Can a change in thinking affect your life? For anyone who has ever experienced negative self-talk, that answer is very clear - it most certainly can. If talking to yourself negatively can impact your life, is it not also possible that speaking / thinking positively to yourself can also impact your life? And if so, would it not also be plausible to assume that negative self-talk would invite negativity to your day, whereas positive thinking could potentially shine a light on your day? In my experience, it seems to be true.
Coincidentally I am not the first person to have this thought. There have been several studies that have been conducted to answer that same question. They almost always agree, a shift in straying away from negative self-talk and focusing more on positive thinking can impact a person's health. The shift in thinking does more than just positively impact someone's mental health, but their physical health as well. Studies conducted by the Mayo Clinic show that positive thinking and optimism can increase lifespan, reduce depression and distress, and even reduce risk of death from respiratory conditions, infections, and even cancer (1). Our minds are incredibly complex, powerful, and capable of more things than we know, but from what we do know, prioritizing the positives in life can lead to a healthier and happier life.
Thinking positively can almost certainly improve the outcomes of a person's day. When you take the time to focus on the good it decreases the impact those negative moments have on the outcome of your day. The negatives will always be there, even on your best days, but that does not mean they have to control your perception of the day, that control is up to you.
Positive thinking can also reduce the levels of stress we experience. When constantly worrying and focusing on what is going wrong, or what could go wrong, the outcomes of events in your day might as well already be determined as fine or all together not so great. The events themselves might have been genuinely exciting and entertaining, but if the focus of your attention was on something negative that occurred before the event, or even worrying about something that could go wrong in the moment or in the future, the joy one could get from such an event is diminished. A missed opportunity to enjoy this life and the amazing things we are so lucky to experience.
The point of our message is not to neglect the negative moments or thoughts in our lives, but to understand and learn to grow from them and allow ourselves to focus instead on the positives, leading to a happier and healthier perspective on our lives.
Looking for and accepting positive thoughts allow us to put our focus towards the things we genuinely love and care about. The very point of our existence - in my opinion. We have a very finite time on this earth, some shorter than others, and to waste our days, months, and years looking at and fearing the negatives in our lives deprives us of our very purpose, loving the life we have been given. Whether you want to create new ways to eliminate the enormous plastic islands in the ocean, or perfect your homemade spicy rigatoni recipe, it is your prerogative. We are unlike any other species in the world. We have the ability to create different scenarios in our heads and imagine different futures: to dream and to act on our dreams.
I believe it is a universal truth that when people are doing or working on things they have a genuine passion for, they are significantly happier than those living lives according to others' definitions. Define your own path, your own life, and do not wait to pursue your passions. Living life your own way, engaging in the day to day positives we all experience, will most certainly enact positive change. It might not be immediate, but it will come to fruition. It will. Whatever you choose, you can make it come true. When the creativity and capability of our minds fuse together with our passions in life there is quite literally nothing we can not achieve.
I won’t go so far to say it is essential to focus all your energy on the positives to achieve the life you want, but it certainly won’t hurt to try. As we know, positive thinking can reduce the risks of major complications in someone's psychological and physical well-being. Knowing this, taking the time to engage with the positives in life should be an easy choice. However, as we all know, it can be very difficult to not let the negatives drain us of our energy and emotions. As with most things though, it takes practice, and lots of it.
It seems ridiculous to practice positive thinking, but it’s the same principle of learning or mastering a craft - just like a student practices to learn the piano. They don’t wake up one morning and play as if they are this century's Mozart, at least not for most people. For some, it will come easy and for others, it will be more difficult. It is the conviction to keep trying that will inevitably lead you to the goals you have set out for yourself. Small progress becomes real change when consistency and earnestness collaborate.
I am ending this blog post with a call to action for whoever finds themselves reading this in its entirety. Try something small, think of how positively you started the morning, making your bed - brushing your teeth - making a nice cup of your morning time drink of choice, and take note of how those simple actions made you feel. Probably good - I hope. Then, whenever and wherever negativity finds you through your day, remember how you started your morning, and know that whatever you are going through now, will fade into the background. So start small, focus on how those simple moments made you feel, and then go to your memory bank whenever you need that positive reminder throughout a day. Just try it. See how it makes you feel - how it affects your day. As I so firmly believe, one positive act will almost certainly incite another.
From Your Friends at PBP!
(1) (2022, February 3). Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress. MayoClinic. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/positive-thinking/art-20043950#:~:text=The%20health%20benefits%20of%20positive%20thinking&text=Lower%20rates%20of%20depression,psychological%20and%20physical%20well%2Dbeing