OPTIMISM – SECOND PILLAR OF HEALTH AND WELLBEING
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. – Helen Keller
We need to understand that conditioning is a powerful bridge between the mind and the body, for the body cannot tell the difference between events that are actual threats to survival and events that are present in thought alone. Thus, consider feeding your mind, information that will empower your body’s experience, not weaken it. This doesn’t mean operating in fantasy land; what it does mean is you can choose to inoculate your body with good thoughts, good words and good deeds along with feelings that support it in health, and maximize your healing potential. We don’t need to just live but to be alive, to be graceful, benevolent, philanthropic, creative and coping with life affirmative whilst resisting stress, conflicts, malfunction of organs, disease, ailments and chronic conditions. Negativity invariably leads to entropy (functional energy being lost to friction). So we need to choose evolution over entropy; to stop resisting and start living. We need to be optimistic to laugh through the trials of life.
Our state of mind can either reduce or increase stress. Having an attitude of optimism, transforms us. Our thoughts become things. Thought generates complex combinations of biochemical reactions which, in turn, stimulates variety of receptors that create a change in our body structure. Cellular behavior becomes conscious and outcome miraculous. An understanding of how to have a healthy diet of thoughts, beliefs and optimism can have a great impact on our health. Endorphin, a type of neuropeptide produced when we laugh or exercise, is the brain’s own morphine. They produce a pleasurable sensation that has been found to directly affect the immune system, the hormonal system, the endocrine system and the entire body. Our body shares receptors for feel-good hormone peptides with the many viruses that can enter it, so depending on the peptide load for that particular receptor, the virus may or may not be able to attach, which will then determine whether you get sick or not. Our conscious choices dominate our DNA structure; they change with thought, intention, focus, attitude, choice of words, behavior and ultimately the action we take. Choose wisely!
Shakespeare wrote “thinking makes it so,” meaning, our thoughts guide our actions and often become self-fulfilling prophecies. We attract more of what we think, say and do. To a very large extent, our thoughts control our health, and as we age, the consequences of our thinking can be profound on our health and wellbeing.
Studies have shown that wherever we put the mind to, the body too would be. In study after study over 30 years, it’s found that increasing mindfulness is itself good for our health, and longevity. Unfortunately, research has shown that 70% of our thoughts are actually negative and repetitive. We are bombarded with 4 billion nerve impulses every second but, can only handle 2000 impulses consciously. So this means the majority of our responses are coming from our subconscious programming, and the bits we are consciously aware of will support our conscious as well as subconscious expectations. This show only 2% of brain is active and can change with belief, optimism, emotions and love; it will facilitate to bring about choice of response to life-circumstances in a very composed manner. Help cut the chase of pace and become aware of its dynamism. This has been further proved through a 10 year Scottish study that found that about 20% more people die from heart attacks on Monday mornings than on other days. If we made right choices it would be difficult for us to be ill.
Don’t just make optimism a mind-set, make it a habit!
The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.
– John Milton