It Can Be As Simple As Thinking

Who knew that the way you think can impact your life and overall health? You can change your outlook on life and how your see others and yourself by simple changing how you think. Positive self-talk is a way to approach situations with a positive mind set, and helps solve problems in a productive manner; it can bring out an optimism that allows people to see life in a “better light”.

There are also health benefits to positive self-talk because it reduces stress by eliminating negative self-talk. Negative thinking and self-talk bring about a pessimistic mindset that forces you to think about the worst is going to happen. It places your body in a fight-or-flight mode that can be detrimental individual systems and the all in all functions of the body, especially while chronically stressed. According to the staff at the Mayo Clinic, positive thinking and self-talk can provide: lower rates of depression, lower levels, of distress, increased life span, greater resistance to the common cold, better psychological and physical well-being, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, and better coping skills with stress.

From persona experience, I truly believe positive self-talk can influence all aspect of life, including school, sports, work, and health. During the time I played volleyball at Regis, we had someone come in and help us with positive self-talk and affirmations that helped us during the game and practices. On a weekly basis, we made individual and team affirmations based on the goals we wanted to achieve during that week of practices and games. We were required to say out loud, rewrite, and visualize our affirmations each day. The positive self-talk and affirmations helped me during the week because they kept me focused and positive even though I had a hard week in school or practice. An example of an affirmation I had included, “I am a great passer because I can pass 9 out of 10 ‘perfect’ service receive passes.” When I focused on the positive self-talk, it gave me confidence in practices and games because I believed whole-heartedly that I was a great passer.

Positive thinking and self-talk is a great and easy way to relieve stress. You can do with yourself or with others. It helps open many opportunities because it allows you to think with an open and optimistic mind set.

References

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/positive-thinking/SR00009