10 Ways Positive Thinking Improves Your Well Being

Positive thinking isn’t just some grand delusion or happy drawing of a sun. The benefits of it are real —so real that it can impact both your physical and social health for the better. It acts as an important reminder that how we choose to perceive the world makes a dramatic difference to our functions and behaviors. Psych2Go shares with you 10 ways positive thinking improves your well being:

1. Your immune system improves.

Research has shown that people with flus and colds who believe they will get better soon recover a lot faster than those who have negative thinking processes. This also applies to people who recover from surgeries or life-threatening diseases, such as cancer and AIDS. Fighting off sickness isn’t just about getting the physical treatment for it. Part of the battle relies a lot on one’s willpower, and that’s generated by positive thinking.

2. Your blood pressure goes down.

When you think positively, you’re more likely to believe that you can get through even the most stressful situations. In fact, by altering your thinking and believing that stress is your best friend, you can decrease your chances of getting cardiovascular disease. A healthy heart is a positive one.

3. Your life expectancy increases.

You can increase your lifespan to as much as 10 years. This is because when your positive thinking teaches your body to be resilient, it learns to build up endurance to continue going on even as you age. The more your health improves, the longer you live.

4. It can help you fight off depression.

Depression manifests in pessimistic thinking. When people overwhelm themselves with self-defeating behaviors, it causes them to push themselves near the edge that makes it hard to form any meaning in life. However, combatting negative thinking with positivity helps regulate one’s mood swings.

5. Your tolerance for pain increases.

When you find yourself in a painful situation, it’s hard to maintain composure when all you think about is how much everything hurts. By using positive thinking, you’re creating a distraction from the pain. This can help you build up your tolerance for it the more you shift your attention towards a positive outlet.

6. Your self esteem boosts.

Confidence is created when you believe in yourself. This stems from the foundation of positive thinking. The more you tell yourself that you’re capable of doing something, the more likely you’re able to achieve it. This gets rid of the doubts that once stopped you from attempting great things.

7. You learn how to enjoy life more.

When you learn to think more positively, it changes the way you think about your life, too. You start to make every moment count instead of obsessing over failures and mistakes. You take everything as a learning experience and this helps you develop a deeper appreciation for the people and resources that you have in your life.

8. You can have healthier relationships.

Having a positive outlook also affects your dating life. It’s been shown that not only do positive people find their ideal mate, but they stay married longer. This is because when you think positively, you learn not to give up on love so easily and can heal better from past heartbreaks. It makes you incredibly resilient, which in turn also turns heads as people find that to be an attractive trait in a partner.

9. You can develop better habits.

Positive thinking influences you to take better care of yourself. You become more aware of what your body needs when you experience better performance from eating healthier, exercising more, and going to bed at a more reasonable time. This, in turn, helps you become more successful as you can focus on goals and dreams better with a healthier mindset and body.

10. You can inspire others around you to be positive, too.

One of the best ways of learning is having a role model to follow. When people recognize you as a positive person in general, you can do something meaningful that helps others who may struggle with positive thinking. This can be extremely rewarding because you’re contributing to society in a fulfilling manner that encourages the importance of prioritizing mental health.

How does positive thinking change your life? Leave a comment down below!

References:

5 Health Benefits Of Positive Thinking. (2017). Retrieved September 21, 2017.

10 Ways Positive Thinking Improves Your Health. (2015). Retrieved September 21, 2017.