Is your glass half-empty or half-full? How you answer this
age-old question about positive thinking may reflect your outlook on life, your
attitude toward yourself, and whether you're optimistic or pessimistic and it
may even affect your health.
Here's how you can
learn positive thinking skills:
Positive thinking doesn't mean that you keep your head in
the sand and ignore life's less pleasant situations. Positive thinking just
means that you approach the unpleasantness in a more positive and productive
way. You think the best is going to happen, not the worst.
Positive thinking often starts with self-talk. Self-talk is
the endless stream of unspoken thoughts that run through your head every day.
These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative. Some of your self-talk
comes from logic and reason. Other self-talk may arise from misconceptions that
you create because of lack of information.
If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly
negative, your outlook on life is more likely pessimistic. If your thoughts are
mostly positive, you're likely an optimist someone who practices positive
thinking.
The health benefits
of positive thinking
Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:
- Increased life span
- Lower rates of depression
- Lower levels of distress
- Greater resistance to the common cold
- Better psychological and physical well-being
- Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
- Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress
- 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 more constructive way. That ability may contribute to the widely observed health benefits of positive thinking.
