Reminder: I'm Positive! It Works!

A friend recently told me that he was just getting over depression. I was surprised because I see this person quite often and had no idea that he was having these feelings. I told him as much and his reply was " I didn't know that I was either until I wasn't." He went on to say that he knew a change was needed when he could no longer find the energy to do the things that he loved. His solution to recalibrating his life and regaining his positive outlook was to distance himself from what he saw as his problem, a toxic relationship. His situation started me thinking again about how important positive thinking is.

Somebody once told me that "If you only see darkness at the end of the tunnel its because you're on the outside looking in." It hard to explain to someone the importance of being optimistic, really, like the old island saying goes "Who feels it, knows it." But even though we all experience different types and levels of stress in our lives, the one thing that links us all is our attitude and how we choose to deal with these situations. We've spoken before about letting things go. If it's inevitable don't worry about it. Many of us spend so much time focusing on things that we can't change that we miss the opportunity to do real good with things that we can. And we all know that excessive stress and worry lead to health problems.

A study in the August 2002 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings reports that people who expect misfortune and who only see the darker side of life don't live as long as those with a more optimistic view. Researchers evaluated results from a personality test taken by participants more than 30 years ago and compared them to subsequent mortality rates. They found that people who scored high on optimism had a 50 percent lower risk of premature death than those who scored more pessimistic. Clearly, there is a link between positive thinking and quality of life.

Of course, life inevitably presents challenges and frustrations but it's up to you to look for ways to conquer them while improving your life and enhancing your overall being. You must find a way to stay as positive, vibrant, healthy and energetic as possible. Your life depends on it! Thanks for your ear and keep reading!