Positive thinking
According to the Mayo Clinic:
| “ | Positive thinking doesn't mean that you ignore life's less pleasant situations. Positive thinking just means that you approach unpleasantness in a more positive and productive way. You think the best is going to happen, not the worst.
Positive thinking often starts with self-talk. Self-talk is the endless stream of unspoken thoughts that run through your head. These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative. Some of your self-talk comes from logic and reason. Other self-talk may arise from misconceptions that you create because of lack of information or expectations due to preconceived ideas of what may happen. If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook on life is more likely pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you're likely an optimist — someone who practices positive thinking.[2] |
” |
Contents
Health benefits of positive thinking
The Mayo Clinic indicates that the health benefits of positive thinking are:[3]
- Increased life span
- Lower rates of depression
- Lower levels of distress and pain
- Greater resistance to illnesses
- Better psychological and physical well-being
- Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease and stroke
- Reduced risk of death from cancer
- Reduced risk of death from respiratory conditions
- Reduced risk of death from infections
- Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress
Negative thinking
Usain Bolt beating Tyson Gay and setting a 100 meter world record at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Germany.
Negative thinking involves:[5][6][7]
- Filtering. Magnify the negative aspects of a situation and filtering out all the positive ones.
- Personalizing. When something bad occurs, you automatically blame yourself.
- Catastrophizing. Believing that the worst will happen in situations.
- Overgeneralization. Believing that negative things always happen to you and positive things never happen to you.
- Ungrateful attitude. Discounting the good that happens in one's life.
- Magnifying. Making mountains out of molehills.
- Overly emotional. Believe that just because you feel something is true that it must be true. Ignore the facts and other plausible explanations.
- Limited thinking. Failing to have a growth mindset. Defeatist thinking by saying you can't do something when it merely will require effort, problem solving, creativity, and persistence.
- Blaming. Not taking personal responsibility for your wrong actions.
- Hasty jumping to conclusions. Engage in "mindreading" and catastrophizing.
- Saying you "should" or "must" do something when it isn't true or beating up yourself excessively for failing to do things
- Perfectionism
- Polarizing all or nothing thinking. You see events/matters in starkly good or bad terms in terms of consequences when there is middle ground or bad/good aspects of events/matters.
Increasing positive thinking
See also: Self-talk
Ways to increase positive thinking include:[9][10][11]
- Identify areas of life where one is more negative and focus on being more positive
- Monitor yourself. Periodically during the day, evaluate how positive/negative your thinking is and/or keep a journal.
- Challenge your negative thinking. Ask yourself questions such as: Is this really true? How do I know this is true? Have I checked the relevant facts?
- Reframing. For instance, instead of stressing about a traffic jam, do something constructive in the car or be thankful for the fact that you can afford a car
- Be open to humor
- Build resiliency. See: Psychological resilience
- Exercise and eat healthily
- Surround yourself with positive people. See: Social influence
- Practice positive self-talk. Don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to others. Show self compassion and don't beat up on yourself.
Books
- The Science of Positive Thinking: 5 Simple Steps to Reduce Your Stress & Restore Your Health, Happiness & Peace of Mind by Neil F. Neimark M.D., CreateSpace. 2015. ISBN-10: 1506122124
- The 5 Pillars of Positive Thinking - Master Your Mind: Proven Strategies to Cultivate Joy, Confidence, and Inner Peace. Control Your Thoughts and Unleash Your True Potential for Happiness and Success by David Heimbacher. Wise Minds Publishing (May 24, 2023)
See also
External links
- The Power of Positive Thinking, John Hopkins Medicine
Notes
- ↑ Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress
- ↑ Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress
- ↑ Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress
- ↑ How the world’s fastest man Usain Bolt mentally prepares for a race CNBC
- ↑ Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress
- ↑ 10 Common Negative Thinking Patterns and 5 Steps for Change, Family Center
- ↑ The Toxic Effects of Negative Self-Talk by Elizabeth Scott, PhD
- ↑ How this 1950s self-help guru shaped Donald Trump’s attitude toward life and business, CNBC
- ↑ Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress
- ↑ 10 Common Negative Thinking Patterns and 5 Steps for Change, Family Center
- ↑ The Power of Positive Thinking, John Hopkins Medicine
