Find it tough to calm your thoughts while you're sitting still? Going for a brisk walk and mentally repeating a phrase with a four-part beat, such as "I can do this," helps too, says Carolyn Scott Kortge, author of The Spirited Walker: Fitness Walking for Clarity, Balance and Spiritual Connection (HarperCollins, 1998). 10 | Look for laughter. Humour makes it easier to be hopeful. Study participants who watched a 15- minute comedy video had significantly higher scores for hopefulness than those who did not view the video. That study says humour may inhibit negative thoughts, allowing positive thoughts to become dominant; in turn, those positive emotions stimulate our thoughts and actions, helping us pursue more creative ways to solve our problems.
Unrealistic optimism
When it comes to your health, there is a potential downside to thinking that things will turn out just fine. A number of studies have shown that "unrealistic optimism" (or good, old-fashioned denial) can be used to justify unhealthy choices. For example, a recent study found that smokers thought lung cancer was only a risk to people who smoked more cigarettes a day than they did, or for those who'd smoked longer. A 2008 study of hepatitis C patients revealed that people who were overly optimistic about their ability to cope were unprepared for the reality of the treatment's side-effects, and were then more likely to delay seeking help. Bottom line: Thinking positively doesn't mean you get to bury your head in the sand.
Want to find out just how positive you are?
Take a positivity self-test online at www.positivityratio.com. The test was developed by psychologist and author Barbara L. Frederickson. You can take it regularly and track whether your sense of optimism is rising or on the wane.
Page 4 of 4 -- Dicover the ways your health can benefit from optimism on page 1.
