Positivity

The polar vortex cold snap that hit the continent in recent weeks had an impact on countless lives. There was ice on tree branches and busted pipes resulted in spilling water becoming ice waterfalls, road conditions were accident-causing disasters, and snow had to be shoveled.

            Reading about all these problems and the people having to face them, it was clear from interviews that some people took it in stride: “We’ll survive, we always do,” to the more negative approach: “Why do have to suffer so much?” It’s clear that the extreme cold was no fun, but I think that the right attitude makes life more pleasant all around. Take my friend Wayne’s remark: “Sure it’s cold, but all we have to do is dress for it. Those living in warmer climates who have to leave their homes and take refuge in another country to escape war or famine are so much more worse off than we are.” Wise words indeed!

            A positive attitude can impact so many areas of our lives. I was reading recently that experiments have proven that being positive can have a beneficial impact on bone health. It appears that bitching and feeling miserable because of things we can’t change makes us produce more cortisol, a stress hormone that can negatively impact our bodies and even contribute to bone loss. Something for boomers to consider as bone health becomes more crucial with age.

            But that’s certainly not the only reason to get into the habit of being more positive. Research has shown that positive people have all sort of advantages over negative people. Here are a few: they are more resilient when facing stress and challenges; they make overall better decisions; in the workplace they get more raises and promotions; positive people have better marriages than negative people; and best of all they live longer.

            Things to think about as we wait for spring.