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Millions of people in the US, and around the globe, deal with anxiety and stress due to a wide array of causes.
Although it may seem like they will only go away on their own, that doesn’t happen.
To beat anxiety and manage stress, you have to be proactive. When left unresolved, they can create more serious issues. One way of managing anxiety and stress is through positive thinking. Believe it or not, positivity has a tremendous power to help you feel better. Keep reading to find out how!
Does Positive Thinking Really Help?
All people worry and have negative thoughts, but they are intensified in individuals who deal with anxiety. Focusing on negative self-talk only aggravates your condition, and that is the last thing you want. On the other hand, positivity is a great way to relieve anxiety or de-stress, and its benefits are documented by various studies.
A study whose findings were published in the Journal of Behavior Research and Therapy revealed that excessive worry or negative self-talk is a common symptom in people with anxiety and it is predominantly verbal as if a person is talking to himself/herself about adverse outcomes or opinions. Scientists discovered that implementing positive thinking or counteracting negative thoughts with positive ones helped participants reduce anxiety and worry. Participants experienced the best effect when they found a positive counter-thought to negative self-talk. Besides anxiety, positivity can also relieve symptoms of depression.
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine featured results of a study which found that practicing gratitude and optimism are an effective way to manage depression.
For the purpose of the research, scientists analyzed previous studies on this topic and found that people who thought optimistically about the future and wrote letters of gratitude experienced a larger increase in life satisfaction than participants from the control group. Researchers explain practicing positivity is particularly useful for depression sufferers from low-income households and other people who can’t afford therapy. This is a cost-effective way to feel better.
Furthermore, research published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience found that replacing negative thoughts with positive ones can increase the size of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). The OFC is a part of your brain that protects you from stress and anxiety, and enhancing the size of this area can help you prevent or tackle these serious problems.
No, it doesn’t mean you are ignoring your problems.
Replacing negative self-talk with positivity may seem like an irresponsible thing to a lot of people. This thinking usually occurs when an individual doesn’t understand positive thinking and self-talk. It doesn’t mean you’re burying your head in the sand or that you ignore problems and emotions you experience. In fact, positivity just means you are changing your approach to those things. Instead of facing life with negative self-talk, positive attitude allows you to be more open, and you realize that pessimistic thoughts were groundless.
Positive thinking starts with self-talk i.e. stream of thoughts that run through your head. The goal here is to enable positive thoughts to outnumber negative ones. Reminding yourself of your qualities and all beautiful things that you have or experience is an excellent way to start. You can also try the same trick from the study mentioned above, whenever you catch yourself thinking something negative; find a reason (a positive thought) that proves why those bad arguments weren’t true. To deal with anxiety, stress, depression, a lot of people also opt for natural supplements such as Provasil because these products improve mood and make you feel more open to positivity.
Health Benefits of Positive Thinking
The power of positivity goes beyond helping you de-stress or manage anxiety and depression. This way of thinking or attitude towards life has multiple health benefits as well. Here are some of them:
· Increased lifespan
· Stronger immune system
· Improved physical and psychological wellbeing
· Better cardiovascular health
· Better coping skills
· Lower cholesterol
Positive Thinking Tips
· Create a mantra (positive affirmation) and repeat it to yourself every morning when you wake up, before bedtime, throughout the day
· Use positive words when talking
· Create a list of your qualities and read it every day
· Remember, nobody’s perfect, and that’s okay, don’t seek perfection
· Spend time with positive people
· Contribute to community
· Read motivational articles and books
· Compliment others
· Create a daily gratitude list
Conclusion
We experience both active and negative thoughts but are more inclined to believe the latter are true. In most cases, negative thoughts are unrealistic and only make us feel worse, but these feelings are more enhanced in people who struggle with anxiety and depression. Positivity doesn’t come instantly, it’s the matter of willpower, consistency, and training, but you can do it successfully. Remember, positive thinking means you’re choosing to approach life and anxiety or depression in a healthier manner.
Meighan Sembrano
Author Bio-
Meighan Sembrano is an enthusiast and passionate writer. She has expertise in beauty and skin care articles. Also, she has contributed in the health and fitness field. Her work gives an enthusiast twist to the readers and her work resonates with readers through her sincere and thoughtful words.
You can follow Meighan on Twitter and Facebook.
References
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005796715300814
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.2011.0139?journalCode=acm
https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/11/2/263/2375082/Optimism-and-the-brain-trait-optimism-mediates-the
http://www.cheatsheet.com/life/6-health-benefits-of-positive-thinking.html/?a=viewall
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