How Attitude Can Take Health Up or Down
By Sandy Schroeder
Do you get up with a sense of purpose and a positive viewpoint every morning? Well, that may be asking a lot, but if you are usually ready to move ahead you may have the positive attitude that makes a difference in life.
Harvard Health researchers are telling us how our attitudes can affect our health. They say positive views may reduce our risk of degenerative diseases and even add years to our lives.
What You Look for Impacts What You Get
Harvard professor Dr. Laura Kubzansky says, “Your outlook, having a sense of optimism and purpose, seems to be predictive of health outcomes.”
Kubzansky talks about emotional vitality as hopefulness, enthusiasm, involvement in life, and the ability to handle life’s stress as factors that can lower the risk of stroke and heart attack. Her research involving some 6,000 people showed the ones who had high levels of emotional vitality had appreciably lower rates of heart disease and stroke over a 16-year period.
How to Shape a Positive Attitude
Finding that positive attitude takes practice but may be well worth the effort.
Don’t let the details trip you - Sometimes we get all tangled up in details that really do not matter that much, but do stress us out. Keep the big picture in mind and focus on your family, friends, health, pets and interesting projects that really count the most.
Don’t make age a big deal - We have all known some people who seemed old at 50, and others who were charging right along in their 60s. A British study found those who felt older than their age were 40 percent more likely to die within the next decade, than others who felt younger than their age.
Stay mindful and focus on the moment - When we take a mindful approach to life to stay focused on the present without judging it, stress can drop back, pounds may be lost, and better decisions may be made. Often we let go of our anxiety and take positive actions. If mindfulness meditation interests you, read more about it, take a class or talk to a teacher about it. Regular practice may help you make changes.
Do what you want to do - Wherever you are in the age/work/life game, know who you are and what you want to do. Look ahead to see where you want to be, and look at right now to see if it is working for you. We all make choices every day, but it is important to recognize that we are making them by what we do and do not do. I have some amazing friends who have faced real challenges and managed to move ahead in spite of them. They have taught me that life really is what we make of it.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Colorado Springs, Colo.