How to learn to think positively?

Optimism does not mean ignoring unpleasant responsibilities, everyday difficulties, overwork and fatigue. It only means treating difficult events as an integral part of life, and therefore accepting them . Although it sounds easy in theory, experience shows that it is not, and pessimism and gloominess accompany many people. Mistake! Because positive thinking has a truly positive impact on your health, both mental and physical . The impact of a positive attitude towards life has attracted the attention of scientists who have been studying this phenomenon and its consequences for some time.

What are the health benefits of positive thinking?

Well, people who have an optimistic attitude live longer , are less likely to suffer from depression , and are more resistant to diseases , including those of the cardiovascular system and cancer . It is not entirely known - this is what scientists are trying to determine - what makes optimists enjoy better and longer (and healthier!) lives . One hypothesis is that those who have an optimistic attitude to life cope better with stress , so it does not have such a devastating impact on their health. ¹ .

As the authors of the study "Optimism and Cause-Specific Mortality: A Prospective Cohort Study" write, published in the "American Journal of Epidemiology" in 2017 ² : "There is growing evidence that positive psychological attitudes, such as optimism, are associated with a lower risk of health problems , especially heart disease."

Additionally, they point out that optimism can be learned. And if the links between positive attitudes and health are ultimately proven, they could lead to improved public health . The researchers took into account mortality rates between 2006 and 2012, finding that "greater optimism is associated with a lower risk of death." ³ .

Another study, conducted at an American university, shows that those students who were self-confident and convinced that they would do well in exams - in short, their attitude was positive - had better immunity . These results were described in the study "Optimism is Associated With Mood, Coping, and Immune Change in Response to Stress" ⁴ .

How to learn optimism?

Okay, but how to do it? How to overcome stress and, thanks to a positive attitude, minimize its negative impact on health? You can start with small things: paying attention to those things and events in your life that are good and a reason to be grateful (you can read about the impact of gratitude on health here ). A good tool for this is keeping a gratitude journal in which you write down all the good things in your life every day, preferably before going to sleep or in the morning after waking up. Taking into account the international situation in recent years, it is really worth appreciating, among others: that we have a roof over our heads, we are not confined to four walls, and our houses are not hit by rockets.

The fact that paying attention to the positives and not focusing on the negatives actually helps to change your attitude towards life is also confirmed by scientific research at the University of Miami ⁵ . After 10 weeks, study participants who recorded good events felt a surge of optimism . This effect was not achieved in groups that were asked to note down irritating things or just everything, without making any judgments .

This means that it is worth focusing on catching negative thoughts and trying to stop them before they start to dominate us and distort our image of the world. Practicing mindfulness and meditation give excellent results , allowing you to be here and now, appreciating the moments. Even the difficult ones. Mindfulness meditation has particular health benefits in this respect, which you can read about in more detail in a separate article . However, if you feel that it is difficult for you to control negative thoughts on your own, it is worth considering cognitive-behavioral therapy - a method of psychotherapy with scientifically proven effectiveness in the treatment of many disorders and problems. This type of therapy focuses on changing our thoughts and, consequently, the behaviors resulting from them.

Bibliography:

1. Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress, Stress Management, mayoclinic.org, February 3, 2022.
2. Eric S. Kim, Kaitlin A. Hagan, Francine Grodstein, Dawn L. DeMeo, Immaculata De Vivo, Laura D. Kubzansky, Optimism and Cause-Specific Mortality: A Prospective Cohort Study, American Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 185, Issue 1, 1 January 2017, Pages 21–29.
3. As above.
4. Jane Framingham, Positive Thinking Improves Physical Health, May 17, 2016
5. Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in everyday life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377–389.