Fighting Back Against Negativity
The challenges of living with fibromyalgia can lead to a lot of negative thoughts and feelings. Living with constant pain will do that to a person. In fact, sometimes it may feel like your life is filled with negativity, and it is easy to feel like this negativity has completely taken over your life.
But these feelings can quickly lead to depression. Of course there is a difference between situational depression, and major, or clinical, depression. In this instance I am referring to situational depression, something that occurs when you become overwhelmed by a negative situation, and usually goes away once the person's situation changes. However, if left untreated situational depression may develop into major depression.
Considering that fibromyalgia is chronic, there is likely not going to be a huge change in our situation. So what started out as situational can easily and quickly turn into major depression. It is extremely important to get help from a medical professional if you are suffering from depression.
Our circumstances may make it difficult to avoid depression, but we can, to an extent, choose what type of thoughts we will focus our time and energy on, and whether they will be optimistic or pessimistic. Let’s look at how both types of thinking affect our mind and body.
The Impacts of Negative Thinking
Negativity can be detrimental to your health, as it has been proven to cause a number of problems for our health and body.
Negativity Causes Stress
I am pretty sure this is an undisputed fact. And I am also sure most of us know that stress is one of the leading causes of fibro flares – not to mention all the other havoc that stress causes on our bodies.
The Impacts of Negative Thinking
Negativity Drains You
Most of us have experienced days when we feel we just cannot get out of bed in the morning. Most of the time, this is caused by our bodies being physically tired, or due to our inability to get quality, deep sleep. But there are mental causes for this as well.
Our bodies are telling us not to get up, which is mental communication. Negativity is the repeated messaging of your body telling you to stay down, preventing you from feeling refreshed and reinvigorated.
Negativity Weakens Your Immune System
It can actually make your more likely to contract diseases, as the wear on your immune system is a common side effect of excessive negativity. And most of us have a weak enough immune system as it is.
Negativity Is Harmful For Your Heart
Many cardiac diseases are caused by both stress and negativity. Negativity breeds hostile attitudes that raise blood pressure and damage circulation, and your heart suffers for this.
The Impacts of Positive Thinking
But what are the effects of positive thinking? There are many health benefits associated with having a positive outlook, including, but not limited to:
- Increased life span.
- Better psychological and physical well-being.
- Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
- Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress.
Steps Towards Being More Positive
That being said, I am sure we all know that remaining positive is easier said than done. So what are some ways that we can focus on positive thoughts, rather than negative, cynical ones?
Find Something That Gives You Hope
This could be anything: hope for finding a cure for fibromyalgia, hope for finding a treatment that allows to live a more normal life, or the hope for a better world without sickness, like the Bible promises.
Holding on to hope will help to pull you through even the darkest of days. Hope is like a beacon that something better and brighter is just ahead and this can give you the strength you need to keep fighting.
Steps Towards Being More Positive
Focus on What Is Good in Your Life
Do you have loving and supportive family and/or friends? Do you have some animal companions that bring joy to your life? Do you have a hobby that you enjoy? Have you been able to meet some fellow fibro warriors through social media who provide you with needed support?
Dwelling on what good you do have in your life can be that big boost of positivity that you needed.
Avoid Comparisons
To a certain extent the occasional reminder that others are suffering worse than you are can help you to recall all that you have to be thankful for.
But for the most part, comparisons should be avoided as they can lead to unhealthy and even destructive thinking. Comparing yourself and what you are able to do with other people is not healthy.
We all have different degrees of illness, we all have different limitations, and we all have different abilities. What is important is that we each do the very best that we can with what we have.
Encourage Others
When you do start feeling down, look for ways to brighten someone else's day. This will benefit not only them, but you too. Acts 20:35 says, "There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving." And how very true those words are! When you find something optimistic and hopeful to reassure someone else, you will be encouraged as well. Those positive thoughts will remain in your mind and help to brighten up your own mood.
The fact of the matter is we will have bad days. When you do, don’t beat yourself up about it. That is a natural part of coping with a chronic illness. What is important is to not allow yourself to become completely consumed by this antagonistic way of thinking.
Fight it by looking for something positive as the target for your thoughts. Find something that you are grateful for and then share that with someone else in order to brighten their day, too. No matter how bleak things may seem on the surface, I believe that we can always find something positive to be thankful for.