A Positive Mind leads to a Positive Life

Mantra 1 : Positive Optimism

How many times have you gone to a doctor with an ailment and he asks you if you are stressed or upset or suffering from any anxiety. Did you ever wonder why instead of checking your physical symptoms he’s asking about your emotional and mental state.

Emotional health plays a key role in physical and mental fitness and well being.  We humans go through life feeling a myriad of emotions. But do you know that each emotion has a physiological impact on us.

A negative emotion releases a chemical called cortisol which  is more popularly known as the ‘ stress hormone’. High levels of cortisol can lead to hypertension, high blood sugar levels and reduced immunity amongst other things . Hence, a stressed mind weakens the immune system and one gets more prone to colds, coughs and other diseases. The more upset or anxious you get, the more negative thoughts, and more stress – all a toxic combination.

A positive emotion and happy thoughts, on the other hand, releases chemicals like serotonin and oxytocin and dopomein and endorphins, the ‘ happy chemicals’. I refer to them as the four pillars of happiness.

Some of the health benefits associated with Positive Thinking are :

While it’s unclear why people who engage in positive thinking experience these health benefits, one theory is that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful health effects of stress on your body.

It’s also thought that positive and optimistic people tend to live healthier lifestyles — they get more physical activity, follow a healthier diet and hence have better immunity systems and stay healthy.

Essentially, Positive thinking makes you happy and has a direct correlation to good health.

THINK POSITIVE !

Positive thinking doesn’t mean that you ignore life’s less pleasant situations. It just means that you approach unpleasantness and downs in your life in a more positive and productive way. You never stop thinking the best is yet to come, and that you have to keep moving towards it.

A positive person always anticipates happiness, health and success, and believes he or she can overcome any obstacle, failure and difficulty. A positive person has the ability to move on. A positive person is happy.

Alexander Graham Bell said, “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us”.

Do I get stressed ? Do I feel sad ? Do I get anxious ? Ofcourse I do. But I don’t let it fester inside. It is very important to be able to move on and get over the downs and the disappointments and failures. If you keep thinking about it, it kills you slowly. One gets depressed and sad. One loses interest in exercise, eating, one’s interests and hobbies. One becomes a loner, a whiner, a person who others don’t want to be around.

I am a bit like Scarlet O  Hara from the book ‘ Gone with the Wind’ . The famous lines ” tomorrow is another day”. I truly believe that and live by it.

I learnt it the hard way. In 2009, my father fell seriously ill, and the stress of it all affected me to such an extent that my immunity (which I am so proud of today) collapsed. I contracted pneumonia and was hospitalised for treatment. My treatment continued at home for 2 months. To put things in context, I am an extremely energetic , active person. And here I was – sick, and couldn’t work, couldn’t help my daughter, couldn’t be with my father, couldn’t do anything.  When I got back to work, I was extremely weak and low on energy. The antibiotics had a severe after effect on me. I spent the next 6 months on getting my health and energy back with clear focus on my  diet and exercise.

And that’s when I made a promise to myself – NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS I WILL NOT GET STRESSED. Stress only leads to your health getting affected and then you become useless – to your self, to your family, to your friends. I will always stay happy and positive.

So then what is the secret to positive thinking and coping with stress.

Stay tuned….