Healthy Thinking

What's Healthy Thinking?

Healthy thinking is a key part of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). It involves looking at the entire situation, the positive, the negative, and the neutral parts, and then concluding. In other words, healthy thinking means looking at life and the world in a balanced way, not through rose-colored glasses. 

Healthy thinking does not mean positive thinking. No one can look at things positively all the time. Sometimes bad things happen, like getting fired at work, having an argument with a friend, or losing someone you love. It's normal and healthy to feel upset and have negative thoughts when these things happen. 

Did you know that your thoughts have a big influence on your mental health? That's because what you tell yourself about a situation affects how you feel and what you do. Sometimes your interpretation of a situation can get distorted, and you only focus on the negative aspects. However, when you interpret situations too negatively, you might feel worse. You're also more likely to respond to the situation in ways that are unhelpful in the long term. 

Benefits of Healthy Thinking 

• The positive approach to thinking always leads to well-being, happiness, and increased life satisfaction.
  
  
  

• Healthy thinking is linked to a wide range of health benefits, including better stress management and coping skills, enhanced psychological health, greater resistance to the common cold, increased physical well-being, longer life span, lower rates of depression, and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease-related death. 

• When we think positively, we are more likely to lead healthier lifestyles by coping better with stress and avoiding unhealthy behaviors. 

Healthy thinking is an important aspect of our mental health and well-being.

According to a research paper; Individuals with a positive mental structure can evaluate many negative circumstances positively. These individuals have one powerful trait, resilience which refers to individuals’ traits and skills that empower them to thrive in the face of trouble or a disruptive event. Internal and personal factors, as well as external and environmental factors, affect resiliency.

Resilience is the key determining factor to healthy thinking and overall mental health, especially in adults. Resilience is a progressive chain of improvement. Its process includes interventions, such as positive thinking techniques, reviewing past events, having social participation, strengthening self-confidence and motivation, using a semantic approach, e.g., yoga, and reinforcing internal powers.

Here are some tips to help you cultivate healthy thinking:

1. Focus on the good things and practice gratitude: Try to focus on the positive aspects of your life and practice gratitude by keeping a journal and writing down what you are thankful for.

2. Open yourself up to humor and spend time with positive people: Humor can help you cope with difficult situations, and spending time with positive people can help you maintain a positive outlook.

3. Practice positive self-talk and identify your areas of negativity: Try to identify your negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. For example, instead of saying "I'm not good enough," try saying "I'm doing the best I can".

4. Start every day on a positive note and set realistic goals: Starting your day with a positive thought or affirmation can help set the tone for the rest of the day. Setting realistic goals can also help you maintain a positive outlook.

5. Focus on your strengths and positive qualities and practice self-compassion: Try to focus on your strengths and positive qualities, and be kind to yourself when things don't go as planned.

6. Shift attention away from negative thoughts by taking a cold shower or doing something else: Taking a cold shower or doing something else that requires your full attention can help shift your focus away from negative thoughts.

7. Have discussions, play games, and participate in social sports to stimulate your brain: Engaging in activities that stimulate your brain can help improve your mental health and well-being.

In conclusion, we can get through life problems by avoiding and discarding negative thoughts. Instead, we can replace negative thoughts with positive ones.

The positive approach to life starts with thinking. Healthy thinking is highly characterized by resilience which leads to flexibility, high confidence, life expectancy, the ability to forgive others, purposefulness, social participation, and a positive view of life and the future that prevents anxiety and depression.

References

Taherkhani, Z., Kaveh, M.H., Mani, A., et al. The effect of positive thinking on resilience and life satisfaction of older adults: a randomized controlled trial. Sci Rep 13, 3478 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30684-y

Wellness Module 8: Healthy Thinking | Here to Help. https://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/wellness-module/wellness-module-8-healthy-thinking.

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