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| Shameless Soaring(C) from Celeste's Photography |
I write and advocate as a way of coping, and
as a result, I am constantly learning new ways to avoid the pitfalls of
negative thoughts. That’s because there is power in positive thinking. It not
only helps us feel better emotionally, it promotes our physical health too. So,
what four things can we do to spiff up our attitude and claim our stake in the
power of positivism?
1.
FOCUS
When
things seem out of perspective, they probably are. That’s when we find the
value of focus.
___________________________________________________________________________
“When
you get into a tight place and it seems you can’t go on, hold on, for that’s just
the place and the time that the tide will turn.”
—Harriet
Beecher Stowe
___________________________________________________________________________
We broaden our perspective when we focus on
positive outcomes; negative thoughts limit our thinking. For instance, if we
focus on success, we immediately gain perspectives that empower us to seek
solutions. I wrote about this in my blog, The
Setting, the Shutter, and the Power of Resolution.
I find,
focus can work in other ways too. As I
title my photographs, I think of how I felt when I took the picture.
I think of how I was able to use light and speed to focus on minute details I
would otherwise miss with the naked eye.
And, get this; even stress can be a
positive thing if it allows us to focus. Good stress can motivate us to do
positive things. But proceed with caution, because we can lose focus if we become
overwhelmed with anxiety.
2.
BE GRATEFUL
Did
you know if we give thanks every day, we give power to our thinking? Investigators
of a
paper published in the Journal
of Research and Personality looked at two longitudinal studies regarding
gratitude and found that "overall gratitude seems to directly foster
social support, and to protect people from stress and depression."
Dr.
Deepak Chopra explains the power of gratitude. He says, “When we’re
appreciating something, our ego moves out of the way and we connect with our
soul. Gratitude brings our attention into the present, which is the only place
where miracles can unfold. The deeper our appreciation, the more we see with
the eyes of the soul and the more our life flows in harmony with the creative
power of the universe.” He offers us a few powerful gratitude practices for us
to try at The
Chopra Center.
3.
WRITE AND SPEAK AFFIRMATIVELY
The
words we use not only reflect our cognition; they also affect how we deal with
our emotions and even our physical pain. To conquer feelings associated with
pain, we can use power words to improve our inner dialogue. Here are a few action
words that improve self-reflection when used with I AM:
·
overjoyed
·
decisive
·
peaceful
·
devoted
What
power words can I exchange today to improve the way I talk to myself?”
Excerpt, Broken Body, Wounded Spirit:
Writing an “I AM” poem from a positive perspective
provides a self-awareness that makes a special connection to our soul.
I
am enriched as a person by the relationships
I
have developed as the result of illness.
—Celeste
___________________________________________________________________________
Writing
and speaking affirmatively provides light in the darkness of chronic pain and
illness. You can read more on Making the
Best of Affirmations, here.
4.
LEARN TO LET GO
Sometimes,
we hold on too tight to our past relationships, previous levels of functioning,
hurtful comments, mistakes, or personal struggles. This can be damaging to our
well-being... Are we resisting change or embracing it? Do we exhaust ourselves
by grieving our past capabilities or resist chronic pain as a reality? Are we
fretting over something we might have done differently? … Keeping a firm grip
on our past is not helpful. The power comes from letting go and embracing change.
Excerpt, Broken Body, Wounded Spirit:
___________________________________________________________________________
"There's
an important difference between giving up and letting go."
—Jessica
Hatchigan, author
___________________________________________________________________________
When
we learn to let go of things we cannot change, our time is free to focus on
things that we can do. We acquire cerebral space that will be better used when
crowded with positive thoughts, gratitude, and acceptance.
Additional
reading:
Watch for my ProHealth article about how we can manage chronic pain and invisible illness by reflecting on words from the wise. Here is a link to my profile page. https://www.prohealth.com/library/bloggers/celeste-cooper
In healing,
Celeste Cooper, RN / Author, Freelancer, Advocate
Think adversity?-See opportunity!
~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~
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