Have you ever heard the expression "the power of thought" ? That before we do something we first think about it? Or in the Catholic religion, for example, the bounty of "in thoughts, words and deeds"? In any process, thinking is always the first step.Does it also occur in our health? Can thoughts really influence us?
How do they influence our mood or self-esteem?
self-esteem is the interpretation or assessment that we make of ourselves, it is the ability to love, appreciate, value and accept ourselves as we are.In that sense, when we have negative thoughts about our abilities we are feeding unnecessary situations of stress, anxiety and suffering , directly influencing our mood.The mood depends on the reading we make of the environment around us.There is nothing wrong or good in itself, it is our perception of the facts that determines how we feel .And the perception is given, in large part, by our thoughts.
For example, if an import is coming I examine you at the university or a job interview or a job evaluation, and you feel very insecure about it, the stress levels that you will feel will multiply exponentially.If you think: “I am not prepared, I do not think they will Take into account, I am not enough for this position ”, etc., it is not really the exam or the interview or the evaluation that puts us wrong, it is what we are thinking about that that fills us with pain.
Of course there are extreme situations, such as the loss of a loved one, a separation, a disease, a bad economic streak, however, beyond the fact, when we give a lot of strength to the negative aspects and our thoughts become "Blacks", we begin to feel worse than we should.
And our health, in general terms, begins to resent.
How do thoughts influence health?
Thoughts, as we have seen, have a great influence on how we feel.There is a close and obvious relationship between the body and the mind, studied by psychoneuroimmunology , a relatively new discipline that analyzes the interrelationships between thoughts and the organism from a plural perspective-from various branches related to health such as psychology, medicine of behavior, molecular biology, endocrinology, immunology, neuroscience and rheumatology-.
Psychoneuroimmunology shows the influence of psychosocial factors in the immunological response, that is, in the ability of our body to defend itself.In this sense, a negative thought is a frontal attack on our immune system .
Doctor Mario Alonso Puig , from Madrid, tells us with better words:
“Today we know that self-confidence, enthusiasm and illusion have the ability to favor the superior functions of the brain.The prefrontal area of the brain, the place where the more advanced thinking, where our future is invented, where we value alternatives and strategies to solve problems and make decisions, is tremendously influenced by the limbic system, which is our emotional brain.”
Imagine : this doctor says that one minute entertained in a negative thought leaves the immune system weakened for six hours .The feeling of permanent stress can produce surprising changes in our brain and hormones, changes that range from lesions in the neurons of memory and learning to affect our intellectual capacity, also producing certain diseases of the nervous, digestive, cardiovascular system...
The bad mood, the tri steza, stress have the peculiarity of making our brain "Think" that what we feel is totally real, when it is nothing more than our perception, our thinking.We create our pain.From a physiological point of view, negative thinking releases toxins that poison us, that make us sick.
However, good thoughts have exactly the opposite effect: if we think well, endorphins are released that make us feel better.
Santiago Ramon y Cajal said: “Every human being, if he proposes it, can be sculptor of his own brain.”In light of this knowledge, it is no longer just a beautiful metaphor.
How to think“ well ”?
This The process is somewhat difficult, it requires profound changes in our way of perceiving the world.A first step is to become aware of our thoughts and the influence they have on our mood.The next step is to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
How to become aware? Most of what we think is automatic, so many times we don't even realize it.It is particularly difficult when we go through a bad time.
Do you want to learn? Do this simple exercise: when you feel bad, anxious, with stress or other "negative" emotions, write down on a sheet all the thoughts that come to mind, like a kind of automatic writing.Repeat the exercise every time you do It is missing, for a week, a month, you will see, until you get to be more aware of your thoughts.
For example, before an exam: "I will not be able to answer because I am going to block", " the page will be blank because I won't remember anything ”, thinking like this will increase the chances that you don't really remember anything.
Once you are aware of your thoughts, you will be able to replace the negatives into positives.
You require another exercise as simple as the previous one, and that is to turn the thought around, change the words, eliminate the “I can't” for the “I want ro ”and“ I am capable ”.
Changing thoughts also requires the will, of wanting to" heal ", of abandoning old schemes.The solution is always in our hands.Or in our thoughts.What do you think? ?
You can read our article Writing about trauma improves mood, which is another very good exercise.
Images: Alice Popkorn , Nathan O'Nions , balloon tiers , jessica mullen , * brilho-de-conta , Eddy Van 3000
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