By Valerie Kramis, coach of Tahona Society Collective Spirit
Design Thinking process: How to Build your Creativity Muscle
Written by
The Tahona Society Editorial Team
Published on
Dec 20, 2021
Positive thinking comes hand in hand with optimism, and is a key aspect of effective stress management.
Positive thinking begins with internal dialogue, or self-talk. Internal dialogue is the endless flow of unmanifested thoughts that run through your head. These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative and are part of that internal dialogue that comes from logic and reason.
It’s true that positive and optimistic thinking affects our health. According to the Mayo Clinic report, โPositive thinking: Stop internal negative dialogue to reduce stress,โ positive thinking can increase your life expectancy, reduce depression and lower levels of anxiety.
Furthermore, positive thinking creates greater resistance to colds, fosters physical and psychological well-being, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and improves the capacity to face difficult situations.
Having a positive perspective allows you to better face stressful situations, which then reduces the harmful effects that stress can have on your body.
It is also reported that positive and optimistic people tend to have a healthier lifestyle: they do more physical activity, follow a healthier diet and donโt smoke or drink in excess.
Keep in mind that this practice takes time because you are creating a new habit. Follow these tips to change those bad thoughts into opportunities:
If you want to have more positive thoughts, identify the areas of your life where you tend to think negatively. It can be work-related, something personal, or even sentimental. Choose one area to work on first and then continue to the rest.
Throughout the day, pause and evaluate your thoughts. When you have a negative thought, try to shift it into a positive idea.
Give yourself permission to smile, or even laugh through difficult times. There is always space for joy, room to laugh at life. You will surely feel less stressed.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle will increase your positivity. Daily exercise for 30 minutes will decrease your stress. Healthy eating will help you maintain a balanced mind and body. And certainly donโt forget: breathe! It helps alleviate tension!
Surround yourself with positive, supportive people you can trust. You will see how their advice and opinions enrich your decisions.
Practice positive conversations with yourself, beginning with a very simple rule: donโt say anything to yourself that you wouldnโt say to anybody else. And if a negative thought clouds your mind, evaluate it and respond with positive affirmations about yourself.
Actively thinking about the things in your life that you are grateful for will help you reset.