How Staying Optimistic Improves Your Health
By Brandi Goodman
Optimism Month gets celebrated in March. This is a great time to think about just how staying optimistic can improve your health. A positive outlook on life allows for better mental clarity and overall well-being than a negative mindset does. Do your best to stay optimistic if you want to improve both your mental and physical health.
Less Reactive to Stress
People who remain optimistic in life tend to be far less reactive to the stress they encounter. If you're feeling positive and happy, then nothing is going to bring you down. You'll continue to feel that positivity and happiness even when things in life may not be going so well. Those who have a negative outlook may find themselves reacting to stress more easily. They're more likely to get angry and upset over these stressors that they can't control. Stay optimistic and remember that you can have a healthy and happy life just as long as you want to and try your best.
A Boost in Immunity
If you constantly feel stressed, upset, reactive, and negative, you're more likely to get sick. The body has a tougher time fighting off illness if it's stressed on a regular basis. A positive person who typically feels joyful and looks forward to each day often has a stronger immune system. Their minds and bodies are healthy so they do not get sick as easily. If you do get sick, remaining positive tends to help the sickness be fought faster because you're not feeling down about the situation and letting it keep you in bed feeling sorry for yourself.
Longevity
When you feel positive and content with your life, you're more likely to make healthy choices for yourself. You won't be turning to harmful substances to make it through your day. You won't be eating poorly. You're more likely to exercise, eat well, and think clearly. This leads to longevity. Positive people tend to live longer lives because they have a reduced risk of strokes, disease, and even cancer. Negative thoughts, unhealthy foods, and substances are not filling the body and mind with toxicity.
Stay optimistic no matter what you're going through in life and you have a much better chance of making it out with little damage. Negative thinking can greatly impact the way your mind and body operates, and even put you into a depression that does not allow you to live a healthy and happy life. Optimism Month is a great time to start making changes that you can continue to enjoy throughout the rest of the year and thereafter.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Round Rock, Tex.