Aging and How Optimism Fits In - Part 1
When we are talking about aging, we are talking about everything we can do to age well, and in good health. We shared the article from Margit Henderson, PhD who was a guest speaker on Goddess Talk. Read HERE if you missed it. She gave us some common sense advice and the real kicker, the fact that staying optimistic can add about 7 years to your life!
Since staying optimistic may be difficult these days, we are sharing some secrets and some not-so-secrets to learning optimism and remaining optimistic as we age. Here are the first 5, we’ll share more next week.
First up… a not-so-secret tip:
Practice Gratitude...
It really does work… take time every day to reflect on what is good in your life and what you are grateful for, then write it down. Yes, a journal is recommended. Also, there is nothing wrong with taking a news break when the negativity starts to be too much.
Challenge Negative Thoughts...
Start listening to that little voice in your head, the one that is grumpy and not kind to you (your un-goddess). Catch yourself when you start to go down that pessimistic route and focus on something else more uplifting. Interacting with a cute puppy always does the trick for me. Some self-care is probably in order.
Focus on Solutions...
In life, things go wrong. They have before and they will again. That's not going to change. But you can focus on the dare we say “fun” of coming up with a solution. We may be crazy, but it's so satisfying to try different things and come up with a workable way out of an unpleasant situation.
Surround Yourself with Positivity...
We are not talking about the always-happy fake people, we are talking about the genuinely optimistic ones who, by their presence, uplift and encourage you. You know, that posse we've been talking about that celebrates your wins. Positive social interactions can boost your mood AND reinforce those optimistic thinking patterns.
Visualize Success...
Again, this can be FUN… visualize it all turning out by imagining positive outcomes and visualizing what you want in life. It is not just the first step to getting what you want, there are also positive side effects of doing the imagining.
Try a few of these practices and see what happens with your optimism. Maybe we CAN learn how to be more optimistic!
For more... Read Part 2 HERE