Author: Armesse Cheney, MSN, RN-BC, NPD-BC
Avg. Read Time: 5 minutes
Positivity and Your Health
Would you consider yourself a “Positive Polly” or a “Negative Nancy” (a “Positive Paul” or “Negative Nate”)?
Wherever you fall on the spectrum of positive and negative outlooks, your answer may reflect more than just whether you consider yourself an optimist or pessimist. This may also may reflect your overall viewpoint on life, thoughts toward your self-worth and confidence, and it could even affect your health.
The research of the connection between positivity and health outcomes is ongoing. So far, studies suggest that a hopefulness and a positivity likely encourage people to make healthier life choices. Also, it can lead to increased focus on creating goals for their future. Having a positive outlook may also enable someone to cope better with stressful circumstances, which reduces the harmful health effects of inflammation that occurs as a result of stress.
Negative outlooks may cause people to cope using unhealthy lifestyle choices such as smoking, drinking alcohol, or overeating. Studies also discovered that negative feelings (and the unhealthy habits that may accompany those feelings) could compromise our immune system’s ability to respond.
Just A Little Science
The positive news (pun intended) is that there is also research which supports the idea that a positive attitude improves health and wellness.
Take a look at what happened here:
Emile Coué, a French pharmacist, observed that when he informed patients about the positive effects of medications, he noticed positive results. His patients were concentrating on these positive effects he educated them about. Also, you may have heard of the, the placebo effect, which demonstrates the same principle. Placebo effects occur when patients expectantly believe positive results will occur from a particular treatment or medication rather than the positive results occurring from the medication or treatment alone (Stub et al., 2017).
The participants in the study were able to achieve positive results, just from thinking about the positive outcomes of the treatment, rather than actually receiving the treatment. They experienced, firsthand, the connection between positivity and health. As research continues to explore deeper into the subject of the effects on positive attitudes and health/wellness, some additional benefits may include:
- Increased life span
- Lower instances of depression
- Improved immune response
- Improved mental and physical well-being
- Improved cardiovascular health
- Healthy coping during times of stress
- Increased physical activity
- Reduced or elimination of smoking and alcohol intake
- Increased likelihood of following a healthy diet
Positivity in Practice
Even if you do consider yourself to be a little gloomier than others, with practice, you can improve your outlook and practice positive thinking as a daily wellness habit.
Here are a few ways to develop a more positive mindset:
- Express gratitude
You’re heard it before, “gratitude is the best attitude”. Expressing gratitude allows us to appreciate things, people, and situations. Start a gratitude journal and keep track of all the things you’re thankful for, both big and small. Pretty soon, you’ll have pages of thankfulness you can refer back to when you need a reminder.
- Believe you can succeed in whatever goals you may have
We can’t expect to succeed at anything if we don’t first, believe we can achieve it. Focus on your strengths, talents, and the things that motivate you towards positive change.
- Positive affirmations
Remind yourself of your worth, your purpose, your strengths, and your talents. You can make your own mantra, or use a favorite quote, or scripture. Recite your affirmations to yourself to begin your morning or throughout the day to make sure you keep that positive mindset going.
- Think positively about your past
The past is… well, it’s the past. We can’t change it or do anything about it. Treat your past like the teacher it is, recognizing what it taught you and using those lessons to move forward in your future.
- Seek the positive things
Seeking positivity may be challenging at first, but in the midst of stressful situations, chaos, or even traffic, find positive things to focus on. This helps us to begin to see the bright side, no matter what we’re facing.
- Show yourself some grace
You’re human! You’re not perfect, and you will make mistakes. Show yourself some grace and count failures and shortcomings as part of the journey towards wellness.
Bottom Line:
Improving our outlook takes practice and purposefulness. The more we work towards practicing positive thinking, the more it will become a habit and improve our wellbeing.
Need Help Putting Positivity Into Practice and Improving Your Wellness?
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References:
- Robertson, D. (2019). Émile Coué’s method of “conscious autosuggestion”. The UK College of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy. https://www.ukhypnosis.com/2009/06/17/emile-coues-method-of-conscious-autosuggestion/, (accessed June 1, 2022)
- Stub, T., Foss, N., Liodden, I. (2017). “Placebo effect is probably what we refer to as patient healing power”: a qualitative pilot study examining how Norwegian complementary therapist reflect on their practice. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 17:262. doi 10.1186/s12906-017-1770-8
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/positive-thinking/art-20043950
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-power-of-positive-thinking