Most of you have had one of those days — where you feel that bad things always seem to happen to you. Have you noticed that sometimes you complain about bad things happening over and over? You’re not alone. Don’t underestimate the power of positivity when it comes to your overall wellness.
True, it can seem difficult to do sometimes. Especially when things seem overwhelming, or you’re feeling singled out for negative events. But looking at things in a positive light can make such a difference.
Changing Your Mindset
Here in Houston- we went through a little thing called HARVEY. And Harvey made me look at life & problems differently – and he did so pretty quickly, I must say! Our family was blessed, and we were all ok.
But- I wanted to share what I learned because it has made a difference in our lives. Just the way I now look at every “bad” thing that happens or when I’m faced with unexpected challenges.
Instead of immediately seeing the negatives, look for the positives that can sometimes be deep within the scenario, and can have a profound impact on your overall wellness.
Let me preface this and say that to those of you that did suffer horribly during Harvey- I’m not speaking of the Harvey Horror lightly in any way. We just happened to not be impacted so badly in our location.
Harvey
We did have to hunker down and eventually evacuate — which was very scary. Seeing our street listed on the news as an area that had to evacuate that night was terrifying. But, while trapped in our home for the days before that- it made me thankful for the little things that we had.
Instead of looking at only the weather and the situation we were in, I saw that we had planned ahead and kept about a week’s worth of drinking water handy. We had extra loaves of sandwich bread as well as peanut butter and jelly.
And let me tell you- there is something very comforting in eating a PB & J sandwich during a highly stressful time!
Instead of being upset over some water leaking through our roof and staining our living room ceiling- I was thankful that was the worst damage we got.
I knew it could have been so much worse.
Instead of being angry about having to evacuate, I was thankful that we had family within driving distance that we could make it to and that their home was safe for us. It’s all in the way you look at the situation.
Now a Water Heater?
As I write this article, we don’t have any hot water because our water heater stopped working. Bummer, I know — but I immediately helped my husband see the positive side of it. We’re in Houston – in the summer. That means heat people-serious skin-melting heat! So- I told him, sure, it’s not the best situation — but it could be worse. Imagine if it broke down in January when the weather may be freezing ( I say “may” because in Houston, we don’t always get freezing weather). We would’ve been showering with cold water versus just cold (lukewarm, since the water in the pipes from the heat all day makes it somewhat bearable).
He was able to see the positive side after I laid it out for him like that.
Ike
When Hurricane Ike hit us, we were lucky that we only lost power at our house for 2 days. Yes, all of our food in the fridge and freezer was ruined – but that was all replaceable. We lost one side of our fence, but we were able to get it fixed quickly. So for just 2 days, we were inconvenienced with no electricity- but we had our family and food cooked with a gas stove.
Things could have been so much worse!
See- sometimes it’s easy to just see the problem that is happening- and not see the positive side or at least not see how much worse it could be.
Let’s Get Scientific, Shall We?
Positive thinking can rewire your brain and reduce stress. This, helps you bounce back from negative events or issues easier and faster. All that negativity causes stress, which we know causes inflammation in the body.
We now know that inflammation can cause a whole host of issues inside of you and exacerbate many autoimmune diseases as well. These findings and more are found in an article from EverydayHealth.com. In fact, researchers have found that positive thinking and optimism can result in positive health benefits.
According to an article in the NY times, researchers have found that some of those health benefits are lower blood pressure, better heart health, and healthier blood sugar levels.
Research listed in an article written for Johns Hopkins Medicine, agrees with the finding that positive thinking has a beneficial impact on your cardiovascular health.
In yet another article written for healthstatus.com, several studies mention that positive thinking decreases risks of depression, boosts immunity, and can even extend our lifespan!
Positivity in the Here and Now
Another positive example is our living situation right now. I recently resigned from my career in banking after 18 years and am currently working on my blog. Yes, a water heater replacement is a costly and unexpected situation we have to shell out money for right now- but again as I mentioned earlier- it could be way worse.
Over the past few years, we had planned ahead because we knew we would have to make this life change sooner rather than later.
Now, I see my time off as time to devote myself to learning new skills and improving on several areas of my life such as writing and self-care.
I choose to see the positive instead of being scared and full of anxiety over not having my career any longer (or sigh-the beautiful 401k plan).
When we focus only on the negatives- it really can impact our overall well being – and that negative self talk is very detrimental to you in many ways.
You’ll find a little exercise further down in the article that will help you see the true power of positivity upon your wellness. Keep reading to practice!
Find Things to Be Grateful For
I’m not saying to look at every challenge or problem as a good thing — but it helps to see the positive side while going through life– even if the positive is simply seeing how much worse something could have been.
It helps to reduce the anger or frustrations that may be bubbling up inside of you. In a way, it tricks your mind into thinking something like “well- it could have been worse!”
Another way to lighten the negative load is to always find something to be grateful for, because we don’t always see all of the good that we do have.
For example, if you’re reading this, then you have a device and internet access. Those are both things we should be happy to have as it allows for so much learning and productivity (as well as time for fun cat videos on Youtube!)
Do you have a car and insurance- then you are already better off than so many out there!
Do you have food on your plate each day and each meal? Then you are so much better off than so many out there.
It’s not personal
Stop looking at every speed bump or curve as a personal, ruining blow to your life. Life is not always a beautiful marble road with perfect landscaping! There are tree roots in the road and potholes. But that doesn’t make the whole trip ugly right?
Once you train your brain and really feel it- you will just start thinking this way. It really has made life so much easier for us. Believe me, my husband and I could instead look at our situation as dreadful and be hopeless (especially my husband with his health issues)- but do you know how much harder and less enjoyable life would be for us?
I don’t want to be miserable each day from thinking negative thoughts. That also brings down the people around you.
When things don’t seem so huge and terrible- they are easier to manage and analyze. Life then doesn’t feel as heavy and sluggish, since that negativity isn’t dragging you down.
Practice Exercise- Give the Positivity View a Try:
Give it a try- make a list of a few problems or speed bumps you recently hit and to the right of that – list something that is either positive or a “could have been worse” scenario.
Examples:
Water Heater Broke = Broke in summer instead of winter
Had to evacuate home due to Hurricane Harvey = Home & family were safe
Lost power during a hurricane = Home and family were safe
Medical bills = We have health insurance
Late for work = I got to work safely
Stuck in traffic= I have a car and the ability to drive. I will eventually get there
What did you come up with? See how you can put a positive spin on unfortunate or difficult events?
You can also think of one thing you are grateful for today, because there really is so much to be grateful for that we just don’t see (roof over our head, insurance, family, a working car, friends, our health, stable job, etc.)
Look- we all know life can suck at times- but just changing your outlook on life can help during some of those sucky situations. Feeling like bad things always happen to you -really impacts you negatively.
Dwelling on the negative needs to be a habit you learn to break.
The power of positivity is strong and can have a positive impact on your overall wellness.
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Walk or Roll Your Way to a Better Day (Benefits of Visiting a Local Park)
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Resources:
https://www.healthstatus.com/health_blog/depression-stress-anxiety/health-benefits-of-positive-thinking/
https://www.everydayhealth.com/wellness/united-states-of-stress/link-between-stress-inflammation/
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-power-of-positive-thinking
