Focus on the positive side of life

What happens when you focus on the positive side of life?

Stress levels plummet

Chronic stress is one of the most negative forces in our contemporary high-octane lives. And its effects on our bodies, minds, and spirits are getting a lot of attention these days. As stress levels drop, sleep improves, positive changes in immune system function are noticeable, and health markers such as weight, blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and lipid levels can decrease.

Relationships flourish

When you focus on the positive, you tend to remove the instinct to react off the cuff and make room for more considered responses that take into account the other's situation, emotions, and motivations. In an interesting twist, it can feel as though NOT taking things personally actually improves intimacy.

Realizing that a lover, child, parent, or friend is coming from his or her own "stuff" allows us to be less judgmental and more sympathetic. It also makes us more aware of when we are acting or speaking from our own "stuff", rather than from the situation we find ourselves in at the moment.

Emotional peaks and valleys smooth out

In general, emotions tend to hover above the "neutral" line. Far from being on a Pollyanna-ish constant high, there is a steadier feeling of emotional well-being that encompasses narrower high/low variations that are more manageable. An ability to bend rather than break develops when you choose to focus on the positive.

Creativity is sparked

When the fight-flight-freeze state engendered by negativity is removed, we suddenly re/discover our creative powers and re/turn to projects we never dreamed we would have time for.

Self-confidence soars

I like to say that positive thinking makes space for us to discover and claim our superpower—and interestingly, that superpower is often one that benefits others as much as (if not more than) the self. Eckhart Tolle would say that we become one who is cleaning up the mess rather than being one who is causing the pollution.

Anxiety decreases

When you decide to focus on the positive, it has the effect of simultaneously living into the now and viewing past and future as much more neutral, manageable phenomena.