PositiveThinking

We all have positive thinking, but it is the way we use our positive thinking everyday in life that benefits us. Without positive thinking I believe one cannot be successful in life.  I personally believe that positive thinking is one of the keys to achieving ones success as well as how it affects ones health which later combines with their happiness.

With positive thinking the mind anticipates happiness, joy and a successful outcome of every situation and action. That is why when I wake up every day I believe that today will be a great day, and I will try to accomplish something good to keep me motivate and on track to becoming  successful not only in school but out of school such as where I work at. When I come to school or work with a positive attitude it not only makes life pleasing but more interactive with others. Because when you has positive attitude, other peers or colleagues notice it, and want to be around you. Because who would want to work or study with a person that is dull or has negative thinking.

Not only does positive thinking helps you be successful in life but helps with stress management and can even improve your health. When one has negative thinking they weaken their health and can have stress, depression or other mental illness. With simply thinking positive, having motivation and good confidence ones stress or other health issues can reduce dramatically, which later can also bring happiness in one’s life. That is why I try to have positive thinking because I know it helps me reduce my stress when I have tough times in life.

If we do not choose how to use our positive thinking wisely, it will mostly likely be a great tool that is never used. With positive thinking a person can have many successful opportunities in life as well as having positive effects on one’s health which later can also bring them happiness in life. 

Happiness & Health, 2

Raiana Romero

Paramjit Singh

December 3, 2010

ENG 101. 0782

Dr. McCormick

Happiness and Health

Some people may believe “happiness” is just a word or just another human emotion. What they do not know is that happiness plays an important role in your mental and physical health. In doing my research for this paper I have found many links between the emotion “happiness” and a person’s overall healthy well being as well as the well being of their mental health.  “Your body responds to the way you think, feel act. This is often called the “mind/body “connection”. For many we do not realize the simple things that can be done every day to increase happiness and health such as taking time each day to think about the things you are grateful for and say them out loud, or better yet, write them down, which is one of the methods Jessica Woodward, M.D would suggest. You are reminding yourself of the good things in your life, and that can lead to happiness which then leads to a healthier life.

What is being happy? That is the real question. To everyone it is different, according to Dictionary.com to be happy is to have/be: good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy. To me it is feeling loved, cared for and to be free. To some being happy is to have a certain person(s) in their lives, or certain obtainable things such as materialistic objects that make them happier. All in all people bring people happiness.

Research shows that happiness and good mental health go hand in hand. Think of your emotions anger, sadness, hatred, depression. This all leads to and un-happy person. According to E. Ferguson “As the debate regarding how our mental and emotions impact our health, yet another study confirms the ancient truth- a merry heart creates good health.” Speaking from personal experience I find when I’m “happy” my heart feels lighter. I look at people or situations in a more optimistic way. I get this ego-boost when I’m happy, and I like to treat people better and try to boost their egos as well. According to Dr. Kelly Traver “There are hundreds of different studies that show that how you choose live your life- what you do and how you decide to think-plays an enormous role in your ability to be happy”. Many people that believe that they are unhappy may turn to drugs to try and become “happy” and forget their problems for a little while but once the drugs wear off they still have the same problems and are unhappy. Over the last few years “yoga” has become a sensation amongst celebrities and just common everyday people. It is said to be relaxing and stress free and I have spoken to some that say it makes them relaxed, content and happy overall improving their mental health. I also interviewed a woman who was in and out of the hospital a few times, she told me she was so unhappy at home and in her marriage that she physically felt ill. Her bones would hurt her; she suffered from extreme headaches and always felt exhausted. She was admitted into the hospital where doctors ran numerous tests thinking maybe she had meningitis but it turned out to be what we call a “nervous breakdown.”

Being happy or unhappy can also play a huge role in a person being physically healthy or unhealthy. Have you ever experienced being heartbroken, sad or depressed and suddenly you also have a cold or you feel tired all the time and just feel plain sick? The reason you may be feeling un-well is because in that point in time you are unhappy. Once again according to Ferguson ” A recent study conducted in Canada determined people who are usually happy, enthusiastic and content are less likely to develop heart disease than those who tend not to be happy.” I have learned that poor emotional health can weaken your body's immune system. There are many physical signs that your emotional health may be off balance such as back pain, chest pain, headaches, insomnia, weight loss or weight gain. These are all some characteristics of an unhappy person. When you are happy, you take better care of yourself. You may eat healthier, exercise more or just take more pride in your appearance.  According to Dr. Traver once again he says, “Happy people are physically healthier they live longer, and enjoy a higher quality of life”. As much as people may not agree, there are many studies that show that happiness and being physically go hand in hand.

Research shows it has been found that a simple hearty laugh can make your mood and health change entirely. Have you ever witnessed it? One minute you feel totally dull, then something or someone makes you laugh and it change your entire mood. Charles Schaefer, a psych at F. Dickinson University studied how forced laughter affected the state of mind of students he noted “adults who act happy for a minute a day are likely to elevate their mood.”[81] At first it may be shocking to hear but then you realize wow true it is! As far back as the 16th century many believe that laughter could cure a common cold or headache according to Richard Mulcaster.[84]Illness can detract from your overall happiness in a significant way, by laughter he or she can overcome such obstacles in life and bring them not only happiness in life but increases and can protect their health.  According to Madan Lal Kataria who is known as the Guru of Giggling states that “people should laugh far more than they do, and that they should do so not by relying upon humor but by coming together and engaging in simple forms of play mostly build around faking laughter”. By laughing and being happy it increase health and laughter which studies proven to be a powerful intervention against illness.

Norman Cousins an editor of the Saturday Review, created a self-directed wellness program. This man was suffering from Ankylosing Spondylitis, a condition in which the connective tissue in his spine was deteriorating. After being put on many drugs Cousins did his own research in which he discovered that his condition was depleting his body of Vitamin C. His doctors soon took him off several of the drugs he was on and injected him with large doses of the supplements. He then checked himself out of the hospital because he was no longer getting any sleep; he had general feelings of negativity, and felt there was no need over medication. He checked himself into a hotel room and bought a movie projector and funny films. He found that the movies made him laugh so hard that he was able to stimulate chemicals in his body that allowed him several hours of pain free sleep, when the pain would come back he would simple turn the projector back on. He was able to cure the key measurement of inflammation and infection in his blood. Cousins now off every drug excepting vitamin C and laughter continued to laugh himself back to a healthily life.

I am a firm believer that being happy makes you a mentally and physically healthier person. Research has been done in the last century to prove this. Happiness can go a long way, as far as curing major infections and depressions. It is simple as watching a funny movie which cause you to laugh which later boost your immune system and make you a healthier person overall.

People would like to be happy and have good health. But at times when he or she is unhappy it has a great affects on their mental and physical health. When one is unhappy this can lead to mentally and physically heath problems such as depression or other heath illness. By taking simply steps in life such as few minutes of laughter or yoga each day can not only make you happier but have positive effect on one’s health. Such as increasing their immune system and protecting them from being sick or catching other diseases. Also if one is grateful for the things they have in life it can also make them happy and protect them from illness because they remind themselves of the good things in life which then not only lead to happiness but a healthier life.