IMMUNITY LESSON 7
Choose Happy
IT IS HARD TO STAY POSITIVE when you feel like life is happening to you. True, there are a lot of things we can’t control, but thankfully, the most important things, we can.
Gaining control of our life is our goal.
A positive attitude creates greater happiness and promotes greater success. Being positive in the face of pain, financial and relationship stress and even lack of sleep is hard — but a little bit of positivity goes a long way. We think of positivity as a bank.
We make millions of little decisions each day. Imagine that each decision you make is deposited into one of three bank accounts that are positive, negative, or neutral. The goal at the end of the day is to have more positive deposits than any others.
Humans tend toward an all-or-nothing mentality. We eat one food that isn’t on our diet and write the whole day off. The most important thing to remember is that making a negative deposit doesn’t withdraw anything from your positivity bank.
For example, you woke up smiling (positive), took a walk (positive), ate a nutritious breakfast (positive), and skipped brushing your teeth before running out the door (negative). You still made three positive deposits and only one negative — you are winning!
Making positive choices creates good habits. Your good habits will make you more resilient against stress and immune busters. You may not realize it, but you are already doing this work. Just by reading this lesson, you’ve made a deposit into your positivity bank. You are starting to improve your sleep habits using the tools from your last lesson. (clink! Deposit!) Stick with it. These things don’t happen overnight…well, you know what we mean. As your sleep improves, so will your feelings of well-being. And guess what? A positive attitude promotes better sleep.
Gratitude is the easiest path to a positive attitude. Remember that positivity bank account we opened? Well, because of the stress-relieving chemicals (also immune-enhancing chemicals) our brain makes when we are thinking happy thoughts, counting those blessings before bedtime will relax your mind and your body and have you frolicking in dreamland in no time. Celebrate your successes each day and thank your body for the important work it’s doing.
Is your inner teenager standing stubbornly, arms crossed, asking: What if I don’t feel like being positive? Well, kiddo, sometimes we’ve got to fake it till we make it. It is scientifically proven that feelings follow actions. By acting positive, you send the message to your brain to feel positive. You may feel awkward or inauthentic at first, but we all do when learning a new skill. Right?
Healthy choices can be harder to make as they require discipline, but the payoff is immense. As you master the things you can control in your life, like sleep and attitude, your positive behaviors will become second nature.
POSITIVE -NEGATIVE -NEUTRAL
Better Sleeping Habits
Add this to your “Better Sleeping Habits” list from
your last lesson:
- Count your blessings instead of sheep.
- After lights-out, spend a few minutes recounting all of the positive choices you made throughout the day.
- Don’t skip the small stuff! You get credit for even the simplest of accomplishments. All of those choices required energy and contribute to your total wellness.
- Fill that positivity bank with your blessings, and end your reflection with a simple, “thank you.”
Take it From Beginning
In the 1954 film White Christmas, Bing Crosby sings:
“When I’m worried and I can’t sleep I count my blessing instead of sheep And I fall asleep counting my blessings When my bankroll is getting small I think of when I had none at all And I fall asleep counting my blessings.”
JOY’S PEARL
“Count your blessings instead of sheep. Life will be better.”
Today’s #1 Task
After lights-out, mentally list three things that went well today and make those deposits in your Positivity Bank. They don’t have to be biggies, just anything that you did that was positive. Examples:
- I said “Thank you” multiple times today.
- I caught someone’s eye and smiled at them
(even on Zoom or Facetime). - I responded, “Fantastic,” when asked how I was doing (and it felt good).
Today’s #2 Task
Go here to read this post about boosting your attitude.
Share with Your Community
What positive steps have you taken to achieve happiness?
