Many people talk about the power of positive thinking – but can positive or for that matter negative thinking actually affect your health?

One might look at the number of perfectly happy, healthy Americans that find themselves with cancer or the victims of heart attacks at young ages and say the two are unrelated. Clearly the health isn’t entirely defined by your mental state, but can it play a part?

On his blog Sri Chinmoy Inspiration, Sri offers some a great perspective on the benefits and limitations of positive thinking – essentially, what positive thinking is, and what it is not.

Positive or negative thinking is like a personal mantra that we play over and over in our minds. If an overweight attempting a diet constantly tells themselves “I’m going to fail,” or “I can’t do this,” or “I can’t even imagine myself thin,” – what are the chances of the diet succeeding?

On the other hand, a person who tells themselves, “this diet is working,” “I look fabulous,” “I love the feeling of being thin,” these positive thoughts can and will shape the choices that he or she makes each day.

My Father’s Battle With Cancer

When my dad told me that was diagnosed with stage 3 (out of 4) lung cancer several years ago, I made a conscious effort in that moment to only offer positive thought. Instead of crying and consoling, I said “Dad, you are going to get through this,” and continued using this positive language each time I talked with him.

He also held a positive attitude through the entire treatment process. He had just recently retired and moved to property on 27 acres of wilderness where he planned to hunt and fish for years. He was absolutely determined to get back to hunting and fishing and refused to accept defeat. Today, he’s free and clear.

It’s difficult to determine how much his positive attitude played in the role of his recovery, but I can’t help but believe that it was a significant factor.

What do you Think?

Do you believe that positive or negative thinking can affect a person’s health? Have you had a personal experience where you believe positive or negative thinking influenced the outcome?

Tags: Healthy Living, Holistic Health //