Seven Key Reasons
to Have a Positive Attitude
...and How to Get One
by www.Sedona.com
The New Year is almost here; what better time to put on your rose-colored glasses and adopt a “glass-half-full” attitude, for good? Aside from clearly being more fun, having a positive attitude is good for your health, both physically and mentally.
In fact, studies have found that simply keeping an optimistic attitude can affect your physical biology for the better.
"There is a science that is emerging that says a positive attitude isn't just a state of mind," said Carol Ryff, a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "It also has linkages to what's going on in the brain and in the body."
So for those of you who need a reason (or perhaps just a little reminder) to stay positive, here are seven great reasons.
1. Fight diseases better. Positive people have stronger, more robust, immune systems, which means they can fight off colds, flus, infections and more.
2. Be more successful at your career. One study found that a woman’s future career success could be predicted by the intensity of her smile.
3. Live longer.Optimistic elderly people were 55 percent less likely to die than elderly pessimists, according to a study in the Archives of General Psychiatry. When the results were adjusted for smoking, age, exercise levels and other measures of health, the number increased to 71 percent!
4. Be healthier in general. Studies have shown overwhelmingly that a positive outlook keeps people in better health than a negative one.
5. Age more gracefully. Attitude goes a long way in affecting how well you age. People who tend to hold on to negative associations of aging are more likely to feel and act elderly than those who keep a positive attitude about their age.
6. Protect your heart. Studies have found that people with higher levels of well-being have lower cardiovascular risk.
7. Reduce stress. Research shows that feeling happy lowers levels of stress hormones in the body.
How to Get a Real Positive Attitude
It’s easy to get stressed out, anxious or just a little blue now and again, and no one’s suggesting that a few “down” moments aren’t normal or acceptable. However, the research spells it out loud and clear that keeping a positive attitude overall is one of the best things you can do for your health (plus, it just feels so much better!).
The Sedona Method, a simple technique validated by Harvard Medical School , can help you tap into your natural ability to stay positive. The Sedona Method is based on the premise that we do not have to “program” positive thinking -- all we need to do is liberate our natural positive nature.
This inherent positive attitude requires much less effort and struggle to achieve and maintain. And, as you use the Method, you will find over time that the very situations and experiences that you used to find the most exhausting or disturbing will become less and less so, until you may even forget that you used to have those kinds of experiences.
Sources
USA Today
Get Ready for a Breakthrough.
|
