It’s a fact that positive thinking provides numerous health benefits to our mental and physical conditions. We’ve heard the question before “Is you glass half empty or half full?  How you answer this question has a lot to do with your own personal outlook on life, attitude and your environment.

According to the studies performed by the Mayo Clinic, positive thinking is a major element to managing life’s stressful moments.  Positive thinking won’t prevent unpleasant things from happening, but it may help with how you deal with the situations that are sometimes beyond your control.

Keeping those positive thoughts isn’t always as simple as it sounds; it takes practice and effort to reap these health benefits that come as a result of positive thinking.  Here are a few tips for regaining, replacing and relearning the art of positive thinking:

• Humor, a smile or chuckled actually makes your body respond in a positive mode that actually reduces stress.
• Listen and stop a moment to review your thoughts.  Make an effort to see the positive side when dealing with a difficult situation.
• Put yourself into a positive environment, surround yourself with other positive people, it’s contagious and it's a great support mechanism.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet and physical activity.  Physical activity allows your body to work through the stress, clearing your mind and enabling you to deal with the unpleasant condition.

Self- Talk Technique

Self-talking is a practice that needs to become a habit.  These are thoughts that run through your mind every day and are founded on logic and reason. They need to become your mantra to enable you to deal with life’s challenges.

Health Benefits of Positive Thinking

Science believes that positive thinking helps us deal with stress, allowing our body functions to remain calm and rational, delivering these health benefits:

• Lower levels of stress and depression
• Better mental and physical well being
• Reduction of cardiovascular diseases
• Longer life spans

According to the World Health Organization healthy is defined as being in balance with all things, working in harmony to maintain your wellness for both mental and physical aspects.  Positive thinking provides an emotional encouragement which executes strength to persevere. The American Holistic Health Association suggests that you start slow, one thought at a time. Practice positive thoughts daily; maintain a healthy lifestyle to create a balance between mental, physical and emotional outcomes. 

Sources: World Health Organization, Mayo Clinic, American Holistic Health Association

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