How Can Your Attitude Improve Your Health?
By Stepy Kamei
The body is a cohesive unit, working together to keep you strong and healthy enough to get through every day. The mind is included in these functions, yet few people remember that. The mind is a powerful tool, and it can have a greater influence on your physical health than you may think. I'm not saying that simply wishing a physical health issue away is enough to get rid of it. However, your mindset plays a much bigger role when it comes to shaping and forming your overall mental health, and the state of your mental health can noticeably improve or degrade your physical well-being. Healthcare providers have known for some time now that physical ailments such as headaches, fatigue, joint stiffness, and weight gain can all be, at least sometimes, attributed to mental health issues such as depression and chronic stress and anxiety. It's for this reason that changing your attitude for the better can be a great way to change your physical health as well.
Negative Thinking Patterns Only Hurt You
You may think this isn't the case, but the mind is surprisingly good at sabotaging itself. Negative mindsets are often shaped by a person's past experiences, which can falsely color their beliefs and habits going forward in life. One common pattern of thinking that many of us have fallen into is choosing to focus on everything that's going wrong in our lives instead of looking at everything that's going right.
When you're stressed and upset, it's easy to take everything as a personal attack against you. You may begin to see random instances such as getting stuck in traffic or having an interaction with a rude person to be directly tied to your life. You may think only bad things happen to you, or that you somehow deserve unfair treatment. It's crucial to remind yourself, as often as needed, that life is random, and you really can make of it what you choose to. Try your best to always start and end the day on a positive note. Many people find it helps to keep a gratitude journal in which they list just a few things they were grateful for or proud of each day.
Quit the Comparisons
It's also very important to stop comparing yourself to other people. It may seem like everyone has their lives together but you; keep in mind that people very rarely talk about their failures. After all, do you happily share your failures at dinner parties?
Don't take this to mean that everyone is suffering, but you should take some comfort in knowing no one is perfect all the time. Over time, choosing to focus on the positive aspects of life and creatively moving past negative experiences can seriously improve your overall sense of wellness.