How a Positive Outlook Creates Good Health

Research has found that savoring the moment and positive thinking can help to not only improve your current health, but can also prevent future health complications. In particular, the findings revealed positive thoughts to be especially beneficial to those already suffering from diseases like coronary artery disease and high blood pressure. Placebos are fantastic evidence that the power of mind can help heal the body. A simple sugar pill can work wonders if the person taking the sugar pill believes it will work. Belief is a powerful mechanism.

So, what can we do to ‘think ourselves to good health’?

Practice Positive Affirmations

We all have beliefs about ourselves and life in general – like being prone to ill health or that life is stressful and hard. Become mindful to your inner thoughts, maybe write them down and re-phrase them into positive, uplifting ones. For example, if your belief about yourself is “I always get every bug going around”, you could start telling yourself “My immune system is totally capable to fight off germs for me” instead.
When your old belief arises, calmly recognize it and tell yourself it’s not necessary. Then repeat your new, positive phrase a couple of times. Positive affirmations can make changes on the subconscious mind to create a healthy, positive self-image and existence. By consistently repeating positive affirmations to yourself, you can embed these positive thoughts into your subconscious. These new, productive thoughts will replay automatically throughout your life and each time they replay, they’ll reinforce the new positive inner-image you have of yourself and your life in general. By replacing old, negative thinking with positive subconscious thoughts, you’ll be able to create a new, healthy reality for yourself.

Engage in Enjoyable Health Habits

Healthy eating and exercise shouldn’t be something you resent or dread. It can be easier and more sustainable to look for an eating regime and some kind of movement that you truly enjoy. You don’t enjoy drinking whizzed up kale? No worries, incorporate your greens into more traditional stir frys! Running on a treadmill in a sweaty gym doesn’t appeal? Try hiking mountains, dancing around your living room, swimming in the ocean or some tennis in the sun. There are alternatives! Enjoying the process will make you crave healthy living and consequently decrease your stress levels. It should feel like you are working with yourself, instead of against. Don’t buy into the ‘no pain no gain’ attitude towards gaining good health!

Become an Optimist

Studies have shown that optimists are healthier and happier, and enjoy life at a much higher level than pessimists. Learning to be optimistic means getting in the habit of thinking with a positive attitude.  Our attitude is just like our physical body, in that it requires constant conditioning to stay fit. Just as you won’t find yourself in peak physical condition after sporadic exercise sessions, positive thinking will take training and persistence.

Practice Mindful Meditation

A study by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that meditating daily for just half-an-hour can reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression. The study, which looked at 47 clinical trials including over 3,500 patients, showed meditating could also help reduce pain and lower stress levels.
Many people don’t know where to start with meditation.Taking up yoga may be one idea, as this incorporates meditation, breathing and stretching exercises and will help to focus the mind. However, it’s also possible to start meditating at home:

• Chose a room where you don’t work, exercise or sleep.Sit or lie comfortably and try different positions until you find a relaxing pose.
• Breathe slowly and deeply to slow the heart rate. Focus entirely on your breathing to clear your mind.
• Notice your body by focusing all your attention on your feet, then move up through the body, visualising each body part relaxing. Every time your mind wanders, return to focusing on your breath.

Increase Daily Laughter

By laughing frequently and taking a lighter view of life, you’ll find that life is much more enjoyable. Medical research confirms that laughter;

• Improves the immune system
• Enhances blood flow and improves cardiovascular function
• Releases natural mood-elevating and pain-killing chemicals

Surround yourself with people who make you happy, comfortable, and confident. They’ll be the ones you have the best laughs with. When we’re comfortable, we don’t have to take ourselves so seriously, and can often open up to even have a laugh at ourselves.

While the reality is that life isn’t always one big laugh, we should strive to remember that it’s not what happens in our lives that determines our well-being; it’s our response to the challenges that shapes the quality of our life. Hardship, heartbreak, ill-health, and failures are often the fuel for happiness, compassion, good health and success.

Live well, live long, live naturally

Renee x

A longer version of this article was originally posted on the Open Colleges blog.