Positive thinking, or having an optimistic attitude, is the practice of focusing on the positives in any given situation. It can have a big impact on both your mental and physical health. When we feel stressed, we lose roughly 65% of our intellect, so getting into the habit of thinking and moving positively helps us be in control and build our self-love. By thinking positively, it helps you cope better with stressful situations and reduces the harmful health effects of stress on your body. People with positive thoughts also tend to live healthier lifestyles and have more confidence.
The benefits of positive thinking
Numerous studies have looked at the impact of optimism and thinking positively influences physical and mental health. Some of the physical benefits include:
• Longer life span
• Lower risk of a heart attack
• Better physical health
• Lower blood pressure
• Greater resistance to illnesses such as common colds
• Better stress management
• Better pain tolerance
There are also many mental benefits to thinking positively. These include:
• More creativity
• Better coping skills
• Better mood
• Clearer thinking
• Better relationships
• Less depression
How to identify when you are negative thinking?
Negative thinking can creep up on us in numerous different ways. If you are practising negative self-talk, you may not even realize that you are doing it. It can become automatic and impacts how we view the world.
Here are examples of when negative thinking can occur:
Filtering out the positive thoughts - When you encounter a difficult situation, you may find yourself only seeing the downside. You may automatically filter out all the positive aspects and only focus on bad things. We may also forget to look at the humour in a situation. There might be positive thoughts attached to a situation, but you cannot see them because you are hung up on the negative ones.
Polarizing our thoughts and reactions – Negative thinking can happen when you categorize every event. Things can only be good or bad, with nothing in between. When we are experiencing new things or changes in our lives, we may simply perceive them as positive or negative. This isn’t reality, as most outcomes have a mix of highs and lows.
How can we help?
At Hapus Hypnotherapy, we help you to focus on the positives by helping you switch off negative behavior patterns. It is not about being blindly optimistic regardless of one’s circumstances but noticing what is going right in your everyday life and enjoying that.
For further help and support surrounding positive thinking, these links may be useful:
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/tips-and-support/how-to-be-happier/
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-positive-thinking-2794772
