(The Following is taken from http://www.everydayhealth.com/publicsite/index.aspx?puid=96ecd3d7-769a-4942-9aca-e733873ee877&p=6 )
I felt that the following article was helpful, and contains information that is in-line with what I am trying to teach.
Paul
Nurturing Yourself
The Role of Positive Psychology
Positive psychology is an emerging field recognized by the American Psychological Association, and many experts who design stress-control programs harness its principles. It focuses on determining and promoting the factors that permit people to thrive. Rather than search for the roots of unhappiness, research coming out of this field investigates the ingredients of a good life and weighs the effects of traits like optimism, humor, and even eccentricity.
Optimists, for example, tend to do better than pessimists when coping with stressful situations. They are more likely to put a positive spin on stressors, look for ways to make the best of a bad situation, and use problem-solving strategies to tackle difficulties. Some studies indicate that optimists often fare better physically, too. A long-term study of more than 830 Mayo Clinic patients published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings in 2000 found that those classified as pessimists had a 19% higher risk of mortality over the course of 30 years than those who were optimists. A 10-year study of 1,300 men based on data drawn from the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study was reported in Psychosomatic Medicine in 2001. It suggested that a sense of optimism may protect older men against developing heart disease.
Optimists, for example, tend to do better than pessimists when coping with stressful situations. They are more likely to put a positive spin on stressors, look for ways to make the best of a bad situation, and use problem-solving strategies to tackle difficulties. Some studies indicate that optimists often fare better physically, too. A long-term study of more than 830 Mayo Clinic patients published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings in 2000 found that those classified as pessimists had a 19% higher risk of mortality over the course of 30 years than those who were optimists. A 10-year study of 1,300 men based on data drawn from the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study was reported in Psychosomatic Medicine in 2001. It suggested that a sense of optimism may protect older men against developing heart disease.
If you’re not a natural optimist, this information could merely fuel your pessimism. Don’t let it. Take a deep breath and relax. Evidence suggests avoiding pessimism is more important than boosting optimism. It’s true that there are people with naturally sunny natures, but it’s equally true that the way you handle yourself emotionally owes a great deal to nurture. With practice, your current outlook and behaviors can change for the better.
You may already have tried some techniques used in positive psychology. They include cognitive restructuring and journal writing, as well as emphasizing the importance of intimate bonds. Other techniques help people tap into a sense of gratitude and thankfulness or simply a sense of humor. All of these therapeutic approaches focus on amplifying the positive.
While research backing some positive psychology approaches is still preliminary, there have been many intriguing studies on humor. Researchers have found laughter boosts immune system activity and lowers the amount of circulating stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. No wonder many mind/body practitioners prescribe laughter. They often urge patients to rent funny movies, spend time at comedy clubs, peruse amusing books, and embrace the absurd in daily life.
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As long as we ‘borrow’ psychology stuff there churned out from the mills, our life remains miserable. Our physiology is more real and whole. Pychology is very much integrated in our physiology. External rhetoric psychology is a threat and misfit to our life.
Psychology may not be end all, but is a part of the over all. We need to take care mind body and soul. We have to look at the whole person. Working on all aspects of our being.
Paul