Thursday, April 10, 2014

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Imagine Yourself Better...The Power Of Positive Thinking

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/a-to-z-challenge-sign-uplist-2014.html
So I know that you can't just wish yourself better or wake up the day after ankle surgery and imagine that you can walk on your foot and then it happens just like that.  I'm crazy, but not that crazy.  But thinking positively and surrounding yourself with positive things can definitely help when you are sick and trying to get better. Why?  Because the way you think can affect the way you feel.  A great example of this is the placebo effect.  Give a person a pill that they think will make them better, and there are some people that will actually get better. It doesn't matter that the medicine they were given was a sugar pill.  There is a mind-body connection going on in ourselves that we aren't always aware of. 

After my recent surgeries I actually put viewing rules in place so that I could stay in a positive state of mind.  I only watched funny or uplifting shows or movies.  No tear jerkers or anything that didn't have a Hollywood happy ending.  Goodbye to The Notebook...hello to Jim Gaffigan stand up.

I also tried to not get too down on myself when I wasn't progressing as quickly as I'd like.  This is super hard for me because I struggle with patience.  But I have to remember how far I've come and not how far I still need to go.  As long as I'm continuing in the right direction, that's what really matters.
 
Staying in a positive frame of mind helps me to feel better and, I believe, helps me to heal quicker.  There is scientific research to suggest that you feel less pain if you are happy.  I believe this to be true from my own personal experience.  Don't get me wrong...my pain didn't go away because I watched a few episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond, but watching or doing things that make me happy seem to pass the time quicker.  And time passing quicker is exactly what I needed to get better.

Do you believe in the power of positive thinking?  Are there things you do to keep yourself in a positive state of mind?

_____________________________________________________________
 


8 comments:

  1. Its so ironic. I wrote a carefully crafted, thoughtful comment about positive thinking and how it is really a sort of spiritual practice and then my internet connection ATE IT! :-) I didn't get too angry considering but I wasn't exactly the poster child for positivity, either!

    I choose to believe in positive thinking. Optimism feels so much better than any other choice we might make. Thank you for reminding me.

    Julie Jordan Scott
    The Bold Writer from A to Z

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Similar thing happened to me yesterday when I tried to comment on someone's post. I ended up getting so frustrated that I just up and left the blog! I hate having to go through hoops just to make a comment!

      Optimism does feel better...I think I'm a recovering pessimist...only because I don't know if I can ever really think of myself as a full blown optimist...too much New Yorker in me :)

      Delete
  2. I was reading your post and was thinking of telling you about Jim Gaffigan, but then read that you already knew about him. My husband and I have watched his stand-up on YouTube. He is so funny! He also has a book out called Dad is Fat. You can probably borrow it from the library on ebook so you don't have to actually go anywhere. You can also borrow the audiobook electronically. Jim is actually the reader in the audiobook version.

    Sh*t My Dad Says is also a funny one to listen to on audiobook.

    I do believe in the power of positive thinking. There is a book called The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity where they talk about things like that.

    It is hard to stay positive sometimes. Reading quotes of inspiration helps. Les Brown is inspirational and motivational. You should try to see if you can find him speaking on YouTube.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jim Gaffigan is one of my heros! He always makes me feel better. I didn't realize that he came out with a book...I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the recommendations Kimberly!

      Delete
    2. I like comedians with clean humor like Jim Gaffigan. Brian Regan is another good comedian. Just his facial expressions alone crack me up.

      Delete
    3. I agree! Brian Regan is hysterical!

      Delete
  3. I do believe in positive thinking...Not sure how strong it will always be, but it always feels better to concentrate on the upsides rather than the downsides, I think.. I enjoyed your post, visiting for the first time, but will come back for more. I like the atmosphere in here:-)

    ReplyDelete