How Positive Thinking Affects Your Health

Dr. Purushothaman
October 3, 2013

Although positive thinking has been promoted for the last several years as helpful for our mental performance, latest research has observed a connection between the quality of our thoughts and the state of our physical health. It is usual to hear conversations in which people complain of their physical ailments, oftentimes time and again. Whether it's not being as strong as they used to be, or merely not feeling healthy enough, these thoughts preoccupy a lot of individuals. It is clear therefore, that you can have a mindset that is not healthy and the question is whether you can really feel better if you can modify this. In this article, we will look at applying positive thinking to make you healthier.

The first thing to consider is how your thoughts are related to conditions such as depression and stress. There is evidence that depression can often have physical causes but in numerous cases, it will result from your attitude to life and specific events. When it comes to how you can use your mind to help, this can be accomplished on both a conscious and subconscious level. Rational therapy, which relies on the conscious mind, is usually effective in pointing out that almost all of our stressful thoughts never take place. A lot of our strongest beliefs and habits are controlled by our subconscious mind, and altering these requires more than rational thinking. Visualization and hypnosis can be extremely effective in altering beliefs and, if you do this, the long-range effects can be more powerful than using logic only.

Among the most persuasive arguments for the effect of our thoughts on our physical health is what is known as "the placebo effect." This is when men and women are given a pill which actually does not possess any healing property, and yet they claim to notice an improvement in how they feel. The placebo

effect demonstrates how strongly the mind can influence the body to enable quicker healing of injuries and sicknesses. The mind likewise affects our physical stamina and can be harnessed to attain greater degrees of fitness. Until Roger Bannister ran a mile in less than four minutes, it was believed to be an unachievable feat for a human. With the breaking of the supposed "barrier", many other runners set out to do the same thing, and currently the record is about 3:43.

Another example of how we can employ positive thinking is to neutralize aging effects. As you get older, do you talk to your friends about your "aches and pains" and your weakened capacities? Nevertheless, the knowledge we now have in the field of longevity demonstrates that you can overturn these effects and lead a very active life into your later years. The fact that a lot of people choose not to must be based on mindset and not having a positive outlook on what they can do.

So, why not use the power of positive thinking to make your health better and to reach the health goals that you set for yourself.

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