Think Positive – Live Longer
Harvard Researchers Conclude – An Optimism Mindset Increases Longevity
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society , which included 159,255 women of varied racial backgrounds, linked higher levels of optimism to longer lifespans and to a increased possibility of living into your 90s! Researcher Dr. Hayami K. Koga concluded, “Optimism may be an important target of intervention for longevity across diverse groups.”
One way to change your mindset is to increase your spiritual connection. It isn’t important what you connect to. It could be a religion, nature, the stars, or a book club. While many people confuse spirituality and religion it is important to recognize that Spirituality awakens the spirit within you. That Spirit is your driving force or as the French say votre raison d’être – your reason to be.
Spirituality is defined as “the way individuals seek ultimate meaning, purpose, connection, value, or transcendence,” according to the International Consensus Conference on Spiritual Care in Health Care. Lack of purpose leads to a negative mindset. Searching for purpose increases optimism.
For someone who has mental health issues this can be particularly challenging. How do you increase optimism in the presence of suicidal thoughts? One way is to use the noisy neighbour method. I like to think of those thoughts as noisy neighbours. I have a neighbour who shouts regularly in the morning about how angry he is. He can often be heard to scream, “If anyone makes me angry today, I am going to kill you all! I mean it.” Having had my own challenges with uncontrollable rage helps me to put this in perspective.
Is the neighbour likely to kill us all? He breaks a lot of things. The windows in his house are broken out and there is debris on the street nearby. He listens to loud angry music. But I’ve never seen him out on the street fighting. I’ve never seen him do any damage to other people’s property. That neighbour was me. In my mind he’s more likely to hurt himself.
This moves me to compassion and understanding. I’ve been there. Its early morning, his cortisol is high, he’s likely not slept well. That’s my suicidal thought. It’s high cortisol, exhaustion, and overwhelm releasing itself into words. Optimism lowers cortisol, creates relaxation, and releases overwhelm.
Breaking it all down. I can start with “I want to die” and turn it into well look at that I want something! Yay! I have desires. Sounds silly right? It is, but silly creates laughter and laughter lowers cortisol. Disarming that noisy neighbour is the most effective way for me to create an optimistic mindset.
If I was to feed my fear, I could cower in my house worrying about the guy that shouts every morning getting a gun and going on a rampage. But with an optimistic mindset I can tell myself that I’m not even going to be home that day! I can hear my ego wake up now. Yah, but, that’s what I call my ego “yahbut”
Yahbut likes to have the first word, so it’s important to prepare a rebuttal before he wakes up. That’s where early morning affirmations come in. I like to start mine off before he gets here. Yahbut I am going to have a great day. Yahbut I like it when the sun doesn’t shine. Yahbut we need rain to put out those fires. Yahbut I have coffee. Yahbut there is sugar in the cupboard. Yahbut I’m already awake might as well get up.
Yahbut affirmations work!