I think, for the most part, I am a positive person. I have been reading lately, about the power of positivity (nothing new), and how optimism impacts recovery from addiction. When you get out from under the obvious negatives of substance use and look at the positive aspects of a sober life, there is a marked increase in long term success.
It reminds me of those cigarette ads that show what life is like without the nicotine habit. Not the ones that show you a guy smoking through a ghastly hole in his neck. I am not discounting the ill effects of addiction, but I have always responded to the sunny side of the street.
Wellbeing Defined
What is wellbeing, anyway? It is defined as: “a good or satisfactory condition of existence; a state characterized by health, happiness, and prosperity; welfare“. There is no one on the planet who does not want wellbeing. The more I read about learning to look on the “bright side”, the more I realize that how and what you are thinking, can make you healthier, happier (and soberer). You still need to exercise and find community and eat right, but you can transform your reality by incorporating these components into your life:
Gratefulness means “warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful’.
Optimism means “hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.
Positive Thinking is “a mental attitude in which you expect good and favorable results; producing thoughts that create and transform energy into reality”.
Read More Positive Stuff:
My car broke down last week, and I wrote this article to remind myself (and you) that being an optimist does not mean that bad things will not happen. Terrible things happen all the time and I am not saying we should all fiddle while Rome burns (an apt analogy these days). Making the best of a situation and being grateful for the good things, helps to shape your brain to look for life’s miracles. And we can all use a little bit of that…
