Sometimes it can be hard to look on the bright side of life — and those are the times when it might be most important to do so. A recent research paper published online in September 2013 in a journal of the American Heart Association shows that even for people dealing with heart disease — the number one killer of adults in this country — a positive outlook means living longer and stronger, or as we say, living younger.
The study, which looked at 607 patients in a hospital in Denmark, found that patients whose moods were overall more positive were 58 percent more likely to live at least another five years. These people exercised more, too.
The scientists can’t say for sure if positivity led to exercise or if exercise improved mood, but we say that the important message is the same either way: Positive thinking and regular physical activity are really important for life and beauty, too.
One of the reasons we love this study so much is that we’ve been saying this the whole time! Having the right attitude is even more important for your body than daily sunscreen and a weekend spa getaway, every other week — yes, that important.
Humor improves immune cell function, helps you ward off illness and decreases your chances of cancer — and apparently also increases your chance of living after heart disease hits. Not bad! We’d rather you change your exercise, food and stress management programs now so heart disease is unlikely in the first place.
And the chicken-or-egg thing doesn’t bother us at all. Physical activity improves mood, so if working out makes you feel better, that’s great. It does us. The other side of this two-headed coin is that feeling happier and more optimistic helps motivate you to engage in healthful habits. That might mean a hike in the woods, hopping on a treadmill, eating more vegetables or all of the above. It’s a win-win as we see it.
How to Get on the Positive Track
It’s not like you can go to your doctor and get a prescription for positivity. (What would it say, “Tell two jokes every 4 to 6 hours”?) You have to take the initiative to inject humor into your life. There are some obvious ways and some less obvious ways. First, the obvious ones.
TiVo Letterman and the Daily Show (because sleep is important for health, too), read a blog that makes you laugh, or hang out with friends who never fail to boost your mood, no matter how much of a sourpuss you’ve been.
Go to the park with your dog, play dress up with your kids; anything that’s going to bring a smile to your face is good medicine.
Some less obvious choices? Studies have shown that helping others helps you, too. Volunteering is a great way to give as much as you get and get as much as you give. Practice gratitude, which means thinking of, or writing down the things that you are grateful for in your life.
Positive affirmations remind you of the wonderful things in your life and make you feel happier and more satisfied.
It’s a positive cycle: The more you do it, the easier it gets — and the younger you’ll feel and look.
By: Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen
Exam stress can be overwhelming. The reason I decided to focus on this problem in my hypnosis practice is because of my own past difficulty with exam anxiety when I was in college. My classmates were surprised at my test scores because they new how hard I studied. I wish I knew then what I knew now.
Once the cycle of stress and worry is established it takes on a life of its own. It doesn’t matter what you consciously know, once problem patterns become rooted in the subconscious mind it is very difficult to find relief. This is why hypnosis is such an effective tool that cuts the cycle of worry and shifts expectation to success.
During my three session exam success program clients are trained to access powerfully deep levels of hypnotic relaxation, and are then guided to envision confidence success. Their homework assignment is to listen to sessions daily, training the inner mind to expect what they imagine.
Most clients arrive on their initial office visit with no previous hypnosis experience. Their only knowledge about hypnosis is usually the stage or entertainment variety. In spite of this, most feel a profound disconnect from their worries after the first visit. With repetition, they build a foundation of freedom and relief that lasts.
Another part of my program involves teaching clients how to do self-hypnosis. This technique is especially helpful for students because they can do during the exam to remain focused and confidently calm.
By: Paul Gustafson RN CH
One of the more unique applications of hypnosis is helping individuals deal with the annoyance of tinnitus (ringing ears). I became interested in this type of hypnosis because of my own struggle with tinnitus, and how there is no effective medical treatment available.
Harnessing the creative imagination with hypnosis opens up all sorts of relief possibilities. My clients are guided during hypnosis to imagine control dials regulating the pitch and volume of the sound.
They are also asked to consider situations such as the sound of a neighbor’s lawnmower on a summer day.
They can obviously hear it clearly if they choose, but if they are engrossed in a good book at the same time, the lawnmower sound completely disappears.
Even though tinnitus is quite real, caused neurologically, or by illness or trauma, how we choose to perceive it plays a big role in how it effects are daily lives. Hypnosis is a great tool that makes this possible.
By: Paul Gustafson RN CH
Impulsive actions are the byproduct of repetition. Like athletes training their bodies, we also train our minds to create an automatic impulsive sensibility to how we navigate through life. Musicians, students, artists, and actors are also examples of individuals benefiting from repetition.
However, if bad habits are repeated long enough, they can also become impulsively automatic. Smokers frequently light and smoke whole cigarettes without realizing. Some people consume whole meals without noticing a single bite.
A steady accumulation of unhealthy, impulsive choices and actions can add up to big problems. What makes it even more frustrating is that everyone knows what they should do, or what they would prefer to do, but it doesn’t matter. Once the pattern of action or thought is repeated enough it becomes impulsively rooted in place.
The great thing about hypnosis is how easily it frees impulsive patterns, while establishing a mindful shift to preferred alternatives. Clients effortlessly become carefully aware of everything they do. Smokers think long and hard before lighting up. They consider the foul taste, the expense and potential for physical harm; for those who continue smoking after hypnosis, they usually don’t do so for long.
Hypnosis harnesses the unwanted, unhealthy and unproductive impulsive thoughts and actions. It helps individuals to keep their eye on the prize, no matter what their goal might be. In fact, most of my clients experience unexpected freedom, clarity and relief in areas unrelated to what prompted them to pursue hypnosis in the first place.
By: Paul Gustafson RN CH
Session four supports enhanced confidence and eagerly seeking out healthy nutritional options. It helps clients become more aware of how they feel while eating so they can conclude mealtime when comfortable not full. It also suggests that mealtime be an uninterrupted endeavor; no texting, twitter, or television.
By: Paul Gustafson RN CH
