Attending a grieving group helped me. The first group I attended didn’t work out. But M pushed me to try another group and it was very beneficial. Listen to Episode 5 on my Podcast: Journey from Grief to Healing
https://raycalabrese.podbean.com/e/my-grieving-group-experience/
optimism
Being Optimistic and Having a Positive Attitude are Linked to Good Health
I asked ChatGPT about the relationship of being optimistic and physical health. ChatGPT’s answer? It pays big time to be optimistic and have a positive attitude.
Here’s what ChatGPT said:
Being optimistic and maintaining a positive outlook on life can have a significant impact on physical health.
- Stress Reduction: Optimistic individuals tend to have lower stress levels. Chronic stress can have detrimental effects on physical health, including an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and weakened immune function. Optimism helps in coping with stress more effectively.
- Improved Immune Function: Some studies suggest that optimism may boost the immune system. A strong immune system is crucial for overall health as it helps the body defend against infections and illnesses.
- Better Cardiovascular Health: Optimism has been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases. Positive thinking may contribute to healthier behaviors like regular exercise, a balanced diet, and not smoking – all of which are essential for heart health.
- Longevity: Optimistic individuals tend to live longer. A positive outlook on life is associated with a lower risk of early mortality, possibly due to the healthier lifestyle choices and reduced stress levels.
- Pain Management: Optimism can help with pain management. It has been shown to reduce the perception of pain and improve pain tolerance.
- Faster Recovery: Optimistic people often recover more quickly from illnesses and surgeries. Their positive mindset may contribute to a more efficient healing process.
- Healthy Lifestyle Choices: Optimists are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors, such as regular exercise and maintaining a balanced diet. This aligns with your profile, as you mentioned that you are a healthy eater and exercise regularly.
- Psychological Benefits: Optimism can lead to better mental health, reducing the risk of conditions like depression and anxiety, which can, in turn, have physical health implications.
In summary, being optimistic can have various positive effects on physical health by reducing stress, boosting the immune system, promoting healthy behaviors, and contributing to overall well-being.
Thinking Out Loud: Create a New a Positive Reality
Learning to Appreciate. A look at appreciative inquiry. Excerpts are taken from, Appreciative Inquiry Handbook (2003) by David Cooperrider, Diana Whitney, and Jacqueline Stravros.
A fundamental assumption underlying appreciative inquiry is that the language one uses creates one’s reality. Therefore, the emotional meaning of words such as dysfunctional, codependent, and stressed out effect once thinking and acting. This deficit based vocabulary can inhibit the vision for a better and brighter future and limit growth. 17.
Note: I received an email from a friend this morning. My friend used words such as “no escape, no victory, and doomed.” He was using dificit thinking. These words can only exacerbate the stress my friend feels from his work situation. I know his situation and don’t see it the way he sees it. A change in his language would change his attitude toward the challenges he faces. We can easily become stuck with this pattern of thinking. It is counterproductive and puts us in a fight or flight position. If we ask ourselves, “What is happening here? What are the positive alternatives to what is happening here? What opportunities exists in this context? We begin to generate positive alternatives. The more positive questions we ask, the more constructive our language becomes. Instead of building barriers to protect ourselves, we discover ways to work with others to construct a new reality. We’re never condemned to what is. We have the power within ourselves to create a new and more positive reality. What are you waiting for?
Thinking Out Loud:
Learning to Appreciate. A look at appreciative inquiry. Excerpts are taken from, Appreciative Inquiry Handbook (2003) by David Cooperrider, Diana Whitney, and Jacqueline Stravros.
Appreciate (v.) To value.; To recognize the best in people of the world around us.; affirm past and present strengths, successes, and potentials, to perceive those things that give life, Health., vitality, excellence. Inquire: To explore and discover. To ask questions. To be open to seeing new potential and possibilities. p.1
Note: How often do we appreciate others or ourselves? How often do we reflect on our journey and affirm the strength we had to overcome difficult times and challenges? We are culturally trained to be critical, to find fault with others and ourselves. When we choose to change our focus and inquire by asking different questions we discover different answers. Try asking questions that draw out data describing the best in those around you. It’s something to think about. In future posts I’ll describe the kinds of questions you can ask. Today, look at the people near you with an openness to seeing positive attributes they have that may be hidden or overlooked and let them know you appreciate them.
Thinking Out Loud: Dream on Dreamers
Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Cervantes work, Don Quixote.
“He did not care to put off any longer the execution of his design urged on to it by the thought of all the world was losing by his delay, seeing what wrongs he intended to right, grievances to redress, injustices to repair, abuses to remove, and duties to discharge.”― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Note: Have you had a great dream? The dream of a fool? Did someone accuse you of being a Don Quixote? If you have, congratulations to you. You had the courage to follow your dream. What appears to be foolish to others is real to dreamers. I imagine the conspiracy theorists of the 15th century probably said Columbus’s discovery of American didn’t happen. It was fabricated. People who dare to dream and to follow their dream regardless of the shouts of the naysayers are the people who make a difference. Do you have a great dream? Grasp hold of it, pull it tightly to you, toss what you need in your backpack and head off in pursuit of it. We need you.
“Life” a Poem by Henry Van Dyke
Life
Henry Van Dyke
Let me but live my life from year to year,
With forward face and unreluctant soul;
Not hurrying to, nor turning from the goal;
Not mourning for the things that disappear
In the dim past, nor holding back in fear
From what the future veils; but with a whole
And happy heart, that pays its toll
To Youth and Age, and travels on with cheer.
So let the way wind up the hill or down,
O’er rough or smooth, the journey will be joy:
Still seeking what I sought when but a boy,
New friendship, high adventure, and a crown,
My heart will keep the courage of the quest,
And hope the road’s last turn will be the best.
Thinking Out Loud ~ A Lesson from Aesop’s Fable
Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, The Farmer and His Sons. Aesop’s Fables is available for free download here.
The Fable
“A Farmer, being at death’s door, and desiring to impart to his
Sons a secret of much moment, called them round him and said, “My
sons, I am shortly about to die; I would have you know, therefore,
that in my vineyard there lies a hidden treasure. Dig, and you will
find it.” As soon as their father was dead, the Sons took spade and
fork and turned up the soil of the vineyard over and over again, in
their search for the treasure which they supposed to lie buried
there. They found none, however: but the vines, after so thorough a
digging, produced a crop such as had never before been seen.”
Note: Has it ever happened to you where you wanted something so badly, didn’t get it, felt disappointed, and sometime later looked back and were happy you didn’t get it? You discovered you got something better. It’s happened to me many times. There were times when I prayed and prayed for something. I was sure God wasn’t listening to me. I discovered later that something better was waiting for me. Something that I could not imagine was possible for me. There ae times when all we can do is to trust and keep on working. It may feel like walking in a dense fog where one can only see a few feet. Don’t give up. Don’t quit. Keep working. Be open to wonderful surprises.
Poem of the Day ~ The Seedling by Paul Laurence Dunbar
The Seedling
Paul Laurence Dunbar
As a quiet little seedling
Lay within its darksome bed,
To itself it fell a-talking,
And this is what it said:
“I am not so very robust,
But I’ll do the best I can;”
And the seedling from that moment
Its work of life began.
So it pushed a little leaflet
Up into the light of day,
To examine the surroundings
And show the rest the way.
The leaflet liked the prospect,
So it called its brother, Stem;
Then two other leaflets heard it,
And quickly followed them.
To be sure, the haste and hurry
Made the seedling sweat and pant;
But almost before it knew it
It found itself a plant.
The sunshine poured upon it,
And the clouds they gave a shower;
And the little plant kept growing
Till it found itself a flower.
Little folks, be like the seedling,
Always do the best you can;
Every child must share life’s labor
Just as well as every man.
And the sun and showers will help you
Through the lonesome, struggling hours,
Till you raise to light and beauty
Virtue’s fair, unfading flowers.
Daily Inspiring Quotes ~ Never Quit
“My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match. However down I am, I fight until the last ball. My list of matches shows that I have turned a great many so-called irretrievable defeats into victories.”
