How to
Jump-start Your Emotional Health
by
Patricia Wagner
You've
probably heard the expression: "It's not what you're eating. It's what's
eating you!" This well-known saying reminds us that the thoughts we
entertain can have an impact on our health.
Scientists
have discovered that what you're thinking actually affects your physical health
as well as your emotional well-being. Ulcers, indigestion, nervousness, high
blood pressure and a wide variety of diseases can result from an injured immune
system brought on by harmful thought patterns.
There
are thoughts that heal and thoughts that hurt.
If
you read this article through to the end, you will discover an effective tool
to enhance your emotional and physical health.
Here
are five keys to emotional well-being:
1.
Emotions tag right along behind your thoughts, so guard your mind carefully.
Your
emotions can't tell if what you're thinking about is really happening or if
it's just an image in your head.
Prove
this to yourself by thinking back to when you watched a terrifying scene on
television on in a movie. Even though you knew what you were watching wasn't
actually happening, you were still scared - weren't you?
Here's
something to consider. About ten minutes after you start to dwell on something,
corresponding emotions will follow.
We
are what we eat - both physically and mentally. Pay close attention to what
you're feeding your mind. The books, television, movies, newspapers and even
the jokes we hear enter into our lives and become part of us.
So
what's eating you? Examine what you're feeling and then ask yourself this
question, "What have I been thinking about recently?"
If
you have a garbage can for a head, life will look like garbage to you.
2.
Learn to develop a cheerful attitude toward life.
Life
can be painful, but it's possible to overcome.
Choose
to behave in a cheerful way as much as possible even if you don't feel like it.
You may be surprised at what happens. Cheerfulness is contagious.
A
positive attitude toward life may help ward off sicknesses. Psychology
Professor Sheldon Cohen (
3.
Deal with stress as an opportunity to grow.
Stress
can be a killer.
People
who go through stressful events seem to get sicker more often than those who
have less problems confronting them. But some people
thrive on stress. This tends to show that the problem is not stress, but how we
deal with it.
When
we experience times of anxiety and fear, our brains release hormones as part of
the fight-flight syndrome to prepare us for dangerous situations. When the body
receives too many of these "danger" messages from our brains, our
disease-resistance systems are weakened.
Stressful
situations seem to cause increased illnesses in those who consider themselves
to be victims and who react with anxiety and
frustration.
Others
consider stressful situations as opportunities to overcome. So why not choose
this positive approach yourself?
4.
Make the right friends.
Select
people who are cheerful instead of depressed for the majority of your friends.
Emotions
can be transferred almost by osmosis. Retired baseball Coach, John Scolinos (from
We
need a positive social life that includes friends, close family members,
churches and members of organizations.
Those
who have satisfying social lives enjoy improved resistance to illness.
5.
Let wisdom from the world's greatest book be your
guide.
"A
cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones"
(Proverbs
"All
the days of the afflicted are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual
feast." (Proverbs
Want
to jump-start your emotional health? Stop letting what's eating you hurt you
and begin to enjoy life in a brand new way.
|
About
The Author Patricia
Wagner offers informative tips and a free newsletter to help you live a more
energetic lifestyle. Check out
http://www.a-to-z-wellness.com. She is also an artist and you
can view her original paintings at
http://www.artbywagner.com. |
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