An optimistic attitude is one of the best mindsets to have in life. The practice of positive thinking can have a big effect on mental and physical health. At first, it is not always clear how many benefits there are to changing your mindset and thinking more positively. In the past studies have been conducted and confirmed a few benefits of positive thinking including life satisfaction, better self-image and increased lifespan.
Not being satisfied with your life or constantly thinking down upon yourself is extremely damaging to your mental health. Bad mental health can lead to stress, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts. When your mental health starts to go downhill it can be hard to control how you think and carry yourself. According to Change Your Mind, it is important to ensure you are getting enough rest, making time for yourself, friends, family, significant other, etc and exercising regularly. Life satisfaction means you feel good and can function daily in the real world without constantly bringing yourself down. An important factor in growing your mental health is building resilience. Resilience helps one cope with unexpected changes and complex challenges throughout life. This helps to build inner strength which can reduce depression, anxiety and teach better ways of managing stress. The only way to improve your life is to find satisfaction with your current life.
How we think of ourselves affects how we feel and how we interact with others. A negative self-image can decrease life satisfaction and the ability to function in the basic world. A healthy self-image starts by learning to love and accept yourself. As stated in Cleveland Land Clinic, some of the solutions to improving self-image consist of making a list of positive qualities about yourself, giving positive affirmations, confronting negative thoughts and not comparing yourself to others. It is important to ensure you have a positive mindset and attitude in the way you go about things on a day-to-day basis.
Another reason is positive thinking increases lifespan. Studies have shown that optimistic thinking can improve cardiovascular health, boost the immune system and reduce inflammation in the body which all contribute to having a longer lifespan. Harvard University said that because of stress levels being lowered, people have a greater chance of living past 85. Being stressed out all the time can cause cardiac issues down the line, especially for those who are older in age. Along with the other benefits like a healthy lifestyle and exercise positive thinking can give you the opportunity to live a long healthy life. It is important to be healthy and eat a balanced diet to ensure you are living your life to the fullist.
Creating a better mindset and being more positive does not mean it is okay to ignore major issues or problems. Ignoring problems can just worsen them in the future but if you have the right mindset to begin with sometimes these problems are not as big as they may seem. Overall, positive thinking is an important factor in living a long healthy lifestyle.
