Be Optimistic
Those who are optimistic see hardships as "learning experiences". They always believe that 'tomorrow would be better than today'. They are never bogged down by the miseries.
When we see the brighter side of things, we may feel that we experience more positive events in our life. We feel less stressed up. This can in a way provide us with greater health benefits.
Optimism is not imagination...It is a mindset!
Many researchers have studied optimists and pessimists and they have found that an optimistic world view carries lots of advantages.
The Benefits of Optimism
Superior Health
A study on 99 students was conducted in Harvard University. It was found that those who were optimists at age 25 remained healthy at ages 45 and 60 than those who were pessimists. Those who were pessimistic showed higher rates of infectious disease, poor health, and earlier mortality.
Greater Achievement
Even in sports it is seen that the teams that are more optimistic performed better and created greater positive synergy. Optimistic people are less vulnerable to low confidence. Even now days some companies choose to hire people who are more optimistic since there are chances of better performance and overall achievement.
Persistence
Optimists don’t give up so there is a greater probability of success. One can see the example of the great businessman Donald Trump, who have been bankrupt so many times, but finally was able to make millions in spite of his failures, just because he was optimistic.
Emotional Health
When clinically depressed patients were studied, it was found that 12 weeks of cognitive therapy (which involves reframing a person's thought processes) worked better than drugs. It had more long-lasting effects. Optimistic patients are able to handle the set backs more effectively.
Increased Longevity
It has been found that optimists lived significantly longer. Other studies have shown that optimistic breast cancer patients had better health outcomes than pessimistic and hopeless patients.
Less Stress
Optimists believe in themselves and their abilities. They expect good things to happen. They are not scared of negative events. Negative happenings are seen as minor setbacks to be easily overcome. They are not scared to take risks because they believe in themselves. Thus on the whole they experience less stress.
