Live Healthy Live Well

Did you know that people who are happier live 7 to 10 years longer? And happy employees miss up to 15 less days of work each year and recover from their illnesses earlier? The power of being positive is growing in both research findings and popular press. Numerous research studies have concluded that positive thinking can improve your health by:

• Lowering rates of depression and levels of distress
• Reducing risks of heart disease
• Providing resistance to the common cold

Thinking positive thoughts doesn’t mean you ignore unpleasant things that happen in your life; instead you look at those things as an opportunity to improve and presume that the best outcome is going to happen. So are you a glass half-full or half-empty (positive or negative) person? I admit this is an area I have been trying to watch in my own life. I know people who are negative much of the time and they aren’t fun to be around. What can we all do to be more positive?

• Stop using negative thoughts and words. When you catch yourself being negative – take a break.
• Surround yourself with positive people. Seek out friends and co-workers who are positive and reduce the time you spend with those who are negative. Now, if your mother is the negative one, that doesn’t mean you never have to see her again, but try to change or direct conversations with her to reflect a more positive slant.
• Read inspiring books or blogs, and follow people who use positive thinking on Twitter or Facebook. Buy a thought-of-the-day book with a positive theme or get out your old Chicken Soup books and read them again.
• Watch TV shows, movies, or even YouTube video’s that make you happy and laugh.
• Be physically active – it is amazing what a few 10 minute fitness breaks can do to improve your attitude (and your health).
• Institute a “no complaining rule” at your office or with your family. When someone doesn’t like a new policy, encourage them to think of it as a way to learn something new. Or rather than complaining about something, think of possible alternatives. You may need to try some “no complaining” days first, rather than going cold-turkey.
• Model positive actions and words with others. Set an example for your co-workers, family, and friends. Remember, children and teens will follow the example you set.

As one of my favorite positive speakers/authors Jon Gordon says “Be positively contagious”, rather than letting your negative energy infect others. If you are having a really negative day, everyone might be better served if you take a sick day for an “attitude adjustment.” In the same way that you would not want to infect co-workers with a cold or flu, you don’t want your pessimism contaminating others, either.

Sources:

U.S. National Library of Medicine

Mayo Clinic

Writer: Lisa Barlage, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Ross County.

Reviewer:  Donna Green, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Erie County.