The Power of Positivity
Posted: March 30, 2020 | By: Stacy Croninger
Even on the best of days, staying positive can be a struggle. Now take that day and add homeschooling kids, or having to be home day after day when you’re used to being out and about, or struggling to keep your business going and keeping that positive attitude might be flying out the window. Is being positive really that important, other than making you an enjoyable person to be around? Turns out it is.
Benefits of Positive Thinking
You’ve probably heard the age old question “Do you see the glass half-full or half-empty?” when determining if you are an optimist or pessimist. This matters because it reflects your outlook and often how you talk to yourself.
Self-talk is that endless stream of thoughts running through your head that you rarely speak out loud. Part of staying positive is related to your self-talk and reducing or stopping the negative thoughts that we all have. Doing so will help you be more optimistic and have a positive outlook. According to a Mayo Clinic article “Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress” their research has found the following health benefits that positive thinking may provide:
- Increased life span
- Lower rates of depression
- Lower levels of distress
- Greater resistance to the common cold
- Better psychological and physical well-being
- Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
- Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress
I don’t know about you, but I’d take one or more of these benefits.
Strategies for Positive Thinking
If you’re like most people, overall you are positive, but when things get hard or feel out of control, that positive attitude is hard to keep going. What can you do to stay positive? Tony Robbins suggests these five strategies:
Take control of your state: your body or nonverbal cues say a lot about your attitude. Try adjusting how you are sitting or standing to convey strength. Resist your nervous habits like fidgeting. Make eye contact with those around you.- Adjust your mindset: choose to focus on the positives in your current situation. Take a minute to reset by taking a deep breath or meditate.
- Study your habits and form new ones: when we’re in the heat of the moment we do what comes naturally. If that means lashing out or looking for the negative, it’s time to change that response. It will take time, but you can retrain your mind to block negative thoughts and replace them with positive.
- Choose your words carefully: make note of what words you currently use. Then identify those that are negative and replace them with a positive. You might find it helps to make a list of the negative words and their replacements until it becomes a habit.
- Look to those you admire: think of someone that’s made an impact on your life and ask them what they’ve done to stay positive. What mottos or mantras do they use daily? Adopt those that make the most sense for you.
Real Life Examples
Right now (March 2020), the world is experiencing a virus that is affecting people’s health, lifestyle, business, and more. Many are sheltering in their homes at the request of their government. Some are working from home instead of at their office. Others are watching their savings go up and down as investments change. It’s a lot of extra stress that can be very hard to handle.
Even so, there are things we can do to stay positive and lessons we can learn from this experience. I asked a few people what they had learned in the past few weeks. Here are a few of their responses.
- It feels good to pause and remember what really matters. Just sit, visit, walk, talk to family more.
- I have learned spending more time praying and time in Gods word is a good thing. It calms my nerves and brings me back to center. It’s even better if I can find a place outside for my time with God.
- “Solitude is the furnace of transformation” – this is from my daily Lenten readings and I thought it was especially fitting for our current situation (written in 1992 by Henri JM Nouwen).
- I’ve learned that a once-a-day media check in is all I need. I’m more centered, more creative and more relaxed when I’m focused on helping others and rediscovering my priorities thanks to my family.
- I tell everyone- these are epic, monumental times! Your grandkids will enjoy hearing how you lived through it- keep a journal or scrapbook!
I’ve learned that a zoom call is better than a phone call. Love seeing my kids’ (and granddogs’) faces! I actually played a crazy dice game with my mom and family over 6 states! So grateful that we have this kind of technology!! - I’ve realized more that for many people with illnesses, disabilities and other personal hardships, this kind of isolation has been their life for years – it has made me reevaluate how I can be more mindful and inclusive.
Take a minute and jot down what you’ve learned. Then take it out every few days and read it as a reminder that good does come from difficult things.
Use Youngevity Products
If you feel good, it is much easier to stay healthy. This means, sticking with your 90 For Life products. You may also want to look into ways to boost your mood like the Lift Superfood Chews or Soul Stiks or Hemp FX® Uplift.
Whatever you do, give yourself grace during this crazy time and figure out what works best for you. Because you can make a difference in someone’s life, even if it is just you.
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