We face numerous obstacles in our life; some difficult circumstances affect us all at one time or another. These days in particular with high job loss, diminishing resources, high prices and low wages, never ending wars, unstable climate, and the list just goes on…oh, and there is a pandemic confronting us all globally. There should be no reason why the average person should have anything to be concerned about.
While we all fret about any one of these things, confirmation keeps on being recorded that remaining optimistic can be a very good thing indeed. Optimism is a nice character trait if you can manage it but it is difficult to maintain when things are tough. Therefore, it is time to review some of the latest data reported regarding our health and optimism. The query remains than – are we able to think or imagine our way to improved health? As yet, there is no obvious proof this is the case, research continues on whether health and a positive mental attitude is related.
What follows are some interesting results of research investigations carried out of late.
A study lasting fifteen years was conducted as an element of the Women’s Health Initiative by the National Institute of Health [or NIH], and researchers gathered information throughout an eight year period from 97,253 women past age fifty. They announced their results to the Conference of the American Psychosomatic Society, which displayed that age adjusted incidences of coronary heart disease elevated dramatically when echelons of optimism were reduced.
When the study authors compared women who tended to be more pessimistic with those who displayed optimism, the cheerful group was thirty percent less at risk of expiring from heart disease and had a thirty three percent less chance of passing away from any cause at all. The study showed that in African American women, these results were predominantly distinct.
When evaluations were aimed at precise clinical ailments, there was once again a strong pattern evident in the patient’s positive mental outlook and the result of treatments. One study conducted on 309 mid aged people who had upcoming coronary bypass surgery planned, had these patients undergoing the required clinical examination prior to surgery but they also underwent a psychological evaluation engineered to forecast confidence, depression, self worth, and neuroticism.
The research team went on to gauge the patients for another half year subsequent to the surgeries. The team discovered the patients that received the best scores on the positive mental outlook index had a fifty percent less chance of winding up back in the hospital over that time span. Optimism was judged as an effective safeguard for 298 patients who had undergone angioplasty procedures. Worrywarts in this study had a three times more probability they might require further hospital treatment, a duplication of the angioplasty process or full blown bypass surgery in the subsequent half year than their more cheerful friends required.
No question that optimism appears to play a significant role when cancer patients are evaluated in the same manner. In a recent investigation printed in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, A team of scientists at Michigan State University, discovered that in 214 people going through chemotherapy for cancer treatment, those who rated the highest in positive mental attitude of their prior examinations claimed to experience less serious pain symptoms over the sixteen week course of therapy.
It was significant that those who achieved top marks in “mastering” optimism, claimed a secondary windfall, they experienced less tiredness [which happens as a rule with chemo patients] as well as less relentless pain.
There are more studies just like these as proof, and there are certainly just as many questions regarding the consequence as opposed to the association, however, researchers are left with little doubt that remaining optimistic can be extremely effective for patients, not excluding the effect on a person’s longevity and health.
So, just what can the average person do to bring more optimism into their lives? Read on and find out:
Guidelines For Optimism, Health And Longevity
• Be sure you only associate with people who are cheerful. Look for or create an upbeat atmosphere in your place of work. If you are in charge of new hires, only look twice at those people who present themselves as outgoing and cheerful, particularly if you are required to work in close proximity with the new hire. Allow your partner to read this information, encourage close family and friends to follow these same instructions. Explain to them you are planning on changing your outlook and want them to follow suit.
Select your friends and companionship cautiously, be aware always of who you chum with, what you watch on television, even what you read to avoid depressing consequences. Optimism is said to be contagious but so is negativism and crabbiness. Read books and news that is humorous, watch comedy on television or programming that inspires rather than news channels that depress. There are literally thousands of self awareness books available that inspire so pick some up at your local bookstore.
• Manage your inner voice. If you happen to be a negative Nelly or tend to whine about everything, or are considered a downer by others, make a conscious attempt to substitute unconstructive self chat with helpful choices. For instance, rather than telling yourself “I will not be able to figure this out” say “I’m going to make every attempt to make this work.” You could also say, “I’ve dealt with difficult things before and I’ll handle this as well”, instead of saying “I will never make my way through this.”
• Start maintaining an “Optimism Log” or journal. Each day [generally just before you retire for the night], jot down a minimum of three things that went well for you during the course of your day. Size does not matter with these thoughts, If something huge happened to you at work or if you just found a parking space near the entrance for once, make a note of it. By recording the positive aspects of your day, it will be easier to recognize the things that are great about your existence every day. Your spirits will be uplifted, your mind will stay cheery and you will find yourself being more optimistic in general.
Keeping this “appreciation journal” on a daily basis will not only be something you look forward to doing but you might find yourself remaining cheery so you have something to write about later. You could make a point of doing five nice things for someone else every day. When you write these positive actions into your journal, choose one of them and lay back with your eyes shut and review it in your mind’s eye. Walk through it all over again as intensely as you can remember it. Doing this reinforces the good practice in your conscious and fills up the optimism well.
• Try and have some fun with this new optimistic outlook. If you find yourself feeling gloomy about a certain turn of events, simply say, “Oh well” to yourself, put a big grin on your face and contemplate the many ways this particular dilemma can be spun in a positive manner.
• If you have a higher power, use your spirituality to instill a positive energy flow throughout your being. Pray or converse with your spiritual deity and ask for assistance in dealing with your pessimistic nature. If you have a series of negative issues, ask for help on each matter by saying a prayer for guidance or help. Find positive direction from your higher power and go to this force as often as necessary so it becomes second nature to hand your trouble over to them to when you are beleaguered.
There is quite a bit being written and debated lately about PMA – positive mental attitude, staying upbeat to achieve a higher sense of personal worth. Medical experts tout how we will live longer by maintaining a cheery outlook and reducing the stress in our lives as much as possible. There is new data emerging regularly about how the extreme elderly in our society seem to outlive their friends and even family by not allowing anything to bother them. Those older folks, who have a PMA, are the same ones in the nursing home that remain active and would rather smile than be grumpy.
These elderly people have had a lifetime to learn that there is no sense in worrying about each little thing and that even the big issues we are confronted with will find some resolution. They also know that the body and mind are both skilled at exploiting our sensitivities and hope for better or worse. They have learned over many years methods of handling stressful life situations so they do no harm physically or mentally.
To put it another way, they are the lucky ones that understood early enough that negativism can lead to an early grave and if they intended to live a prolonged and healthy life, it would mean making modifications to their lifestyle and emotional capacity to endure life with modest and manageable levels of pressure.
It has been proven that when a concerted effort is made to improve one’s optimism, there is a marked reduction in the amount of anxiety a person experiences and fewer health problems occur as a result.
Physicians see this in their patients who manage to lower their blood pressure through diet and exercise rather than prescribed medication.
If we are feeling irritable or grouchy and we recognize the problem, attending some type of workshop, support program or seminar to learn how to build our optimism and raise our spirits may work wonders. Having the life skill to manage our mental attitudes will ensure we have the tools when we require them. We also need to put them into practice or risk losing them.
These are just some of the many processes and tactics we have available to us to create an optimistic point of view. We must commit to memory that the principal means of change is through repetitive performance. Always keep your upbeat mental objective at the forefront of your mind, be persistent in achieving your goal and have fun doing it!
Mon, Mar 29, 2010
Gerontology, Health And Aging, Lifestyle, Longevity