The healing power of positivity
Picture this scene. You wake up one morning to unexpected bad news. A family member has died, you have been robbed, there has been an accident, your partner has walked out on you, or you have been fired! Bad things happen to all of us at some point and it is how we react to them that makes the difference.
Early one windy morning sometime last month, a huge old jacaranda tree fell on our street damaging power lines and occasioning heavy damage to our offices. When my secretary, in shock, called to tell me the extent of the damage, which not only blew up our generator, but also ruined part of the roof and most of our electronic installations, I comforted her telling her it could have been worse. Indeed it could have been – this is a busy street with cars passing every few minutes, as well as pedestrians, and it was a miracle that there were no injuries or death. Two of our staff members had just come through the gate when it happened. Our offices could have burnt to the ground, but we were lucky. So, looking at things from a positive side I told my team, who couldn’t work for a couple of days while repairs were being done, to look on the brighter side of things – we are covered by insurance and there were no personal injuries. This is positive thinking – the side of life I choose to be at.
When bad things happen, I try to remain positive. One of my sisters cannot understand how I do this. When she comes to me worried with what she thinks is an insurmountable problem, the first thing I do is reassure her that all will be well, even when I don’t have an immediate solution. But my children are not as understanding. They get frustrated when they tell me their problems and I remind them to look at the positive side of things while we look for a solution, which is often met with: “Mum, you don’t understand!”
I know without a doubt that when we go through trying moments, remaining positive does wonders, not only in helping you clear your mind so you can quickly find a solution, but also removes the worry which eventually translates into bad health. Scientific research backs me up on this one. When you find yourself in a desperate situation, your mind reaction is likely to affect the status of your health. Scientists now have clear evidence that what happens inside our head, can affect what happens in our body. They have established a link between the state of mind and, for example, cancer, heart disease, lung function, gut health, longevity and birth outcomes. There is increasing research evidence to show the brain plays an important part in regulating the body’s immune function.
