Positive Thinking - 2012 Update

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By Terry Orr

Maintaining a positive thinking can be challenging for the best of us – each morning when I wake up, I am very thankful for another day and looking forward to what it brings.

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This would have been very handy forty-five years ago – Dawn Delvecchio at finerminds writes ‘Positive Thinking for Kids – 3 Great Tips for Teaching’:

1. Speak in Affirmatives

What’s the difference between “I don’t want to go to school” and “I want to stay home today”? Well, you might argue not a lot, and that what we’re talking about here is nothing less than wanting to ‘play hookie’ – whichever way you slice it. And you’d be right, practically speaking. But when it comes to positive thinking, the two statements are worlds apart. Here are a few other examples worth considering …

“I hate it when my homework takes too long,” or “I love it when I finish my homework with more time for fun!”

I don’t want to go out in the cold,” or “I’d like to stay inside and be warm.”

“I don’t like to play with Roger, he’s a jerk!” or “My favorite people to play with are Sam and Eddy and Jenny.”

2. Look on the Bright Side

S**t happens to all of us, but how you look at it – especially in front of kids – can make all the difference in the world. Here’s a great example – Kids spill things. Sometimes what they spill makes a heck of a mess. You’ve got a choice about how to look at it, no matter how much time it’s going to take to clean it up. You could either a). get pissed off, make a scene, shame the kid and then clean it up; b). fume a little bit, bite your tongue and clean it up; or c). think: “it could be worse, it could be a bottle of fish sauce!” Then smile and begin the clean-up.

3. Teach ‘em how to Rampage

Instead of letting kids go off on a rampage of anger or a crying fit; when they’re feeling calm and happy, teach them the appreciation game. You can use crayons, markers, pencils, words, stories or animated miming. Just pick a topic and go off on a rampage, thinking of every single thing you appreciate about that person, place, thing or experience. Make it fun and the kid will learn it for life!

What do you think?  Worthwhile finding out in your family?  Please let us know.

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The health benefits of positive thinking

According to Mayo Clinic, researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:

• 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; and
• Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress.

It's unclear why people who engage in positive thinking experience these health benefits.

There always seems to be someone out there who likes nothing more than to mess up our day – to wipe that smile off out face – but take it in stride, smile and do the best you can in that situation. Or like Jon Bon Jovi says in his song “...Have a nice day.”

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10 Tips to overcome negative thoughts: positive thinking made easy according to tiny Buddha:

1. Meditate or do yoga
2. Smile
3. Surround yourself with positive people
4. Change the tone of your thoughts from a negative to a positive
5. Don’t play the victim.  You create your life – take responsibility
6. Help someone
7. Remember that no one is perfect and let yourself move forward
8. Sing
9. List five things that you are grateful right now
10. Read positive quotes.

One that is missing above is exercising – a lot of folks that I talk with and from books, articles and interviews – exercising helps reduce the stress and puts them into a positive frame of mind.

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Here are several tips on how to think positively from Success Consciousness:

• Display a more positive emotional and mental attitude toward yourself, other people and situations.
• Refuse to participate in negative inner dialogues. It's just a waste of time and energy.
• Don't allow disappointments, difficulties and obstacles affect your moods and state of mind.
• Refuse and reject negative thinking. Either replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts, or engage yourself in some activity that will divert your attention from the negative thoughts.
• Don't allow what people think and say affect your mind and mood.
• Associate with people who bring something of value into your life. Avoid people who sap your energy and enthusiasm. If you can't avoid them, learn how stay detached when you are in their company.
• Say positive things about yourself and about other people.
• Compliment people when you feel they deserve it.
• Have faith in yourself and in your abilities.
• Try doing new things or old things in a new way. Doing things differently will help you be more creative and therefore more positive. Go to a different restaurant, eat different food, change the way you dress, start reading a new book or find a new hobby.
• Read about people who overcame hardships and succeeded in life. This will help you think more positively.
• Set goals no matter how impossible this might seem at the moment and keep yourself busy working on them.
• Each goal accomplished, no matter how small it might be, will bring you more confidence, self-esteem and positive thinking.
• At least once a day, think and try to come up with more ideas on how to think positively in various situations.
• Be careful what mental images you let in into your mind. How you see yourself and your surroundings make a difference to your thinking. It is like watching a video. Eject the old video cassette or CD and insert a new and better one instead.
• Analyze your behavior and attitude, and ask yourself why you are repeating the habits or attitudes that you dislike. There is no need to follow old patterns of behavior that you don't like or don't make you any good.
• When you learn how to think positively, you gain the key to changing and improving your life.

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So put on that happy face, be thankful for what you have and go out there and enjoy your day.

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References and Links:

http://kisbyto.blogspot.com/2011/09/positive-thinking.html

http://tinybuddha.com/blog/10-tips-to-overcome-negative-thoughts-positive-thinking-made-easy/

http://www.justifiedlions.com/positive-thinking/7-tips-for-daily-positive-thinking-motivation/

http://www.successconsciousness.com/think-positively.htm

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Cataract Awareness Month - one of the leading causes of vision loss in the US

In an effort to promote awareness about the world’s leading cause of blindness, Prevent Blindness America (PBA) recently announced that they have officially declared June as Cataract Awareness Month.

This eye disease currently affects more than 22 million Americans over the age of 40, and it is projected that by the year 2020, more than 30.1 million Americans will have cataracts.

PBA also reported that there are more global cases of cataracts than there are glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy combined. In order to further educate people about this serious eye disease, throughout the entire month of June, PBA is encouraging people everywhere to learn about the serious risk factors, symptoms and treatment options of cataracts.

What are cataracts?

A cataract forms when the lens of the eye becomes clouded, blocking or changing the passage of light in the eye. This can cause blurry sight and distort the eye’s vision, especially on bright, sunny days or while driving at night.

The lens is held inside a capsule located just behind the pupil and the colored iris. It is made up of protein fibers and water molecules that are arranged exactly to allow light to pass through without interference. Cataracts occur when these fibers begin to split over time, clustering together and clouding the lens. As fibers continue to break down, the clouding becomes more and more dense and covers a larger part of the lens.

How common are cataracts?

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness among older adults in the United States. By age 65, about half of the population has cataracts, with nearly everyone over the age of 75 having at least one. They begin to form between the ages of 40 and 60, but they usually don’t have an impact on vision when they first form.

In rare cases, infants can also suffer from congenital cataracts. This can occur with the mother has German measles, chickenpox, or another infectious disease during pregnancy, however it’s rare.

Berkely/Jove. 

This is the most frustrating part about cataracts―there’s no real definite cause. In most cases, cataracts are simply a part of the aging process. As you get older, your chances of developing cataracts increases.

However, while there are no exact cause of cataracts, there are several risk factors:

A family history of cataracts

Certain diseases, such as diabetes

Long-term steroid use

Long-term exposure to UV rays and excessive sunlight

Smoking

Unhealthy eating habits

Eye injuries or diseases

What can I do to prevent cataracts from forming?

Because there is no definite cause, there is currently no way to prevent age-related cataracts. The best chance a person has for preventing cataracts is to avoid the risk factors mentioned above.

Women should check with their doctors and obstetricians regularly about how they can prevent infection-related congenital cataracts. People with a family history of diabetes, or people who have been diagnosed themselves, can help to decrease their risk of developing cataracts by keeping a strict eye on their blood sugar levels and controlling what they eat.

Now that you know more about cataracts and the risk factors associated with them, tune in later this week for information about common symptoms, different treatment options and everything you need to know about cataract surgery.

Moment of Laughter Day

April 14, 2011 is International Moment of Laughter Day

International Moment of Laughter Day is certainly a day to put a smile on your face! Today is a day to laugh loudly and laugh often. Watch a funny movie, read an amusing book, or just be silly with your friends. It is not the cause of the laughter that matters… but the effect.

Researchers have begun to examine positive emotions and their impact on a person's health and aging process. Based on the results from a scientific study at the University of Maryland Medical Center, laughter may give a jolt to circulation and have positive effects on the heart. In addition, laughter may increase the body's production of nitric oxide (a chemical that helps dilate blood vessels).

All of these positive impacts on your health are reason enough to laugh not just today, but every day! So go ahead and be silly and laugh at your own jokes. And don't forget that laughter is contagious!

 

The Benefits of Laughter

Physical Health Benefits:	Mental Health Benefits:	Social Benefits:
Boosts immunity	Adds joy and zest to life	Strengthens relationships
Lowers stress hormones	Eases anxiety and fear	Attracts others to us
Decreases pain	Relieves stress	Enhances teamwork
Relaxes your muscles	Improves mood	Helps defuse conflict
Prevents heart disease	Enhances resilience	Promotes group bonding

All of these positive impacts on your health are reason enough to laugh not just today, but every day! So go ahead and be silly and laugh at your own jokes. And don't forget that laughter is contagious!

Here are a few – mixed reviews – but a starting  point – please feel free to share other jokes with us.

All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.

~ Charlie Chaplin

Total absence of humor renders life impossible. ~ Colette

Humor is by far the most significant activity of the human brain. ~ Edward De Bono

Don't worry about the world coming to an end today.  It is already tomorrow in Australia.  ~Charles Schulz

I have six locks on my door all in a row.  When I go out, I lock every other one.  I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three.  ~Elayne Boosler

Murphy was an optimist.  ~O'Toole's Commentary

The Pope flew into an airport for a meeting within a few minutes. His limo driver takes off and the Pope needs him to go faster in order to get to his meeting. The Pope asks the driver to switch places and the Pope will drive. They take off again and the limo is stopped by a cop. The cop takes one look at the situation and radios to headquarters. He tells the chief he's got a pretty important person on his hands. The chief asks "Is he more important than the mayor?" Cop says yes. Chief asks “Is he more important than the governor?" Cop says yes. Chief asks "Is he more important than the President?" Cop says yes. Chief asks "How important can he be" Cop says "I don't know, but he's got the Pope for a driver.

What's the difference between Roast beef and Pea soup? Most people can roast beef.

Did you hear about the dyslexic lawyer who studied all year for the bra exam?

These two cannibals were eating a clown when one of them looks at the other and asks "does this taste kinda funny to you?"

A couple of New Jersey hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be breathing; his eyes are rolled back in his head. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps to the operator: “My friend is dead! What can I do?”

The operator, in a calm soothing voice says: “Just take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead.” There is a silence, and then a shot is heard.

The guy's voice comes back on the line. He says: “OK, now what?“

This woman rushed to see her doctor, looking very much worried and all strung out. She rattles off: “Doctor, take a look at me. When I woke up this morning, I looked at myself in the mirror and saw my hair all wiry and frazzled up, my skin was all wrinkled and pasty, my eyes were bloodshot and bugging out, and I had this corpse-like look on my face! What's WRONG with me, Doctor!?”

The doctor looks her over for a couple of minutes, and then calmly says: “Well, I can tell you that there ain't nothing wrong with your eyesight....” 

A general noticed one of his soldiers behaving oddly. The soldier would pick up any piece of paper he found, frown and say: “That's not it” and put it down again. This went on for some time, until the general arranged to have the soldier psychologically tested. The psychologist concluded that the soldier was deranged, and wrote out his discharge from the army.

The soldier picked it up, smiled and said: “That's it.”

Two guys are sitting on a bar stool. One starts to insult the other one. He screams, “I slept with your mother!” The bar gets quiet as everyone listens to see what the other weasel will do. The first again yells, “I SLEPT WITH YOUR MOTHER!”

The other says, “Go home dad you’re drunk.” 

I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather. Not screaming in terror like his passengers.