The Importance of Positivity
There is power in our words.
The things we say to ourselves and one another bear a surprisingly strong impact on how we see our environment.
Through your thoughts and words, you can actively shape your and others attitudes towards a topic or idea.
Not only that, but a positive outlook can be good for your health.
In many situations, we make a conscious choice whether to be positive or negative. That choice determines our future emotions and leads us down a path of either positive or negative feelings.
But how do you control positive and negative reactions? It may be easier than you think.
In this post, we will go over the importance of positivity and how it can give you a jump-start in your career.
Finding the Positive in the Negative
Glass half-empty, or half-full? Its your choice!
Optimism in the workplace can determine many things. Will you give up or keep going? Is your account stagnating or is it time for a strategy change?
Even when you are in a tight spot, you can create opportunities for yourself by practicing positive thinking.
Not only does positive thinking increase your options when the time comes to act, but it also decreases your stress level and provides clear health advantages.
Here are some of the benefits of positive thinking:
- Keep a healthier mind and body
- Cope with stress
- Build trust and compassion
- Maintain or build happiness
- Enjoy more hopeful living
- Live longer
That all sounds great! But how powerful is optimism to your health?
An eight-year study of women found that those with a more positive disposition were significantly less likely to die prematurely from major illnesses.
Researchers found that not only did optimism tend to promote healthier choices that encourage longer life; they believe it also affects different systems in the body.
Here is what the study showed:
- Positive women were over 50% less likely to die from infection
- Positive women were nearly 40% less likely to die from heart disease, stroke, and respiratory illness
- Positive women were almost 20% less likely to die of cancer
As you can see, there are certainly significant indicators that correlate positivity with greater health.
But what about pessimists?
Another study, this time its done on men, showed that pessimistic men were twice as likely to develop heart disease than their more positive peers.
In addition, more positive men were found to:
- Recover faster from surgery
- Reduce overall levels of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline
- Have a lower risk of high blood pressure
- Have stronger immune systems
- Have better blood circulation and lower risk of blood clots
- Experience better physical and mental functioning overall
Positivity vs Happiness
One of the major misconceptions about positivity is that optimists never have a bad day again after embracing positivity.
This is simply untrue.
Optimist or not, you will face health, money, and professional problems in your life. Nevertheless, optimists can still find reasons to be positive and long-term positivity sets the optimist up for happiness later in life.
What you say, think, and feel determines your reactions and mindset. Positive thinkers can learn to work around troubling times and find the route to happiness, while negative thinkers will find themselves entrenched in their negativity.
If you are ready to take a step in a positive direction for your business, then its time to reach out to SOCA.
SOCA makes it easy to stay positive with our top-tier benefits programs. Only through SOCA will you have the comfort and peace of mind that comes from knowing you have all the best health and professional benefits available.