Why thinking positive is important

Optimism and its impact on mental and physical well-being. Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. Schwartz T. The Chronicle. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellMind. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

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This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions. Healthy Lifestyle Stress management. Products and services. Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress Positive thinking helps with stress management and can even improve your health.

By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. A University of Kansas study found that smiling—even fake smiling—reduces heart rate and blood pressure during stressful situations. Instead of stressing about a traffic jam, for instance, appreciate the fact that you can afford a car and get to spend a few extra minutes listening to music or the news, accepting that there is absolutely nothing you can do about the traffic.

Experts recommend these key ways to build yours:. Cardiovascular car-dee-oh-vas-cue-ler disease : Problems of the heart or blood vessels, often caused by atherosclerosis—the build-up of fat deposits in artery walls—and by high blood pressure, which can weaken blood vessels, encourage atherosclerosis and make arteries stiff.

Heart valve disorders, heart failure and off-beat heart rhythms called arrhythmias are also types of cardiovascular disease. Immune response : How your immune system recognizes and defends itself against bacteria, viruses, toxins and other harmful substances. Ultimately, building a fulfilling life is about mastering your emotions , both positive and negative. Here are six ways to fully embrace not only the power of positive thinking but also the incredible power of your mindset.

Your partner broke up with you. You have chronic health issues that hold you back. These are all difficult situations that many of us will face at some point in our lives.

The real question is: How will you react to them? Do you blame others when bad things happen to you? Or do you look to yourself for the solution? This type of thinking lends you a deep belief in yourself and a positive mindset that allows you to get up and start over after a failure.

From there, everything else in your life can fall into place. Remember: The only thing in life you can control is yourself. You stop being mindful and allow your environment and circumstances to control you. This is not a powerful stance. Your body tells those around you that you are uneasy, angry or sad and want to be left alone. This creates a feedback loop as your poor posture reinforces your poor mindset. Positive thinking is as much about your body as it is about your brain.

Take control of your physiology by taking pride in how you present yourself. Work on your posture to give those around you nonverbal cues that you are feeling strong and positive, and are ready to listen to them. Stop nervous habits like fidgeting or twirling your hair. This technique requires you to observe yourself; as soon as you catch yourself giving in to a nervous tic or starting to slump, straighten up. As you hold your body in a power pose, a more positive mindset will naturally follow.

The more you portray positivity and others see you this way, the easier positive thinking becomes, creating a new feedback loop. You will then be able to focus on others and do things such as asking three vital questions to find out how you can give to the world and others. Your mindset governs what thoughts flow through your head and how you feel and react to each one. If your mindset is poor, everything around you is going to seem all the worse.