Good Attitude Extends Life

Research shows that Positive Thinking prevents heart attacks. A good attitude extends your life. And, if you're not an old Pollyanna like me, you can turn things around; you don't have to be born this way. You can become a happier, more positive person by building relationships, expressing gratitude, practicing kindness, dropping grudges, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep, according to The Greater Good Science Center*. 

    “Happiness takes work,” as Lyubomirsky says in a Greater Good video. “The good news is that the activities that foster happiness and well-being can become habitual over time, and so once they become habitual, the effort decreases.”

There is a lot of advice for increasing happiness on the internet, not just here on my blog. Here's what Cleveland Heart Lab** says:

Negative thinking is often just a bad habit that you can change. Here are some ways to develop a sunnier outlook:

Practice gratitude.

Counting your blessings helps you have more positive thoughts. Some people keep a notebook and jot down the things they are grateful for. Others say thanks to others as they go about their daily lives.

Hang out with positive people.

Optimism rubs off. Being around optimists can help you think like they do.

Review what went right at the end of the day.

What did you enjoy? What made you feel appreciated? This practice can help you have positive thoughts before you sleep, which affects your first thoughts in the morning.

Turn off the news.

The current climate of politics can make it hard to be optimistic. Being informed is important, but try to limit the amount of time you spend getting news.

Just smile.

It can change your mood and also helps you connect with others. Plus, smiling can lower your blood pressure and stress hormones, which are also good for your heart.

Learning to think like an optimist takes practice. But it’s well worth it for your heart and well-being!

Here's a short list (with links) of some of the numerous posts and articles on this subject.  

 

Heart and Stroke Foundation

**Cleveland Heart Lab

John Hopkins Medicine

*Greater Good Science Center

Science Magazine

The Glad Game - Today’s Version

Today's version of Pollyanna's Glad Game is an Attitude of Gratitude.

In any negative situation, if you look hard enough, you can find something to be glad about. Pollyanna was taught this coping strategy by her father before he died. They called it the Glad Game. 

This Psychology Today article* from 2019 looks at research on gratitude's effects on wellbeing. Keeping a gratitude journal, or writing a daily list of things that you're thankful for, or performing some kind of regular gratitude exercise, has been shown to improve mental and physical health. The author suggests that Pollyanna is misunderstood, that this kind of positivity is very healthy and should not be seen as unrealistic or negative. Yes! I'm happy I found someone who so clearly agrees with me.

Here's a quote from that article:

    See if you can find something to be glad about and grateful for in every situation, no matter how bad things seem, and if someone dares to call you a Pollyanna, smile and say thank you.

I do see how going too far with this can become toxic positivity. If you don't give space for other people to feel their negativity, and insist that they find a good side to their terrible circumstances, then you might be called names, and, Pollyanna wouldn't be the worst of them. We always want to be gentle with people who are suffering. 

Make this practice about you, about your own way of processing things that happen, to you or to others. 

*The Real Story of Pollyanna and Her Secret Happiness Game
 by Jennice Vilhauer Ph.D. 
June 30, 2019

I Choose Real, Really Good: Real Food, Real Books, Real Live Music

It occurred to me that I have a preference for real things. Usually, if there's a choice between a real thing or a contrived or artificial thing, I choose the simpler and natural one. 

I avoid food supplements, pills and shakes or smoothies as meals, and things that have unnaturally long shelf lives.

I feel especially good when my exercise is gardening or cleaning, when my movement arises naturally from an active day. A live Zumba class is better than a recorded one. My elliptical sits quiet. 

I am pining for real choir. I want to see my choir singing shoulder-to-shoulder with our accompanist playing our accompaniments on a real piano. That's really, really good. The keyboard is okay, but just because it's practical. Recordings will do in a pinch. Zoom Choir is just a necessary, very poor substitute.

Live music and live sports events are so much more satisfying than YouTube, right?

Reading a book on an electronic device is not real, not preferable, but okay.

I need face-to-face friendship. Yesterday, I had lunch in a restaurant with girlfriends and it was so good! Talking about life with a kind hand on your arm is invaluable. Real live friends are priceless.

I choose real when I can.