Staying healthy should be easier for us in this day and age with so many modern advances in medicine. However living in today’s Western world takes it toll on all of us with so many demands, endless traffic, high pressure jobs and trying to find life balance. The truth of the matter is that the ancients might have had it right when it comes to the most effective ways to remain healthy.
Here are five ways we can heal ourselves:
- Positive Thinking: According to the Annals of Behavioural Medicine those who are able to maintain a positive state of mind will recover from illness and surgery more quickly and will also avoid serious illness such as heart disease. A positive attitude helps people live longer, fight cancer and maintain a stronger immune system. A positive mindset means you are in tune with the universe and believe that the universe is on your side. According to “Psychosomatic Medicine” pessimism can cause harm both mentally and physically whereas optimism not only makes us feel better but allows us to go through life with a sense of comfort and safety which lessens stress. Last but not least, according to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology positive thinking is a self enhancer that allows us to see ourselves in a positive light which can work to lower baseline cortisol levels and reduce cardiovascular responses brought on by stress.
- Trust: When you are able to trust people your life is fuller as you will have more friends and remain social. Those who lead a full social life with more interaction with others will help stave off everything from dementia to slowing down the aging process and also are less likely to become ill according to findings by Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Meditation: Meditation not only allows you to slow down and relieve stress it is also believed to slow down aging and improve the immune system according to a study at the Center for Mind and Brain at the University of California. They found that people who participated in meditation classes were able to build telomeres which are part of our chromosomes that shorten as we age.
- Self Hypnosis: In the UK hypnosis is actually recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to help assist those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. The “Journal of Psychosomatic Research found that hypnosis may be able to help people control the lining and function of the bowels instead of lacking control which can lead to life challenges for those with IBS. Knowing this, self hypnosis may be able to assist with a number of health issues such as pain management as well as behavioural issues, depression and anxiety.
- Sense of Purpose: Last but not least those who feel a sense of purpose in the world thanks to faith and spirituality survived cancer in higher numbers than those without faith. Believing we have a higher purpose as well as that there is something watching over us can prove to be a very powerful tool to help us heal.