Have you ever been told to “ look on the bright side” or “ There's a light at the end of the tunnel” ? These are statements that positive thinkers love to make to encourage others to try and be a little bit more optimistic.It has been found that optimism and positive thinking is linked to many health benefits , this suggests that positive thinkers tend to have a better well being than the rest .
If this is something that doesn't come easy to you then you've come to the right place, I'm here to help :). I have put together this blog to help you understand why you should try being more positive and how to do it and why you should've started years ago.
Before I convince you to put on your rose-coloured glasses let's get some things straight. Although it can greatly improve your quality of life and your health, optimism isn't a one size fits all solution to all life's problems. Extreme optimism may not serve you well in some situations, for example, being too optimistic may lead you to want to see the best in people even if they are harming you. Positive thinking is meant to give you the tools to handle the problems and hardships of life, not to put you in harm's way.
Hardships and problems are inevitable, it's the way of the world. You will be hurt and disappointed by the actions of others. Instead of ignoring the pain or dwelling in it, positive thinkers look at the situation realistically and attempt to come up with solutions and learn from the experience. Positive thinking centres beliefs in your abilities, a positive approach to challenges and trying to make the best out of bad situations. It may not be easy, but you can maintain a positive mindset through challenges while still holding space for the hurt and pain you are experiencing.
Now that you have an understanding of what it is I am talking about, I have few points to offer you that I hope will convince you to take the first step.
Benefits of positive thinking
Stress relief
When faced with stressful situations/ environments, thinking positively helps you to cope better. Rather than the pessimistic approach of dwelling in frustration and allowing it to consume you, positive thinkers will devise a plan of action and seek assistance or advice. If you are ever stressed out and need some help, try our stress relief tea ;).
Resilience
Resilience is our ability to cope with hardships. Resilient people are able to face hardship with strength and resolve. Rather than falling apart at the seams they possess the ability to overcome. It comes as no surprise that positive thinking plays a major role in developing resilience. Positive thinkers are often able to look at hardship as something that they can fix, they are well equipped to solve or overcome any difficulties.
Improves confidence.
How can you possibly look down on yourself or anyone else if you are focused on all the good attributes of yourself and others? It's lowkey impossible. It becomes difficult to not view your life as amazing when you are consistently and constantly affirming yourself with your thoughts.
Lowers your blood pressure.
Your blood pressure is directly affected by your mood and stress. So instead of causing your blood pressure to rise and giving yourself hypertension, put on your rose-coloured glasses to calm your heart and your body.
I believe we all want to be confident and not have to worry about hypertension so you can give our high blood pressure tea a shot. Here are practical everyday solutions that can make you a more positive thinking individual.
How to become a positive thinker
Be mindful of who you surround yourself with
Do you remember when you were a kid, and your mom would always lecture you about the importance of being selective with the people you spend time with? Well, your mom was right. The people around us have such a big impact on us, if your friends are constantly complaining or speaking ill of themselves and others that can easily infiltrate your thought system. Instead, do what your mom said and spend time with people who are positive, uplift you and make you feel happy.
Find a distraction.
When the negative thoughts creep up on you and show their ugly faces try to distract yourself by putting your attention into something that pleases you and elevates your mood. Don't dwell in negative thoughts, put on some music / your favourite show to ease your mind.
Use positive language.
Remember when your mom would say “if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all “, yeah, she was right about that too. Be aware of the words you speak, try to focus on saying things that are constructive, whether you are referring to yourself or someone else.
Stay off social media.
Social media is great, personally I can't get enough of TikTok however it is also known to encourage quite damning thoughts. These are thoughts such as inadequacy because you believe someone's life is better than yours. Be selective about the accounts you follow, do they make you feel bad about yourself? If so, it's time to let go.
In this blog we learnt a few things. Your mom is always right, and positive thinking seems to be worth the effort for your mental and physical health. Trading your worries for some positivity is not easy and will not happen overnight but it sure is worth the try.