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Positive thinking reduces stress and improves health by keeping the obstacles of life in perspective. There is very little in our lives that we are not truly capable of taking on. That’s one of the benefits of being a human being.

Positive thinking is one of our greatest tools. Check out this article from the Mayo Clinic’s website that talks about the benefits of thinking positively on improving stress management and overall health. Here are the highlights they list:

-Increased life span
-Lower rates of depression
-Lower levels of distress
-Greater resistance to the common cold
-Better psychological and physical well-being
-Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
-Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

Why does positive thinking improve health?

The Mayo Clinic author claims that “It’s unclear why people who engage in positive thinking experience these health benefits.” I think it is perfectly clear why positive thinking would lead to improved health. When you are thinking positively, you believe you are capable of achieving a positive outcome in any particular situation. Watch the video bellow about what it really means to think positively.

When you are focused on what is possible, on what you want to ideally happen, rather than all the negative things that could go wrong, you are not only more likely to achieve that result, but you are also handling that situation with less stress. One of the main causes of stress is when we do not believe that we are capable. Stressing over bills and money happens because people experiencing it are focusing on the fear that they will not have enough in time. Stressing over a relationship occurs when one believes that they are not going to have the results from that that relationship that they want.When you believe that you are going to achieve a healthy relationship you are not stressed about it. You simply do it. When we believe we have enough money to pay our bills we do not stress over it. We simply pay them on time.

The Obstacles vs The Outcomes

Thinking positively means staying focused on the outcome you want as something that you are capable of achieving. This means that we need to be aware of obstacles but not cling to the negative outcomes they may produce. Those challenges need to be taken into consideration and mitigated to the point where they do not stop you from achieving the ideal goal. Those challenges are real and will not simply go away. But just because they exist does not mean that you cannot overcome them or work with them. So when obstacles keep us from going after goals then we have shifted into focusing on the negative outcomes and away fromt the outcome we want.

I see solutions. Everywhere. All the time.

The movie “limitless” is a great example of what i am talking about. When one of the characters gets in a pinch and start panicking, they become immobilized with fear and focused on the negative outcomes. They take one of the pills and suddenly they see all of the potential outcomes clearly. They then focus on the outcome they want and achieve it. Nothing in their circumstances changes when they take the pill. The pill does not alter reality. It does not give them super powers. They cannot fly away from the issue. They do not gain super strength to fight their way out of the situation. All they gain is the ability to see what is really possible. Their fears subsides because they can clearly see how capable they are.

We do not need super pills to achieve this. We can achieve a positive mindset that is focused on our own ability to achieve the best possible outcome for ourselves. All we need to do is focus our thoughts replacing negative ones that hinder us, with positive ones that keep us moving forward towards our desired goal. We can strengthen that muscle by meditating.

When you are focused on what you can do with purpose you start to use the “I am” statements that make up all of our clothes and t-shirts. Every positive affirmation that make up our designs is something you have been before and can be again when you need to be.

Reduce stress. Improve your health. Think positively.

What do you think is the link between positive thinking and reducing stress?