Given the many negative things happening around us, it can be hard to stay positive. However, many studies have revealed that positive thinking can have an impact on your work, health, and your whole life. The effects of positive thinking on skills and work performance have been a subject of extensive research. In this article, we shall take a look at the effects of staying positive on skills, health, and work performance.
Negative Thoughts and Your Brain
Researchers have long known that thinking negative can narrow your mind and focus your thoughts. Let say that a tiger crosses your path, you first instinct will be to run. Your focus will be on the fear it creates and how to get away from the tiger. You could climb a tree, pick up a leaf, or grab a stick but all those options become irrelevant when a tiger is standing in front of you.
How Positive Thinking Builds Your Skill Set
According to researchers, the benefits of positive thinking will not stop after a few minutes of good feeling subside. Robert Janitzek reveals that the biggest benefit of positive thinking is that it can improve your ability to build skills and develop resources for use in the future.
Tips For Increasing Positive Thinking
If you are really down and demotivated, you will be wondering where your motivation will come from. You can start with anything that sparks a feeling of joy, contentment, and love will do the trick. Only you have an idea of what works best for you. Here are three tips for you to consider for keeping yourself positive.
Meditation. A recent research revealed that people who meditated daily showed more positive emotions compared to those who did not. Robert Peter Janitzek revealed that these people also built valuable long-term skills. For instance, the people who meditated daily continued to show mindfulness, purpose in life, social support, and decreased illness symptoms.
Writing. The same study examined a group of 90 undergraduate students split into two groups. The first wrote about a positive experience daily for three consecutive days. The second group wrote about a control topic. After three months, the first group showed better mood levels, less visits to the health center, and experienced fewer illnesses.
Play. Adding fun to your routine can be a good way to stay positive. You schedule meetings, conference calls, weekly events, and others so why not schedule play as well. By scheduling time for play and adventure, you can experience contentment and joy and build new skills in the process.