Reduce Your Stress by Using the Power of Positive Thinking

Stress is a problem that can affect every aspect of your life. Your health, personal relationships, work and self-esteem are all connected with stress and the symptoms they cause.

How do you answer the question, “Is your glass half empty or half full?” It’s a question that’s often used to determine your outlook on life. If the glass is always half-empty for you, you’re pessimistic about the future. If it’s half-full in your way of thinking, it usually means that you’re looking forward to a promising future.

The power of positive thinking can turn your negativity into a positive outlook and with that positive outlook comes less stress. The health benefits of positive thinking are many and most of them have to do with reducing the amount of stress in your life. Some of the benefits include:

·         Living longer – The Mayo Clinic has worked with researchers to determine that positive thinking and a healthy dose of optimism can increase your life span.

·         Reduce depression – A positive person is very seldom depressed. It’s known that those who find the silver lining in the clouds of turmoil have less chance of becoming depressed.

·         Resistance to health problems – Health problems can cause stress, and those with a positive outlook on life can resist health problems easier and recover from an illness faster.

·         Mental well-being – A positive outlook can make a difference in how you relate to others who might be part of a relationship, coworkers and others who are in and out of your life.

·         Better able to cope – Coping skills are known to improve when you have a positive outlook. During times of stress and hardships in life, people with positive thought patterns fare much better.

No one really knows why those who practice positive thinking techniques experience better overall health and happier lives, but it’s a fact that the harmful effects of stress are less likely to cause other, more serious problems if you’re thinking positively.

Thinking positively can also reduce stress enough so that you can better resist unhealthy foods and habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol or taking drugs. Effective stress management begins with positive thinking.

Make it a point to understand your thought patterns and try various ways to change your negative thoughts into positive ones. You may need professional help or you can help yourself from finding out all you can from online searches and books.