is stuck in negative thinking. It even has the potential to add years to your life!
Add Years to Your Life with Positive Thinking
A Yale University study showed how we think about getting “old” can have a profound impact on our health. Researchers asked more than 600 people aged 50 and older to complete a survey about their perceptions of aging. The results are incredible. Participants who held a positive outlook had lower instances of cardiac disease, better memory than their more negative counterparts, and were more likely to recover from illness or injury. The biggest finding – those with a healthier view of aging lived longer. The median survival rate for this group was an astonishing 7.5 years longer! Simply put, changing our beliefs about aging appears to be a greater indicator of longevity than many other factors including socioeconomic background and gender.
Kick Negative Thinking
Being stuck in negative thinking, while not life-threatening, can begin to wreak havoc on your relationships, health and life overall. Our bodies perceive negative thoughts as stress, which activates our sympathetic nervous system, the flight-or-fight system of our body. This in turn triggers a cascade of stress hormones throughout the body. When we are in a constant state of “flight-or-fight” we have less energy available to maintain an optimal immune system and endocrine system, thus struggle to heal and repair. This begins to knock our bodies off balance and over time will manifest in to physical distress symptoms.
Positive Thinking Techniques
There’s a multitude of positive thinking strategies to help one begin to shift their mental perspective or simply continue to remain in a positive state of mind. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Emotional Freedom Technique (AKA: Tapping)
- Positive Affirmations
- Gratitude Journaling
- Guided Meditations
- Prayer
- Reading or Learning from the top experts in the field (Dr. Joe Dispenza, Dr. Candance Pert, Dr. Nathaniel Branden, Dr. Bruce Lipton, Louise Hay, Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra and Wayne Dyer are a few of our favorites)
- Positive Visualization