Life

If you thought you could predict everything about your life, you’ve probably already figured out that you’re wrong. Life is unpredictable and will throw curveballs along the way. You can find strength in many places, but that’s life quotes for mental strength is one of the easiest ways.

Throughout life, you’ll likely make plans and thing you have everything all figured out. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always go as planned.

Right now is when you need to pick up the pieces and figure out a new plan. If the plan is staying the same, you have to decide to try again. No matter the course you take, these that’s life quotes that give you mental strength may help.

That’s Life Quotes to Make You Mentally Stronger

1. “The problem with having problems is that ‘someone’ always has it worse.” – Tiffany Madison, in Black and White

It’s a part of life that there are problems and, even still, someone else will always have it worse. This reason is why you can’t compare your troubles to someone else’s concerns.
Since there should be no comparison, remind yourself that your troubles are all yours. Remember that you could always have it worse and just focus on getting through the problem.

2. “Each day is born with a sunrise and ends in a sunset, the same way we open our eyes to see the light and close them to hear the dark. You have no control over how your story begins or ends. But by now, you should know that all things have an ending. Every spark returns to darkness. Every sound returns to silence. And every flower returns to sleep with the earth. The journey of the sun and moon is predictable. But yours is your ultimate ART.” – Suzy Kassem

Although you have no control over the beginning or end of your life, each moment is a piece of your life’s art.

Think of all the moments Kassem mentioned in her quote. Each moment is uncontrollable but still beautiful and unique. Think of this when there are moments in life when you can’t control the outcome.

3. “It takes energy, mental toughness, and spiritual reinforcement to successfully deal with life’s opportunities, and to reach your objectives.” – Zig Ziglar

You have to stay strong despite any obstacles or events that stand in your way. Remain strong, and you will get through whatever life has planned for you. Then, you’ll reach your goal and have even more to be proud of than if the path had been easy.

4. “The shadows of life add depth and dimension to our journey, like route markers along our path. They are never intended to dominate our life with darkness; neither do they determine our ultimate destiny.” – Anthon St. Maarten

Things happen in life that you hadn’t hoped for or predicted. This disappointment is okay and normal because it’s all just a simple fact of life.

These moments aren’t supposed to put a damper on your life, and they’re not meant to ruin it. Instead, these moments are intended to put you on the path that was meant for you. They’re intended to be a part of your story and your destiny.

5. “We love being mentally strong, but we hate situations that allow us to put our mental strength to good use.” – Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Instead of hating the moments that require you to be mentally strong, embrace them. Think of those times as a chance to show the depth of your mental strength. Without encountering these moments, your mental strength will never develop further.

6. “A journey away from yourself does not exist. Embrace your strength and vulnerabilities. This could be the greatest lesson you can ever learn.” – J.R. Incer, in Mastering Success: The Key to Self-Empowerment and Higher Consciousness

You can’t escape yourself, nor should you want to. Each moment that tests you has the potential to be the best life lesson. Accept the parts of yourself that you cannot change and use the lessons to reach your full potential.

7. “If we never experience the chill of a dark winter, it is very unlikely that we will ever cherish the warmth of a bright summer’s day. Nothing stimulates our appetite for the simple joys of life more than the starvation caused by sadness or desperation. In order to complete our amazing life journey successfully, it is vital that we turn each and every dark tear into a pearl of wisdom, and find the blessing in every curse.”
– Anthon St. Maarten, in Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny

Without the hard times, you’ll experience in life, you’ll never know how great the good times can be. It’s the hard times that make the happy times worth it. This is all part of your life, so make the most of it.

8. “When you’re different, sometimes you don’t see the millions of people who accept you for what you are. All you notice is the person who doesn’t.” – Jodi Picoult

In life, everyone is different from the next person. Even so, many people love you for who you are.
Unfortunately, as Picoult said, you may fixate on one person who doesn’t appreciate who you are. Try to avoid that trap, because what makes you different is what makes you great.

9. “The ability to continue moving when you are feeling scared, fearful or lazy is the sign of true mental strength.” – Matthew Donnelly

Life will get in the way of your goals. You’ll feel many different negative emotions. To get mental strength, you’ll have to push through and keep going for the goal.

10. “Just pick a goal, a goal you truly want to achieve, and take a clear-eyed look at your weaknesses – not so you’ll feel less confident, but so you can determine exactly what you need to work on. Then get to work. Celebrate small successes. Analyze your weaknesses. Keep going. As you gain skill, you’ll also gain a feeling of genuine confidence, one that can never be taken away – because you’ve earned it.” – Unknown

To reach your goal, you have to address your weak points. You need to do this so that you are more prepared for what’s to come. This way you can work harder on those weaknesses, and the small victories along the way will be even better.

11. “Some of us aren’t meant to belong. Some of us have to turn the world upside down and shake the hell out of it until we make our own place in it.” – Elizabeth Lowell, in Remember Summer

As mentioned before, everyone is different in their way. You aren’t meant to be just like anyone else, so you won’t always belong.

When this is the case, you have to do things your way to find where you belong. You will find that place, though, if you just keep figuring it out.

12. “Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles, and less than perfect conditions. So what? Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful.” – Mark Victor Hansen

Life is never perfect, and nothing ever plays out the way it was planned. Things are always slightly off. Just keep moving forward and those obstacles won’t seem so huge anymore.

13. “At the end of your struggles, challenges, and obstacles comes the mental strength to cross many boundaries in the future.” – Edmond Mbiaka

As long as you keep trying and never give up, you’ll find the mental strength you need to go on. There are no boundaries that cannot be crossed as long as you stay strong.

14. “Maybe life is playing the role it should: forever taking us on a journey where it makes it impossible for us to predict what will happen next.” – Nico J. Genes

Life is unpredictable, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. As long as you play along and keep rolling with the unexpected, you’ll be just fine.

15. “The wilderness journey is about transformation. For you, it could be a personal, spiritual, or professional drought. A desert season of confusion, frustration, and unproductivity. It’s an in between stage. Something significant has ended or begun. Yet it provides opportunity for expansion, wisdom, and joy.” – Dana Arcuri, in Sacred Wandering: Growing Your Faith In The Dark

No matter what life has given you, know that the hard times are only leading to something more. Those hard times are what you will learn from. The learning experiences will give you all the tools you need to work on the next step of life.

Final Thoughts on That’s Life Quotes That Give You Mental Strength

Life is highly unpredictable. Even after working so hard for something, it can disappear in an instant. While this may be hard to accept, it’s a part of life.

These that’s life quotes may give you the mental strength you need to proceed in your life. Don’t give up. Keep trying no matter what comes your way.

Even when life is disappointing, you can still be happy. It doesn’t require you to be delusional or resigned to negativity. You choose how you cope in every life situation.

You’ve lived long enough to understand that nothing goes as planned. No matter how hard you try or how noble your cause, there will always be learning curves and unexpected setbacks. Part of living makes you realize that there are some things you can’t control.

When we talk about upsets and disappointments in our lives, we categorize them by intensity. For example, getting a ding on your car door and wrecking your car are two different upsets. We go throughout our life, coping with adverse situations of all degrees.

Are You Happy…or Is Life Disappointing?

What is your definition of happiness? Does it represent a blissful life that is free of problems? Of course, this concept doesn’t represent reality.

When your life is on the upbeat, you probably feel what we call happiness. If something or someone throws a wrench in your plans, your happy emotions turn into a deflating balloon. So, satisfaction is a fleeting emotion that depends on the environment and circumstances.

The world bombards us with slogans, artwork, and advertisements that encourage us to be happy. Of course, marketing spends billions of dollars each year to tell you how to accomplish this. But when disappointing situations happen in your life, will materialism buy your happiness?

No matter your circumstances, you can be more than happy. You can choose optimism, which is not an emotion. When you decide to be joyful, you transcend the fickle feelings of happiness and can cope with disappointment.

Are you happy? Do the things you have, and the accomplishments you’ve made bring you joyfulness even when things are a mess? Perhaps taking an honest look at your happiness definition can answer the question.

What Makes You Content?

We’ve all made a happy list since childhood. Remember sitting in school and daydreaming about your future instead of listening to the teacher’s lecture? You were probably deciding what you wanted to be when you grew up.

No doubt, your happy list expanded and changed exponentially over the years. Few people become what they dreamed of being as a child. Your career path may have changed several times over the years, and you may have encountered disappointment along the way.

Do you have your dream career, home, or experiences? Did you marry the kind of person you have always wanted as a spouse? Do you have all the things and accomplished everything you wanted as evidence of happiness?

Why Does Life Feel Disappointing to You?

Neither being destitute nor wealth should define you. You needn’t deny yourself every comfort of life to experience happiness unless you desire a monastic lifestyle. However, drowning yourself in materialism may make you happy for a while, but unpleasant circumstances happen to us all.

Like water, humans seek their level. Remember when you pleaded for the latest fad toy in the store, and you got one as a gift? You were encouraged for a while, and then you were longing for something bigger and better.

This paradox is not limited to children. As we get older, we seek more and more to replenish our depleted happiness. Unfortunately, the more we get, the more it eventually takes to make us happy.

Even if you won the lottery, studies show that most people will be at the same level of happiness that they were before the landslide win. Millions of dollars can buy you almost anything you can imagine, but they won’t sustain your joy before you need more.

When Life Gives You Lemons

We’ve all heard the platitudes and seen the memes that encourage us to make the most of a bad situation. If life hands you lemons, make lemonade, right? What if you don’t like lemons or lemonade?

Everyone, rich or poor, has had their share of disappointing times. If your happiness depended on a perfect life, you would never have it. Setbacks in life are inevitable, and you won’t be happy every moment.

One way to cultivate joy during trying times is to dispel the myth of perpetual happiness. Every time you read a magazine, see a billboard, or an advertisement, you are bombarded with images of perfection. These visually enhanced models are surrounded by all the goods and services that society dictates you must have for happiness.

What do you do when that luxury car needs a new transmission, or the basement floods and ruins the floors in your dream house? How do you go on when your Knight in Shining Armor is seeing another damsel behind your back?

At some point, you must decide to have joy, regardless of your plight. It doesn’t mean you aren’t hurt, angry, and feel incredibly disappointed. You muster that inner joyfulness that gives you the strength to go on with your life.

Invest in Your Joyfulness

Most of the world’s religions warn of the frivolity of materialism. Instead, they prize honesty, virtue, and character above riches. Their sacred writings overflow with examples of choosing intangible gifts above material wealth.

In the same way that your bank accounts earn interest each month, your joyfulness compounds with the right attitude. Unlike cash, your spiritual accounts can never diminish, unless you choose. Making wise investments in these will bring you joyful dividends, regardless of your circumstances.

How do you make these intangible investments? You concentrate on the things in your life that truly matter. Instead of working yourself to the bone for something that won’t last, you can build on a foundation of joyfulness that will endure for a lifetime.

Gratitude is another gold standard of spiritual investment. When you are grateful for all the blessings you have, it will sustain you when things aren’t going as planned. You find delight in the smallest blessing, and you are less likely to become unsettled when disappointing things happen.

Time is a precious commodity that you can neither buy nor sell. From the wealthiest billionaire in the world to the most impoverished villager, we all have twenty-four hours in a day. Because of our limited-time account, we discover joyfulness when we spend it wisely.

When you spend quality time with family and friends, their love strengthens you when disappointment unbalances your life. Even when things don’t go as planned, you feel encouraged by those around you. It brings you the happiness that materialism can’t supply.

Reevaluate Your Expectations

In “National Lampoon’s classic Christmas Vacation,” Chevy Chase portrayed a loving husband and devoted family man who longed for the perfect holiday. No matter how hard he tried, his good intentions were foiled by family members and laughable misfortunes.

Can you see yourself in that character Clark Griswold? Is every holiday and special occasion around your place jinxed because they didn’t meet your standards of perfection? Maybe it’s time to reevaluate what you expect in life.

This reevaluation doesn’t imply that you shouldn’t dream or be halfhearted in the things you do. It merely means that you redefine what makes a joyful holiday or event. If everyone is happy and surrounded by love, then you can consider your gathering a success.

Think about the last holiday you spent with your family and how you felt. Were you exasperated trying to create a scene in time reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell painting? When you learn to relax and enjoy the moment, you won’t worry about perfection, and your joyfulness will overflow.

Always Have a Plan B

The motto of scouting is always to be prepared. If you believe in Murphy’s Law and have experienced it, you know that things rarely go as you hoped. Without a backup, one little mishap can make your plans topple like a house of cards.

It’s not pessimistic to expect something to go wrong, because we still live in an imperfect world. When you have an alternate plan, you can always make things work. Sometimes, joyfulness comes from taking an unexpected path.

Maybe you are one of those people who tend to over-analyze situations. You can be so busy overworking the details that you miss the whole picture. Knowing more ways than one to get to where your going is always a benefit.

Final Thoughts on Staying Happy Despite Disappointing Circumstances

Have you ever noticed that virtues are linked to each other? When you use one, the others must follow. Allowing more compassion into your life brings love, peace, and joyfulness as fringe benefits.

When you are less judgmental of yourself and others, you may notice that you don’t feel disappointed as often. As you extend grace when you or somebody else makes a mistake, you’ll discover that joyfulness doesn’t require perfection.

Practice being more patient and compassionate each day. When someone shows you the same courtesy, make it a point to be grateful. Watch how these virtues work in tandem to minimize disappointing situations.

If you want more joyful moments in your life, understand that it’s a practice, not perfection. Even when disappointing situations come your way, it’s ok to be unhappy. Then, you pick yourself up and continue your journey with the joyfulness you’ve kept in reserve.

Many of us have heard that there are benefits of positivity. But do we all know what the benefits are? And more importantly, do we believe in the power of positive thinking and understand how truly life-changing it can be? How we think impacts all aspects of our physical and mental health, our relationships, even our overall success in life.

How we think about life has a direct impact on our reality, for better or worse. And a multitude of scientific research has proven that there are countless benefits of thinking positively. A study published in Emotion analyzed the current research surrounding positive affect and mental and physical health outcomes. The authors determined that “prioritizing positivity predicted a host of well-being outcomes.”

They found encouraging results, including “less depressive symptomology, higher-quality relationships, improved physical health, and better work performance.”

Plus, it concluded that people who prioritize positive emotions have more considerable mental resources.

The broaden-and-build theory explains how people who lack positive emotions become stuck in many facets of life. Furthermore, their feelings of not being able to move forward in life can cause a lot of mental health issues. Conversely, people who have an abundance of positive emotions truly “take off” in life. Positive people “become generative, creative, resilient, ripe with possibility, and beautifully complex.” Each of these things helps positive people reach optimal well-being.

MYTHS PERPETUATED BY THOSE WHO REJECT POSITIVITY

Unfortunately, there are misunderstandings about positive thinking that can lead some people to believe that it is not practical. Thinking positively isn’t a useless nicety. And it doesn’t mean being fake or pretending to be okay when you are not.  That thought process is a dangerous trap.

However, what thinking positively does mean is trying your best to remain positive about current and future situations. It is a deliberate, conscious way of thinking that has a direct impact on reality. You can find 30 life-changing benefits of positivity, below.

The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind. –William James

MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF POSITIVITY

1) Increases Happiness and Life Satisfaction

Much scientific research has suggested that having a positive attitude and outlook on life is a predictor of happiness. Individuals who see the positive aspects of life are more likely to be happy and have higher life satisfaction. It is often the case that positive people have more friends, which can be an important factor in happiness as well.

The authors of a recent study examined whether positive emotions, alone, mediate the relationship between positive affect and happiness. Their results revealed that happiness was fully mediated by a person’s ability to be positive. Specifically, showing that “positive beliefs about the future, the self, and the life account for personality-happiness relationships.”

2) Positivity Increases Resilience

An abundance of research has shown that individuals who think positively have better coping skills, which leads to increased resilience. Psychological resilience can be defined as “the ability to bounce back from negative events by using positive emotions to cope.” So it makes sense that having an increased ability to think positively would, in turn, increase your resilience.

This study demonstrated that having more positive emotions plays a critical and direct role in enhancing coping ability and resilience. Researchers revealed that higher resilience makes an impact on a person’s physical health. They state, “those with higher trait resilience evidenced faster cardiovascular recovery from negative emotional arousal.”

3) Reduces Risk of Depression

Thinking positively about your current and future outcomes has been shown to increase happiness and decrease the risk of depression. Individuals who suffer from chronic health conditions have an especially high risk of developing depression. Much research helps counselors and therapists to better understand how they can minimize the risk of depression. More importantly, that is essential for those who treat chronically ill individuals.

One study examined “positive affect and optimism as mediators of the relationship between improved depression” among multiple sclerosis patients. Results demonstrated that the relationship between improved depression and benefit-finding was significantly related to increased positive affect and optimism. This effect has been observed in individuals who do not suffer from a chronic illness, as well. This study revealed that high levels of positive affect reduced the risk of depression in healthy participants by nearly 50%.

4) Decreases Anxiety

Anxiety is a common and persistent mental health condition that impacts nearly 300 million people, reports the World Health Organization. Suffering from anxiety can have many negative impacts on a person’s life, causing them to feel hindered in countless ways. There are a wide variety of treatment options for individuals who suffer from anxiety.

One treatment option involves receiving training in how to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. This study examined alternative approaches to reducing anxiety and worry in participants diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Outcome measures showed that individuals who received training to improve positive thinking had significant decreases in anxiety and worry.

5) Positivity Increases Mental Clarity, Focus, and Concentration

The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions explains how increasing positive emotions lead to many beneficial outcomes in an individual’s life. Among the many benefits, there is evidence that positive emotions “broaden the scopes of attention, cognition, and action.” Barbara L. Fredrickson, the creator, and developer of the broaden-and-build theory explains how and why this phenomenon occurs.

“Positive emotions promote discovery of novel and creative actions, ideas and social bonds,” describes Fredrickson. She goes on to state that this “in turn, builds that individual’s personal resources.” All of which results in improved mental clarity, focus, and concentration.

6) Increases Gratitude

Practicing gratitude has been proven to result in improved overall well-being and mental health in several scientific studies. Defining the mediating factor between improved gratitude and improved well-being and mental health is also important. The authors of one research review analyzed eight studies examining the role of positive emotion and positive reframing on gratitude. Study results revealed that “positive emotion mediated the relationship between gratitude and (fewer) depressive symptoms.”

Each study’s results indicated that experiencing more positive emotions led to experiencing more gratitude and, consequently, less depressive symptoms. These study results “demonstrate that gratitude is related to fewer depressive symptoms.” Researchers go on to state that positive emotion and positive reframing serve as the mechanisms that account for this relationship.

7) Increases Self-Esteem

When you think positively about yourself and your ability to accomplish things, you naturally increase your self-esteem. A variety of scientific studies have evaluated the relationship between thinking positively and having higher self-esteem. This study demonstrated that the more a child thinks negatively about their own abilities, the lower their self-esteem becomes. The opposite is true, as well. The more positively you think about your abilities, the higher your self-esteem will be.

8) Decreases Risk of Mental Health Problems

Practicing positive thinking and optimism prove protective against developing mental health problems in countless scientific studies. The authors of a review of recent research analyzed studies that evaluated the impact positive thinking has on mental health. They reported findings of numerous studies. Each study revealed that optimism and positive emotions improve overall well-being and mental health.

One of the reviewed studies assessed how the attitudes of individuals who had coronary bypass surgery impacted their mental health. Results demonstrated that individuals who were more optimistic and positive had lower levels of hostility and depression while preparing to undergo surgery. And in the week following the operation, the optimistic and positive people felt greater relief and happiness than pessimists did.

9) Decreases Levels of Stress

When you think positively, you have far fewer things to become stressed about. Consequently, you won’t have to worry about experiencing the multitude of negative outcomes caused by stress. Among the negative effects of stress are high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, headaches, ulcers, and more. Increases in positive emotions, which lead to decreased stress levels, have even been shown to help heal physical wounds more quickly.

This is likely due to the stress-buffering model of positive affect and health. The authors of this scientific study published by Health Psychology assessed the impact that positive affect had on wound healing. Remarkably, the skin wounds of individuals who had higher levels of positive affect (i.e., more positive emotions) healed faster. This amazing result makes it clear that thinking positively can literally heal your body. Indeed, it may save your life one day.

10) Positivity Improves Coping Skills and Stress Management

One aspect of the ability of positive thinking to decrease stress involves positive people’s ability to better cope with stress. A multitude of scientific research has proven that a person’s “affect plays an important functional role in coping with stress.”

Positive people are able to see the bigger picture when a stressor comes their way. And are therefore able to respond in ways that allow them to overcome the harmful consequences of stress more quickly. A positive person has the ability to maintain a healthy perspective on the situation at hand. And does not let the stressor that they are facing send them into a panic or downward spiral.

However, negative people are more likely to focus on problems instead of solutions and have a narrower perspective, in general. This results in a negative person having a poorer ability to cope with and manage stress.

11) Increases the Meaning a Person Sees in Life

Seeing meaning in life is a key factor in living a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life. Previous research surrounding this topic has shown that seeing meaning in life is associated with better overall psychological well-being. The authors of this research report evaluated the findings of six separate scientific studies that aimed to better understand this concept.

Each study “examined the role of positive affect (PA) in the experience of meaning in life (MIL).” The outcome measures of the studies consistently showed that positive affect was a strong predictor of meaning in life.

Additionally, priming and manipulating positive moods in participants both resulted in higher reports of meaning in life. And “the most consistent predictor of the experience of meaning in a day was the PA experienced that day.” Researchers concluded that experiencing positive moods and emotions can predispose individuals to see more meaning in life.

12) Improves Emotion Regulation

Emotion regulation is an incredibly important aspect of having a healthy and successful life. A person’s emotional regulation ability directly impacts their coping, problem solving, relationship quality, as well as mental and physical health. When you’re able to focus on the positive aspects of all things, you’re better able to respond to any situation, especially when faced with stress.

If you think negatively and see everything like a catastrophe, your emotions are more likely to spiral out of control. One study showed that individuals who had more positive than negative social interactions had better emotion regulation. With their improved emotion regulation likely mediated by the fact that they experience more positive than negative emotions.

13) Increases Mental Flexibility

Having mental flexibility is important in a person’s life for a variety of reasons. Mental flexibility affects an individual’s learning rate, memory formation, error correction, and allocation of attention resources. With advancements in neuroimaging technology, brain research scientists are now able to physically see differences between different human brains.

This technology also allows researchers to determine what is causing those differences. The authors of a recent study published in Scientific Reports evaluated what, exactly, leads to a more flexible brain. Their results revealed that more incidences of positive mood states predicted a more flexible brain, or in other words, more mental flexibility.

14) Improves Overall Mental Health

As we can see, thinking positively offers a wide range of mental health outcomes. As such, positive thinking and emotions can improve a person’s mental health, overall. But how much positive emotion is needed in a person’s life to achieve these mental health-benefiting effects? Thankfully, two researchers had this very question and discovered the answer.

Their recent study predicted that a higher ratio of positive to negative emotions would “characterize individuals in flourishing mental health.” The data that researchers collected proved that the researcher’s prediction was true and revealed a precise ratio. Individuals who had a mean ratio of positive to negative emotions that were above 2.9 had flourishing mental health. And individuals who were below the 2.9 ratios of positive to negative emotions did not have flourishing mental health.

PHYSICAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF POSITIVITY

15) Improves Sleep

Insomnia is a common and persistent health concern that can negatively impact many aspects of your life. Suffering from insomnia is very serious and can lead to obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, and depression.

Research shows that utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to increase positive thinking benefits sleep quality for individuals with insomnia. CBT improves mental health outcomes by challenging and changing unwanted, negative thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes. Replacing unproductive and frequently harmful ways of thinking with positive thinking. In fact, the authors of this study assessed the outcomes of 15 scientific trials to determine the effectiveness of CBT for insomnia.

The results of the study revealed that CBT is effective in improving sleep in adults who have insomnia. If you struggle with insomnia thinking positively throughout the day can have a beneficial impact on your quality of sleep. In addition to thinking positively, you can try breathing exercises to relieve insomnia and help you fall asleep.

16) Positivity Decreases Blood Pressure

Having high blood pressure affects nearly one billion people worldwide, and increases the risk of numerous negative health outcomes. High blood pressure can even lead to an early and unexpected death. Consequently, a multitude of scientific studies resulted in order to better understand how people can effectively lower their blood pressure.

One of these studies tested the hypothesis that “high positive emotion would be associated with lower blood pressure in older adults.” Researchers revealed that increasing positive emotions had a significant impact on lowering diastolic and systolic blood pressure in older adults.

17) Improves Immune System Functioning

Several scientific studies have revealed that optimistic expectancies and thinking positively are related to having higher numbers of immune cells. Having improved immunity can save us from a lot of strife and missing out on life due to being sick. Increased immunity can also help to keep us from developing much more serious illnesses than the common cold. This study published by Psychological Science showed that having optimistic expectations was strongly related to having increased cell-mediated immunity (CMI).

18) Increases Lifespan

Decades of research have proven that positive emotions have a beneficial impact on both physical and mental health. It, therefore, makes perfect sense that you can increase your lifespan by simply increasing your positive emotions. This longitudinal study evaluated the impact that positive emotions had on the lifespan of Catholic nuns. Researchers revealed that positive emotions linked strongly to a longer lifespan. The nuns who expressed positive emotions regularly during journal writing activities lived an average of 10 years longer.

19) Reduces Pain and Increases Pain Tolerance

Living with chronic pain is one of the worst things for a person to endure. Being in constant physical pain can have a negative impact on nearly every aspect of your life. There are certainly some types of pain you should never ignore. But there are also other types of pain that can be helped by positive thinking. Previous laboratory research has shown that producing positive emotional states increases pain tolerance and reduces pain.

To add to that body of research, scientists evaluated the impact of positive activities online has on pain reduction. Their results revealed that participating in online positive activities reduced bodily pain in adults with mild to moderate pain.

20) Reduces Risk of Death from Cardiovascular Disease

Many people understand that having higher stress levels increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. When a person is under stress, stress hormones release into body. Over time, this causes damage to their cardiovascular system. Conversely, research has shown that dispositional optimism and positive outcome expectancies correlate to a lower risk of cardiovascular complications.

The authors of a consequential longitudinal study evaluated whether optimism and positive expectancies were independently related to reduced cardiovascular mortality. The data that they gathered over 15 years proved that optimism and positive expectations reduced the risk of cardiovascular death.

21) Improves the Outcome of Serious Physical Health Conditions

We now know that positivity can help to prevent you from becoming ill. And that being positive can also decrease the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Additionally, positive attitudes have been shown to improve outcomes in individuals who are already suffering from a serious medical condition. Therefore, researches also studied the impact of interventions that increase positive emotions in individuals diagnosed with breast cancer and HIV.

Individuals who think more positively and optimistically frequently have better health outcomes. On the other hand, having negative attitudes surrounding survival seem to increase the chance of death from a serious medical condition. The authors of one study that demonstrated this assessed whether attitudes toward illness are associated with survival after a stroke.

Results revealed that a person’s attitude regarding their illness was associated with the survival rate in stroke victims. Patients who thought negatively and felt there was nothing they could do to help themselves had a lower survival rate.

22) Positivity Improves Cholesterol and Triglyceride Levels

Having healthy cholesterol levels improves your health immensely and can help to protect you from developing cardiovascular disease. Most of us know that having a healthy diet and participating in regular exercise are important aspects of controlling our cholesterol levels.

However, having an optimistic and positive attitude also connects with having a healthy lipid profile (i.e., healthy cholesterol levels). The authors of one study assessed the impact that optimism and positive affect had on an individual’s cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Their results revealed that having higher optimism and positivity was correlated with healthier cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

23) Decreases Risk of Heavy Substance Use

Heavy use of any addictive substance can lead to long-term health physical health problems and can even result in death. Not to mention the negative impact that heavy substance use is known to have on mental health and relationships. Young people are at a particularly high risk of experiencing negative outcomes due to heavy substance use.

Fortunately, research shows us that having a positive attitude and outlook on life decreases adolescents’ risk of heavy substance use. One longitudinal study assessed the impact of optimistic and positive thinking on 5,634 adolescent’s emotional states, substance use, and behavior. Their data showed that high levels of optimism and positive emotions had protective effects against heavy substance use.

24) Decreases Risk of Frailty During the Aging Process

The term frailty describes a person’s impaired strength, endurance, and balance. Frailty increases an individual’s risk of experiencing physical trauma and other stressors, including disability, morbidity, and mortality. Preventing or delaying the onset of frailty is an important aspect of improving a person’s physical health and increasing lifespan. This study published in Psychology and Aging assessed the long-term association between positive affect and the onset of frailty. Results revealed that high positive affect (i.e., positive emotions) significantly lowered the risk of frailty.

25) Improves Athletic Performance

We now understand the many ways in which positive thinking and attitudes can improve our physical health and abilities. It, therefore, makes sense that optimistic and positive thinking can also improve athletic performance. Several scientific studies have demonstrated this effect, including this study about the impact of positivity on an athlete’s performance.

Results demonstrated a significant relationship between an athlete’s levels of optimism, positive emotions, and athletic performance. Specifically, soccer players who had more optimistic and positive attitudes showed better athletic performance than pessimistic soccer players.

Another study assessed the ability of a positive psychological development program to improve the swimming abilities of national-level swimmers. The program aimed to increase the professional swimmer’s ability to think positively, including optimistic disposition and positive affect development. Results revealed a significant improvement in the swimming strokes of those who participated in the program that included positive thinking.

HOW POSITIVITY BENEFITS RELATIONSHIPS AND OVERALL SUCCESS

26) Improves Leadership Skills

Positive thinkers have an improved ability to make the right decisions in high-pressure situations, as compared to pessimists. This is because positive thinking allows a person to focus on solutions instead of the problem and potential obstacles. And as explained above, positive thinkers tend to have more mental clarity, concentration, and focus. Therefore, positive people make much better leaders. Furthermore, positive leaders are perceived as more trustworthy and competent.

27) Increases Chance of Career Advancement and Financial Success

As explained above, positive thinkers have improved leadership skills and the ability to remain positive, even in stressful situations. Consequently, companies are much more likely to hire a positive person for a leadership role. This increases their chances of career advancement and financial success. Dr. Martin Seligman conducted more than 30 years of research that demonstrated this outcome with over 1 million study participants.

The analysis of Seligman revealed that a person’s optimistic expectations and positive attitude led to superior achievement in sales. Salespeople who are confident and positive have been proven to sell more and have higher incomes than negative salespeople. Seligman concluded that this is because a positive person has the persistence that they need to overcome adversity.

28) Increases Productivity and Work Performance

There have been many changes in the economy and workplace over the past few decades. A lot of these changes are not for the best and have impacted both employees and companies in negative ways. One aspect of positive psychology is understanding how you can use positivity for better employment outcomes at work.

The authors of this article evaluated how utilizing positive psychology could improve the workplace, including employee productivity and job performance. Results revealed that when motivation is externally controlled, increased positive emotions are likely to be associated with increased motivation. The data demonstrated that enhancing experiences of positive emotions result in increases in productivity and better performance outcomes.

29) Increases Success Rates in Relationships

A multitude of scientific research has shown that positive people are more successful in marriage and friendship, among other things. The authors of this review of research analyzed numerous studies that assessed whether or not positive affect increased relationship success. The results revealed, “that happiness is associated with and precedes numerous successful outcomes, as well as behaviors paralleling success.”

Additionally, the evidence showed that positive affect, a critical factor in well-being, directly impacts a person’s increased happiness and relationship success. This is because positive emotions and attitudes increase satisfaction. And happy people have more fulfilling and satisfying marriages. generally. Researchers state that these findings “generalize to other romantic relationships” and also to friendships.

30) Increases Ability to Forgive

Forgiveness is an essential aspect of any successful relationship. Furthermore, forgiveness has a direct impact on mental health. Previous research links a person’s ability to forgive and improved mental health. Additionally, a connection between positivity and forgiveness resulted from the study.

The authors of a study published by The Journal of Social Psychology state that affective states mediate the relationship between forgiveness and mental health. Specifically, having more positive emotions allows someone to be able to more easily forgive which leads to improved mental health. Researchers state that “forgiveness involves replacing the negative emotions associated with unforgiveness with positive, love-based emotions.” They go on to explain “that it is through this transformation of emotional states that forgiveness affects physiological functioning.”

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE BENEFITS OF POSITIVITY

Positivity works wonders.

Decades of scientific research have made it strikingly clear that positive emotions and attitudes lead to a plethora of benefits. Thinking positively proves to benefit our mental and physical health, as well as our relationships and careers. With so many studies demonstrating how powerful positive thinking is, who wouldn’t want to cultivate and practice using positive thinking today?

Like any skill in life, learning how to think positively consistently will take time and practice. But as this article has demonstrated, it is worth doing for countless reasons. Of course, nobody expects you to be positive every single second of every single day. No one can do that. Even the happiest and most positive people have moments in which they feel and express hopelessness and negativity. That is a part of the human condition. But the more that you can incorporate positivity into your daily routines, the more beneficial outcomes you will see.

Furthermore, it seems impossible not to be convinced that positive thinking has an impact on our reality.  But if you still aren’t sure, here’s an experiment that demonstrates how the power of positivity alters our physical world.

Here at the Power of Positivity, we want to do everything we can to help everyone to live happy, healthy, and prosperous lives. And as the research featured in this article proves, having a positive outlook can help you to accomplish this.

Depending upon how old you are, how fast-paced your life is, or even the number of events that have occurred, you may feel as if you have lived several lifetimes and several different lives.  You look back at yourself through various stages and barely recognize the old you.

We tend to break up our timelines based on major changes or shifts in our lives.  When we look back, we see the triggers that created tremendous change in our lives and in our selves.  Those triggers may have been events that happened around us or to us, either as a result of a decision we made or a random coincidence that occurred.

The events at the time may have felt like the bowels of hell were a better alternative or like an entirely new world had embraced you and sprinkled you with fairy dust.  Time takes on a life of its own in the aftermath of such events.  It may fly by like a hawk chasing a mouse or perhaps move slowly, sludging through the thickest mud.   No matter what it felt like, time was still moving forward.  Life goes on, and so do you.

Life Goes On: Think Positive During Challenging Days

When we first think of the phrase, “Life goes on,” we might remember those words given upon the passing of a loved one.  This is somehow meant to encourage us to keep living despite the pain of losing someone.  It acts as a reminder that time doesn’t stand still for anyone and it will continue to pass despite you sometimes wishing time itself could just stop.   You want life to stop to give you time to process what has just happened, how you feel, how it affects you, and how everything will be different from here on.

I once attended a seminar regarding the subconscious.  As part of the seminar, one of us was chosen from the audience and asked to sit in a chair on the stage.  We were to think of an event that happened within the last 6 months.  Then, we were asked to close our eyes and imagine wherein our mind’s eye that event occurred.  Next, we were to hold out our hand and put it either in front of us, to the left or right, above or below.  The location depended upon our personal view of where time was stored in our minds.

Then we were to position the hand approximately the distance away from us that we felt the event occurred, as if a dot on a timeline.   After that, we were to imagine an event from several years ago.  Once again, we were to reach our hand out to that invisible timeline. Logic would dictate that the event from 6 months ago would be closer to us than our far past right?  That was not always the case.  If many events had occurred in the last 6 months, it may still be positioned far away from us.  Conversely, if we still dwell on our past of several years ago, we may position it closer to ourselves.

Memories and Emotions

I found it very interesting and telling how our subconscious retains memories in relation to the emotional impact and relativity to our current lives.  In other words, we essentially slow time down when we are deeply affected by something in our lives.  Life around us has gone on, but we slowed our own timeline and stopped moving with it.

Of course, the reverse is also true.  We can speed up our timeline by embracing events and changes in our lives, making even relatively recent events appear to have happened long ago.

Why is this important?   It goes to show the importance of staying in life as much as possible.  Time will drag if we stay in the past and we do not necessarily benefit from that.  When we alter our perception of time, we also alter our perception of reality.  If life stopped for you 10 years ago after the death of a loved one, then everything around you is still based on your knowledge, feelings, and beliefs from 10 years ago.  Information, people, events, and the world have moved 10 years ahead of you.

People are meant to move forward with time – to grow, change, and experience life.

Embracing changes in life

Unfortunately, the brain is averse to change.  Every time you feel uncomfortable about something new, that is your brain thinking it needs to protect you from something it does not know, which also means that once you do that “unknown” action repeatedly, your brain learns it is safe and will stop giving you that uncomfortable feeling.   This is why you can even become comfortable with negative circumstances that might currently make you feel miserable.

How can we learn to embrace change so our life can go on in a happy, healthy way?

1. Recognize when your brain is telling you something that isn’t the truth.

For example, you’ve told yourself that you want to start working out.  On the day you are about to start, suddenly your brain is flooding you with a bunch of excuses.  “You don’t have enough time, too many things to get done, you’re too tired, etc.”

Realistically, you can do a simple 30-minute workout and it won’t impact your day that much.  As a matter of fact, it has been proven that people are more productive and have more energy on days they exercise than on days they don’t.

2. Focus on the positive in your life.

Oftentimes, we train ourselves to focus on the negatives regarding a change rather than the positives.  If you have decided to eat healthier, you can choose to focus on how much you miss the cheeseburgers and fries, or you can tell yourself how much more alert you feel after eating chicken with rice and vegetables.  You can tell yourself how much better your body feels having beneficial nutrition in it rather than processed ingredients.

This can also be reinforced by giving yourself something positive afterward.  Every time you eat a healthy meal, you can reward yourself with $5.00 toward the new wardrobe you are going to need.

3. Self-Talk or Affirmations.

Talk nicely to yourself.  Tell yourself something positive, such as, “I am going to finish this report today and it will be the best report my boss sees this month.”  It’s important that you don’t word it as, “I am not going to procrastinate doing this report.”  What the brain will focus on is “I am” and “procrastinate,” whereas in the first example, it will remember “I am” and “finish.”

4. Discipline your mind.

Meditation, prayer, and visualization have proven to strengthen the mind.  Forcing your mind to quiet down or focus on an image or desire creates a form of self-discipline which automatically teaches your brain to look for those triggers to achieve the level of happiness you felt when you thought of them.

5. Do something a little different every day.

We mostly operate on routine.  We get up, stumble to the bathroom, brush our teeth, make coffee, and sit down first thing in the morning.  Change it up.  Maybe get up and jump in the shower first; or start the coffee pot and then go to the bathroom. Or, take a cold shower instead of a warm one.   Drive a different route to work or say hi to someone in the elevator that you don’t know instead of looking at your phone.  These are small changes that allowour brains to become accustomed to that uncomfortable feeling while breaking up our mindless routine.

6. Accept the change that occurred beyond your control.

A lot of people believe they need to control everything; when something happens beyond their control, they grow distraught.  They believe there must have been something they could’ve done to prevent it.  That is not always true.

You cannot and should not control everything. You can’t control your friends, children, or partner, for instance.  Yes, you can make them feel bad or guilt them into doing what you feel is best for them.  Yet, they may still go behind your back to do it anyway.

We try to teach our children to study and do their homework.  They may choose to not do it and fail a class.  There was nothing more you could do. It was their decision.  People are responsible for their own decisions.

Another example is if you were in a car accident.  You were driving the correct speed, looking at the road without any distractions but suddenly a car darted in front of your car and you hit it.  You were doing everything you could do to be a safe driver, yet it happened anyhow.

Things happen in life and there is only so much control we have.  The sooner you realistically accept that fact, the faster you can move on and accept changes that occur in your life.

Final Thoughts: Think Positive, Things Will Get Better

Life goes on.  Regardless of how you choose to live your life, you will be affected by people and events in your life, whether they are good or bad. The more we train our brains to not fear change, the better we go on with our own lives and experience them to the fullest.

The Life of the Party: How to Become an Event Producer

If you love throwing parties, getting people together, and generating buzz about an event, you’re already on your way to becoming an event producer.

Unlike some people, you probably get excited about all the little details that go into putting an event together. 

But how can you take your events to the next level? Read on to learn more.

It’s All About Experience

You can be the most organized person and feel ready to take on a big event. But event planning is something that is learned by doing and learning from one’s mistakes.

If you’re still deciding on a major in college, degrees in marketing, public relations, and hospitality can help nurture the skill sets you might need. 

Classes related to accounting, event planning, and design will help guide you in the right direction.

You can also try getting involved in extracurricular activities or groups on campus. It’s likely that you’ll be getting hands-on experience on what it takes to put an event together. 

You can also try applying for an internship while at school where you’ll likely be asked to help set up an event.

Take note of how everything is done in the lead up to the event, and try to get your hands on any relevant information. Things like chair and table rentals, live music bookings, and catering are all essentials to event planners.

You may also learn things by shadowing someone who’s been doing this for a long time. They might help you by introducing you to their connections, like what restaurants they’re friendly with for catering.

Event planning is all about connections, and relying on outsourced goods to make an event happen. The more people you can meet while starting out, the more resources you’ll have when you eventually plan an event.

Have the Right Skills Set

If you’re in charge of a small event, it doesn’t mean the responsibilities are any smaller. Chances are, you’ll be in charge of everything, from the promotion to the food to the playlist.

Having the right skills set can help you be an all in one package. 

Start by familiarizing yourself with programs like Photoshop and Excel. You’ll probably have to make a lot of visual banners and social media content to promote your event. 

Having a strong visual skillset will make your promotional media be taken more seriously. 

If you’re working on a budget, you’ll want to keep track of all your spending. Staying organized with useful spreadsheets allows you and your team to keep track of all costs.

If someone is hiring you to put together an event, you’ll want to keep your spreadsheets organized and legible. If you go over budget for unforeseen reasons, you’ll want to show your client where the money went.

Being an event producer means you’ll have to work with a lot of different personalities. Learning how to work under pressure is key to being successful.

There are a lot of work and personal relationships that will be tested during the planning of an event, so being patient is also helpful. 

It’s likely that things will go wrong, so having ideas for troubleshooting is important in helping your event stay afloat. You’ll have to get creative when something malfunctions or someone doesn’t show up on time!

You’ll also probably be writing a lot of the promotional text on your banners, brochures, and social media posts yourself.

Take a moment to proofread your work to avoid silly typos on important posts. It might make someone think twice about coming to your event.

Take Things to the Next Level

If you think you’ve already got what it takes to be an event producer, you might want to get certified.

There are a number of programs you can enroll in to get certified as a planner and producer. Such organizations like the Convention Industry Council offer professional programs that can take your work to the next level.

These types of programs usually require a few days of intense courses and a final exam to receive certification.

Depending on your desired focus, you may need to take certain certification courses to land a job. For government events, both on the federal and local levels, you need to become a Certified Government Meeting Professional.

Handling the Responsibilities

Once you’ve acquired all the right skills and necessary certifications, it’s important to know what will be expected of your job. To be an event producer, you’ll need to be in charge of the full picture.

Event planners meet with their clients for an initial meeting, where the scope of the event is discussed. This includes a projected budget and a detailed timeline mapping out the event’s schedule. 

Much like an architect that is building a home from scratch, an event planner must visualize and troubleshoot all aspects of an event. For an event producer, all the heavy lifting is done in the preparation leading up to the big day.

Event producers are responsible for being the person in between the client and the outsourced work. They handle speaking with the caterers, venue managers, and everything dealing with event production.

How to Become an Event Producer

Being an event producer requires practice and a strong skill set. But it also requires patience and perseverance. 

Event production is a profession that requires one to do it all sometimes. An aspiring planner must have sharpened writing skills and marketing skills.

To learn more about marketing strategies, keep browsing our page.

A Day in the Life: What Does an Orthodontist Do?

Are you considering becoming an orthodontist? If so, you can look forward to a mean hourly wage of $108.54.

Of course, there’s always the chance that you clicked on this article because you’re thinking about making an appointment. In either case, we’ve got you covered!

But have you ever wondered what does an orthodontist do? Then keep reading for an in-depth look at the world of orthodontics.

Fix Misaligned Teeth

We’ll go ahead and clear up a common misconception. Dentistry and orthodontics are two different specializations.

A dentist focuses on a patient’s overall oral health, assessing for gum disease, cavities, improper tooth growth and more. In contrast, an orthodontist focuses solely on fixing misaligned teeth. So if you’re looking to have your teeth checked out, you’re better off calling up a general dentist instead.

However, if you already know that you’re interested in braces or other alignment options, a consultation with an orthodontist can help you determine what the best course of action is.

They can apply brackets and rubber bands, help teach you to maintain your braces, and assess your overall progress.

In short, if you’re looking for someone to help fix your smile, it’s an orthodontist you’re after.

Examines Patients and Their X-Rays

An orthodontist does a few things during an initial consultation.

First, they’ll ask a few general questions about your oral hygiene. Expect questions about brushing and flossing habits, diet, the type of toothpaste used, and so on.

Once they have basic information down, they’ll get a better sense of a patient’s mouth by ordering a custom mold. If you’ve never experienced the molding process for yourself, it’s annoying enough to leave a bad taste in your mouth — literally.

Still, a patient’s mold will help an orthodontist learn about their bite patterns, tooth shape, and more.

It’s also common for orthodontists to order x-rays during a consultation.

Establishes a Friendly Relationship With Their Patients and The Community

Only about half of an orthodontist’s job takes place in the office. The rest takes place in the community!

A great orthodontist does their best to get involved with their local area, as well as professional organizations.

Dr. Brian B. Jacobus Jr. is a great example. Notice how on his website, jacobusortho.com, it points out that he’s involved with the American Association of Orthodontists, the American Dental Association, and the Southern Society of Orthodontists.

An orthodontist’s job isn’t only to fix teeth but to keep learning about the latest innovations that can improve their patient’s lives.

What Does an Orthodontist Do? Final Thoughts

As we wrap things up, let’s look at the question once again. What does an orthodontist do?

More than you’d think. An orthodontist is responsible for fixing their patient’s smiles, ensuring proper dental care, and maintaining a good standing with organizations around the globe.

So while braces may not be anyone’s good idea of a good time, it’s still important to recognize the important work these professionals do daily.

Looking for more career advice? Be sure to check back with our blog for more great content like this!

The Top 10 Reasons for Hiring a Life Coach

Have you been pulling yourself out of bed each day and going through the motions at work? If so, you’re not alone. Around 60% of people feel dissatisfied with their jobs?

The problem here is that when you aren’t fulfilled with your career, other aspects of your life will suffer. Pretty soon you’ll feel lost, unmotivated, and self-conscious. These issues are difficult to reverse on your own.

Many people in this position have found solutions by hiring a life coach. These are professionals who can provide guidance as a means of getting your life back on track.

This may seem like a drastic measure, but a life coach offers many benefits. Let’s go over ten reasons you should consider hiring one.

1. Guidance After a Major Setback

Misfortune and loss are part of life. Moving past these setbacks can seem impossible, especially if they alter the way you live or cause emotional damage.

A life coach will act as a support system during trying times. They’ll help guide you through things like depression, anger, anxiety, and grief.

In addition, a life coach will advise you on the steps you need to take to refocus on your responsibilities. The goal is to get on with your life in the healthiest way possible.

2. Regain Momentum in Your Life

If you’ve found yourself treading water without advancing, you may have difficulty figuring out what you’re doing wrong. A professional life coach is invaluable in these situations.

They’ll examine aspects of your personal and professional life to determine where you’re getting caught up. There’s a chance you’ve fallen into some bad habits without knowing it.

Once a life coach determines what’s holding you back, they can advise you on what steps you need to take. This could mean making important career decisions or changing your entire outlook.

3. Strike a Balance

To maintain happiness and fulfillment, you need to strike a healthy balance between your career, family, and relationships. In today’s busy world, this is hard to do.

Taking advantage of life coaching is a great way to even out elements of your life that are out of alignment. A professional will help you make the right sacrifices needed to place more emphasis on things you’ve neglected.

There are life coaches that specialize in a wide range of issues. The list on this site will give you an idea of what’s out there.  

4. You Need Accountability

When you need to make changes in your life but can’t seem to get the ball rolling, it helps to have someone to hold you accountable.

After you’ve established a set of goals, a life coach will help you become more disciplined. Because they’re with you each step of the way, you’ll feel more accountable for your progress.

Keep in mind their job isn’t to be an authoritarian. A life coach helps inspire you to take your goals and responsibilities more seriously.

5. Understand Your Full Potential

If you don’t believe in yourself, you’re setting limitations on your success. This has a direct impact on your future.

A life coach will do a number of things to help you realize your full potential. Promoting positive thinking and encouraging you to push yourself will help break the chains that have held you back.

A life coach will also work to motivate you and help you learn how to motivate yourself.

6. Unbiased Feedback

Seeking feedback and advice from friends or family members isn’t a bad thing, but there’s a good chance they’ll hold back. Maybe they want to protect you or simply don’t want to broach certain subjects.

A life coach, on the other hand, doesn’t have any connections to your life prior to you hiring them. This means you’ll get unbiased, truthful feedback concerning serious issues.

The perspective of an objective person can help you see problems from a new angle. Plus, a life coach isn’t afraid to be direct with you about things you need to hear.

7. Bring Your Dreams Into Focus

Getting stuck in a 9-to-5 job you don’t care about can cause you to lose focus on your passions. Eventually, you may forget what kind of life you intended to lead when you were younger.

If this happens to you, a life coach will help you rediscover yourself. They’ll teach you to reconnect with your aspirations and assist with taking the proper steps to reach them.

In addition, a life coach will help prioritize your goals so you remain on the right track to personal fulfillment.

8. Get Control of Your Fears

It’s easy to get intimidated by career advancements, challenges, and the thought of failing. Sometimes this intimidation turns to fear, and this does nothing but hold you back.

Life coaching can build up your self-confidence so you can face your fears head-on. It can also help you understand exactly what’s holding you back.

A life coach will put things into perspective so you can see that you’re in control of your fears. This is a great tool in the professional world.

9. Reach Daily Goals

If what’s holding you back is a problem with your daily routine, a life coach will work with you on reaching goals.

This often involves making small changes that have a huge impact. You may also need to look at each day independently and adjust your mental approach.

Once you start reaching daily goals, you’ll notice other aspects of your life improving as well.

10. Become Empowered

The work you do with a life coach can empower you to take control of the problems you encounter and solve them on your own.

This is a long-term benefit of working with a professional. Eventually, you won’t need them to help you confront and conquer obstacles.

Hiring a Life Coach Can Change Everything

Life is a constant challenge. There’s nothing wrong with seeking assistance from a professional.

If you’re having trouble reaching goals, overcoming setbacks, or you simply feel lost, hiring a life coach will get you back on track. You’ll soon find you can handle life’s hurdles on your own. Check out our site for upcoming events that can help you get on track.

4 Books About Addiction Recovery to Help Inspire Positive Change in Your Life

When recovering from any sort of addiction, it often feels like you’re all alone. The truth is that addiction is common. More people suffer from it than most of us realize.

Something good to come from this is the fact that those experiences help us in our own fight against addiction. Instead of letting that segregated feeling consume our every thought, we read about others who’ve gone through the exact same thing.

If you’re in a dark place right now, try reading some of these books about addiction recovery. They’ll help far more than you think.

1. Black Out by Sarah Hepola

This book tells the story of a woman who goes on a feminist and freedom-inspired drinking binge that doesn’t ever seem to stop. In the end, everything catches up with her and she must find a way to begin that long road to recovery.

Humor, sorrow, and self-realization are only some of the starring emotions portrayed in this book. A witty writing style makes this book a quick read even though the heavy topics don’t make it easy to digest.

But despite the darker tones, there’s a hint of quirk and amusement that shine in this all too familiar story.

2. How to Grow Up by Michelle Tea

Coming to the realization that something needs to change is one of the most difficult parts of recovery.

This entire journey is what makes this book one of the more interesting recovery books around. It reads more like a how-to book than a memoir at times, guiding the reader through each step.

Follow along with the story as the character finds out that their addiction isn’t what they treasure most in life.

3. Party Girl by Anna David

This story focuses on the ultimate question all addiction recovery books need to ask: what do I do now?

After the protagonist breaks free of her addiction and is steady on the road to sobriety, she’s faced with obstacle after obstacle. Each one dents her new sober armor a little bit, making the next one even hard to face.

This book does a great job of showing the struggle of someone who is doing everything the right way but needs to stay strong against all odds. Nothing worth having is ever easy. 

4. Permanent Midnight by Jerry Stahl

Even those who are both successful and creative struggle with addiction. This gripping memoir show this with sharp clarity.

Heroin addiction causes this writer to make many mistakes throughout his life, even against his own better judgment. It shares with the world all of the terrible side effects of some of the harshest of drugs.

The way it’s presented in this book makes the entire journey both captivating and educational.

The eventual and heart-wrenching downfall is hard to swallow. But it leads to a better life for him and his family.

Let These Books About Addiction Inspire You

With these books and their experiences at your side, addiction recovery becomes a little easier. It’s always good to learn from both the mistakes and victories written upon those pages.

But we all have our own stories to tell. The books about addiction recovery listed above are only a few points of view.

Your own story might help someone else in their recovery someday. So why not try your hand at writing your own memoir? Don’t forget to check out these tips on becoming a better writer to give your memoir the best start possible.

Reasons to Finally Get Clean: Effects of Addiction on Your Health and Life

Are you struggling with addiction but can’t seem to get motivated to get clean? It’s important to understand how detrimental substance abuse is to your health and well-being.

In addition to causing countless illnesses and physical issues, addiction can be fatal. In fact, in 2016 alone, 63,632 people died in the United States as a result of an overdose. 

If you think you can continue using drugs and alcohol without serious side-effects, you’re wrong. Eventually, it will catch up with you.

Keep reading get a better understand of the effects of addiction on your health and quality of life.

Physical Repercussions

Depending on the type of drug you’re addicted to, there could be a number of physical risks. These could include injuries related to an overdose or long-term illness.

Alcohol and narcotics can wreak havoc on your liver. Years of abuse could lead to liver disease or cancer.

Hard drugs and alcohol can cause brain damage after years of heavy abuse. You could also become susceptible to hepatitis, heart disease, and stroke.

Finally, substance abuse weakens your immune system, making you more vulnerable to common illnesses.

Damage to Your Mental Health

Addiction doesn’t only harm your body. It can also lead to mental and emotional problems.

Most drugs have a “comedown” or withdrawal period associated with them. These periods can lead to serious depression and anxiety.

You may abuse drugs and alcohol to cover up preexisting mental problems or issues with self-confidence. This is a dangerous cycle to get caught in. Instead of addressing your problems, you’re making them worse by digging yourself into a hole.

The best thing you can do is to seek professional help. Places like this center can help you face your addiction head-on. 

Addiction Ruins Relationships

Addiction may cause you to isolate yourself. You may either want to hide your substance abuse or feel you can’t identify with your friends and family.

Abuse may also cause irritability, anger, or erratic behavior. This can lead to tension between you and loved ones, especially if you’re shutting them out.

If you notice your relationships starting to crumble, it’s time to seek help. Your family and friends are your biggest support system. It may be difficult, but reaching out to them for help could be just the thing you need to get on the path to recovery.

Financial Hardships

Nobody likes dealing with financial stress. Unfortunately, addiction and money issues go hand in hand.

Supporting a drug habit is expensive. Plus, once you’re addicted, paying for it takes precedence over everything else. Before you know it, you’re having trouble paying your bills.

To add to the problem, the more addicted you become, the more expensive your habit will be. That’s why it’s important to seek treatment before you’re in over your head.

Understand the Effects of Addiction

If you want to get clean but can’t seem to find the motivation or strength, it’s important to seek help. The longer you continue abusing drugs or alcohol, the more damage you’re doing to your body.

Understanding the effects of addiction is a good way to find the inspiration to get clean. Keep the points discussed above in mind when thinking about your future.

Check out more articles related to everyday health issues and general well-being.

Ready for Your Morning Perk? Check Out These Natural Aphrodisiacs to Perk Up Your Sex Life

The average person will spend approximately 117 of their 25,915 days of life having sex. Considering how much people talk about sex, that’s a surprisingly low number. Compare that to the 10,625 days spent on tech devices and it gets even more shocking.

Would you like to outrank the average human and spend a bit more time enjoying yourself between the sheets? With how stressful and busy modern day life is, getting ready for sex can be a challenge.

With a little planning and some help from some natural aphrodisiacs, however, you can make it happen. 

Keep reading to find out what those aphrodisiacs are!

Peppermint Soap

Essential oils can regrow lost limbs!

We jest, obviously, but it seems as though essential oil proponents think that essential oils are the cure to everything. But while essential oils may not be able to regrow limbs, they can help rev things up in the bedroom, particularly for women.

If you have a hard time reaching orgasm, try taking a relaxing bath with peppermint soap. Or you can get a cream or gel to use in the moment for more heightened stimulation. You could even put a few drops in your essential oil diffuser to fill the air with its fresh scent.

Just be sure whatever you buy has real peppermint extract in it. A fake perfume won’t do what you need it to do.

Food and Vitamins

There are many foods that are thought to have an aphrodisiac effect. These include bananas, avocados, oysters, and hot peppers. 

Hard scientific evidence on the effectiveness of eating these foods as an aphrodisiac is still lacking. However, there is evidence that points to certain vitamins and nutrients helping to increase blood flow to the pertinent parts of the body as well as improve the body’s overall functioning. 

Regardless, getting your vitamins certainly won’t hurt. Rather than splurging on oysters every day you can take a supplement like tribulus terrestris for convenient stimulation.

Chocolate

As if you needed another reason to indulge in the sweet delight that is chocolate. Of course, we’re talking about real chocolate, not chocolate flavored candy that is full of sugar. 

Chocolate contains phenethylamine. This hard-to-pronounce ingredient is important because it stimulates the release of serotonin and dopamine in the brain.

These compounds are known as the “happy chemicals” because of their ability to lift your mood. An added plus is their aphrodisiac effect. 

Hugs!

Did you know there is actually a physical reason why people love giving and receiving hugs? Physical contact, more specifically skin to skin contact, triggers the release of oxytocin in the body. This compound causes people to feel more bonded with one another.

Even a simple 20-second hug can have an effect on your levels of oxytocin. Imagine what watching a whole movie snuggled up together can do!

Spice it Up with These Natural Aphrodisiacs

Ready to spice things up? Give one (or all) of these natural aphrodisiacs a try and see how it goes for you. You might just find yourself spending less time on your computer and more time getting it on!

Want to learn how to prolong the experience and get the most out of it? Check out the sex tips in this article.