Become an Optimist
Hi TPW Fam,
Today marks the first post focused on the impact of a positive mental attitude, self actualization, and achieving optimal health.
The importance of attitude to our health has been demonstrated in links between the brain, emotions, and immune system. Yes, our immune system is even impacted by our attitude! A simplistic view is that positive emotions, such as joy, happiness, and optimism tend to boost immune system function, whereas negative emotions, such as depression, sadness, and pessimism tend to suppress it.
You are probably familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, but if you are not, they build upon each other in a pyramid starting with physiological needs, moving on to safety, love and belongingness, cognitive, aesthetic, and self. Self actualization does not happen at once, it happens by subtle changes when we take personal responsibility for our own positive state, life, current situation, and health. People who have strong self actualization are proven to perceive reality more accurately and effectively, have greater acceptance of self and others, have a problem solving orientation, have capacity to appreciate, express sympathy and affection, have deeper and more profound interpersonal relationships, and are strongly ethical and moral, to name a few.
So how do you strengthen your self actualization and achieve a positive mental attitude? With these seven steps.
Become an optimist
Become aware of self talk
Ask better questions
Employ positive affirmations
Set positive goals
Practice positive visualization
Laugh long and often
Become an optimist.
It’s important to remember that it isn’t events themselves that make us unhappy, it is our interpretation and reaction to them, and while you can’t always change events, you can change your response.
When negative situations occur, try to reframe them by focusing on the positives or what you can learn from the situation
Surround yourself with positive people who help you to appreciate the good in situations and in life in general.
Optimism isn’t something that comes naturally to all of us. In the meantime, fake it til you make it, try smiling and laughing more.
Look at tomorrow as exactly what it is — a new day — in which good things can happen, if you let them.
Be solution orientated. Rather than reflecting on what could have been, let go of regrets and negative thoughts, get proactive and start planning where you can go from here.
I challenge you to try one of these on for size, take a mental note of how it felt.
Until next time,
Morgan
