Positive Thinking Self Talk: The Power of Positive Thinking

We as a society have yet to understand the power positive thinking self talk can have on our lives. We know that what we eat is reflected in our physical and emotional health, but by the same token, what we think will have a profound effect in our lives and our destinies. This means that the most frequent thoughts that pass through our minds will control our every day life whether they are positive or negative.

In my experience I have found that positive and negative thinking are both contagious. We all know we affect the people we meet in one way or another and this happens instinctively and on a subconscious level. How? Through our thoughts and feelings transference and through our body languages. People sense and react to our aura and to our subconscious messages and they are not only affected by our thoughts, but they also react to them. When we are sending negative signals, people react accordingly. Often, people are more willing to help if we are positive. It takes the same amount of effort to think positive as it takes to think negative so why not use our energies in a positive way regardless of our situation?

It is easy for someone healthy and happy to tell you to stay positive, but how do you accomplish that? And what are the practical ways to ensure that you are facing a crisis in a positive way when everything around you is falling apart?

First published in 1952 and translated into fifteen languages with more than 7 million copies sold, The Power of Positive Thinking is an extraordinary book that helps in mastering the problems of everyday living and helping you to eliminate self doubt. It helps you to free yourself from worry, stress and resentment and how to climb above problems to visualize solutions and then attain them. It is an inspiring program that will help you create a positive change in your life.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for coping mechanisms and it is a great place to start toward your recovery. One of the most important things that I include in my daily life is Positive Affirmations; they provide a practical way for you to begin thinking positive thoughts and to trigger the power of positive thinking. Affirmations are just that, positive sentences that affirm and describe a desired situation; they are repeated many times during the day, in order to impact the subconscious mind and activate it into positive action. Affirmations should be repeated with attention, conviction, interest and desire as often as possible.

You begin by visualizing a positive situation, something you want, desire and need. You then develop a sentence that in a positive way describes what you want. Then you repeat this sentence (Affirmation) like a mantra throughout your day. You can write as many affirmations as you want. The trick is to change your way of thinking. Did you know that if you pay attention to your thoughts throughout the day most of them are negative? Little things like, gee I don’t like my hair today, or I don’t think I can handle anymore stress today, or I am tired, or I don’t feel well today. You get the picture.

Now, change all those thoughts using positive words in your inner dialog or when talking with others. So, instead you can express the same thoughts by saying something like, I love my hair, I am strong and calm and handle my stress in a positive way, I have great inner energy, I feel well and deal well with my illness/situation.

The brain is a funny thing. It does not know the difference between the real and the imagined. It believes whatever you tell it! If you don’t think so, do the following experiments:

1. Visualize a ripe, juicy lemon/lime. Take half of it and squeeze it in your mouth. Visualize the juice. Savor it. I don’t have to tell you that your mouth is puckering at this point….! But, were you really tasting the lemon/lime juice or was what your brain imagined?

2. Visualize a very tall building. Visualize all the stairs going to the top (no elevator!). Now, picture yourself on the roof of the tall building with the clouds all around you and the wind blowing your hair. You are already tired and maybe even dizzy from climbing. Now, get as close as you can to the edge of the roof and look down while the wind is blowing all around you. Do you feel a bit of vertigo?

Again, Affirmations are positive sentences that you write and then repeat many times. We do them sometimes without realizing it either in a positive or negative way. And, yes Affirmations can be negative. So you already know how to do them, the thing is to make sure that they are positive sentences that will take you toward your desired goal and that you consciously repeat them throughout the day. Affirmations will either build or destroy. Choose to build so they can bring you good results. What you are doing is simply training your brain to think in a positive way.

When you do Affirmations you are visualizing, just like you did when you visualized the lemon/lime juice or the tall building. As you repeat the Affirmations you are creating an image in you mind and eventually it becomes real. Affirmations have the power to affect the subconscious mind which then will change the way you think and eventually the mind will act and behave differently. It is like a workout for the brain!

At this point in my life I am so used to Affirmations that I am doing them without thinking. Occasionally, when I have been in intolerable pain, I find my mind drifting to negative thoughts. For these times, I have devised a simple solution to bring me back to positive thinking. I wear a rubber band around my wrist and snap it (hard!) to remind me that I am on the wrong path. You will not have to do this very often, believe me! Now just thinking about the rubber band is enough for me to turn my thoughts around.

Affirmations should be written using positive, attainable words. Saying something like I will receive a million dollars is not only unrealistic it is also written in the future and you need to make sure that all Affirmations are written in the present form, stressing positive accomplishment. Write them short, in your own words affirming the positive result you want.

Here are some of my daily Affirmations:

- I am healthy and improving every day

- My body is responding well to exercise

- I am calm, relaxed and contented

- My thoughts are under my control

- I enjoy doing Affirmations

- Every day in every way I am getting better and better

- I have lots of energy

- I am surrounded by love

I try to put Affirmations around my house to remind and encourage me to say them throughout the day. I actually framed a card with affirmations and hung it next to my toilet! Talk about a captive audience. I also placed a copy of them on my mirror and on my computer. It keeps the positive ever present in my life.

"Today I intend to Experience:

1. More Energy

2. More Alertness

3. More Youthful Enthusiasm

4. More Creativity

5. Continued improvement in physical and mental capacity on all levels.

I intend that my inner creative intelligence will spontaneously orchestrate and guide my behavior, my feelings and my response to every situation in such a way that all five of the above intentions will automatically be carried out."

Research is showing that the power of expectations have physical - not just psychological effects on your health. Scientists can measure the resulting changes in the brain, from the release of natural painkilling chemicals to alterations in how neurons fire. "Your expectations can have profound impacts on your brain and your health,'' says Columbia University neuroscientist Tor Wager.

If you found positive thinking and self talk interesting you will enjoy reading my article Laughter the Cure for all that Ails You

Study shows power of positive thinking, http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/ap_051128_placebo.html

The Power of Positive Thinkinghttp://www.successconsciousness.com/index_000009.htm

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