Shift to the Positive this Monday
This Monday, see how taking a glass-half-full instead of a glass-half-empty approach, or adopting a more optimistic point of view, can help you feel better about daily life, and build mental strength and resilience. It may even reduce feelings of stress and improve your overall health.
To reframe to the positive, try these simple steps that can be done anywhere and anytime:
- Find a moment to be still without distractions.
- Become aware of your thoughts.
- Notice what’s bothering you.
- Ask yourself, how is what’s troubling me affecting my outlook and wellbeing?
- Reframe your experience. In other words, create a positive alternative to what’s troubling you, or identify a positive action you can take.
The benefits of greater optimism and positivity may include a better quality of life and improved resilience. It may also lead to taking better care of yourself by eating well, exercising, and being social.
Increased positivity can lead to happiness. In a 2016 study*, men and women who reported being happy lived longer and had fewer heart attacks and strokes. Being optimistic is also associated with lower cortisol levels – the stress hormone – that could contribute to hallmarks of optimal health such as a normal blood pressure and a lower heart rate.
This Monday, take a moment to flip the script on negativity by reframing a stressful thought to a positive one. Follow DeStress Monday on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for more healthy tips on reducing stress and improving positivity.
*Ronald D. Siegel, Psy.D., 2016, Positive Psychology, Harnessing the Power of Happiness, Mindfulness, and Inner Strength, Harvard Medical School Special Health Report, Chapter: Happiness: What is it? Page 10