Being Optimistic Strengthens The Immune System

A happy day keeps the doctor away. It’s true: believe it or not, being optimistic strengthens the immune system.

It is true. When you do not let everything that happens to you affect you negatively, you get sick less often and enjoy a healthier life.

Read more in this article.

Optimism and the immune system

Those who go through life with a smile on their face, even if things do not go well, and those who see the positive in every situation, get fewer diseases and recover faster from an infection if they get one.

Being happy does not mean that you deny your problems or pretend that what is happening to you does not matter. It’s a way to see that life can be even better for you than you think.

When you see the world in shades of gray, focus on what is bad and live in a constant state of stress, the body responds by producing a higher amount of steroids. In turn, these steroids affect the immune system.

Therefore, if you are pessimistic and continue to look at things negatively, you are probably more likely to get sick and get all kinds of infections.

The body’s resistance to viruses and bacteria is lower and these microorganisms can enter without problems and create chaos.

In addition, people who have a chronic or serious illness can be improved or worsened according to their mood.

For example, if they are depressed or worried, the disease progresses or develops more strongly than if they felt hopeful or optimistic.

Being optimistic is the best medicine

Being optimistic is the best treatment whether it is to prevent or cure any kind of disease. Your mood has a big impact on your physical and mental health.

Being negative will not only attract more problems, but also more diseases.

At the beginning of the last century, the French psychologist Émile Coué developed a method called “psychotherapy” that includes healing techniques and improvement through self-suggestion and hypnosis.

He would ask his patients to repeat this kind of mantra: “I am much better, I have less pain and I feel good”.

Years later, the doctor Madan Kataria created what is called “laughter yoga”,  This laughter technique demonstrated the interplay between mental and physical health.

Negative emotions weaken your immune system, while being optimistic is the natural medicine you need to avoid illness.

The road to optimism

To reap the benefits of optimism, you can practice and develop your resilience, or in other words , your ability to keep going in the face of adversity. We all have this ability to some degree.

The idea is to get back on your feet as soon as possible after a challenge and become stronger in the process.

Motivating yourself, prioritizing favorable ideas and emotions, and not letting yourself be attacked by negative thoughts is the key to achieving the much-desired happiness… and also to avoiding certain diseases.

As Sigmund Freud said, “the pessimist gets sick”.  (We can also use the opposite: “the optimist gets better”) According to the master psychoanalyst, being optimistic is an illusion that helps you survive.

Of course, we can not go to the extreme and say that a good mood is the only way to cure your pain. Always remember that modern medicine, psychology and natural treatments are also there for your benefit.

How to become more optimistic?

Now that you know the benefits of being optimistic about your health, the next step is to learn how to develop that feeling.

Once you have put it into your life as a habit, you will be able to face any disease or any problem that arises.

Here are some strategies and recommendations for becoming more optimistic:

Recognize what is happening in your life.

The goal of optimism is not to be happy all the time, but to feel better when things are not going well.

Capture negative emotions (anger, sadness, worry, etc.) and focus on the emotions that can help you. That way, you will get out of the unfortunate situation and have learned something in the process.

Before you react, think: How am I going to feel right now? How would it change things if I, instead of being sad, felt grateful?

Look ahead and remember that optimism is a philosophy of life.

Change your perspective automatically.

If you are in a situation and your mind is starting to go down towards pessimism, take control of your emotions and move them back on the path to good mood.

You probably have an inner monologue that insists on pointing out the negative. But you must direct the flow towards a happier and more peaceful place.

Always look for the positive side.

You may feel tired from work. Or maybe you just had an argument with your partner again or your finances are tight.

But how about thinking of all the good things around you? A family, a home, a job, health, friendship, a bed, food on the table… You are luckier than you think.

By focusing on things you should be grateful for, you will feel better and happier. I drive away illness and thoughts that do not allow you to grow and change what bothers you.

You can write a list of all the good things that happen to you and read it when you are not feeling very optimistic.

Smile.

Laugh as much as you can. If it’s the kind of laughter where you roll around on the floor, even better.

Look at yourself in the mirror and make funny grimaces to make you smile, look up funny videos on the internet, listen to jokes and think of funny memories.

In addition to immediately improving your mood, you will also be able to keep illness and depression away.