In a world of chaos and uncertainty, we need to pay more attention to how we navigate our minds.
When we feel positive, getting out of bed, managing tasks and everything about the day seems more enjoyable. That good feeling increases our confidence, building our faith in ourselves and others. Along with our attitude, we have cells and hormones that influence how well we deal with emotions. The Amygdala in our brain is responsible for dealing with emotions like joy, stress and anxiety. Positive thinking affects us on a cellular level by boosting our immune system and changing our genetic markers which can influence our families down the line.
The relationship between Cortisol and Serotonin.
Cortisol is a hormone that’s triggered by your brain during stressful situations. It increases sugars in your bloodstream allowing your brain to react quickly. Serotonin is the hormone that stabilises our mood. When our Serotonin levels are normal we feel happy and relaxed.
The Prefrontal Cortex
This is the part of the brain located at the front of the frontal lobe. It handles complex behaviours including planning, influencing our impulses and cognitive flexibility. Once all the information is processed in the Prefrontal Cortex you can reflect on it and understand your emotions and reactions.
How does positive thinking affect our brain’s ability to adapt:
- Synapses (areas connecting neurons) increase, in turn, increasing mental productivity by improving cognition.
- Intensifies ability to pay attention
- Improves the ability to think and analyze incoming data
- Enhances the ability to solve problems quickly and enhances creativity
How to harness positive thinking and gain control of your state of mind.
We’ve all heard the stories of people knocking on doors and being turned down countless times, only to finally make it big after all that disappointment. Colonel Sanders didn’t become a professional chef until he was 40, didn’t franchise Kentucky Fried Chicken until he was 62, and didn’t become an icon until after he sold his company at 75. Walt Disney had a lifetime of shortfalls and lessons learned but without persisting we wouldn’t have so many amazing and magical stories.
Simple changes you can make:
- Don’t allow the environment to dictate your reaction. You might be having a bad day, but take a minute and remind yourself to take a deep breath and change your body language. Straighten your back, make direct eye contact, smile, even under your mask. Take pride in how you want to see yourself and project that outwards.
- Understand that your words have power. This goes for how you speak to others as well as the words you use internally. Positive self-talk could influence how you feel and react to situations. Consider the way you feel when you say “angry” vs “upset” or the tone of “oh why did I do that…” vs “next time I should rather…”.
- Observe yourself. The best way to work through your issues is to know the way your mind works. Take note of how you tend to react and how you’d prefer to react. Once you understand your behaviours, you can create verbal and non-verbal cues to uplift yourself.
- Find motivation. Do you admire a fitness expert or motivational influencer? Does looking at beautiful photos or listening to music or taking a walk do it for you? Actively and regularly seek out things that make you feel better and keep you inspired and thinking positively.
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