A Positive Attitude Toward Aging: A Step in Combating Ageism

A positive attitude toward aging can be very important in society as it can really help a lot of people combat ageism both in others and within themselves.  Positive attitudes can clear the mind and there are a large number of benefits by having a positive attitude including dealing with stress. By looking at the bright side of life, our consciousness becomes filled with light. This light affects not only ourselves, but also the environment around us.

Individuals who have a positive attitude will, often times, attract other people to them. Most of the time others would prefer to spend time with individuals who have positive attitudes. By doing so, individuals can often have a positive influence on the people around them and by improving the individual’s disposition; it will have a ripple effect that positively influences others around them.

A Positive attitude will enable people to have a unique view of the world. In the mind of a positive person, everything is possible to achieve, and failure is an option because it allows them to grow. If they face a problem or they make a mistake they often learn something, recover and find a solution to solve it. By learning from mistakes, people can easily adapt to different situations. If people focus on the positive aspect of things, they will be happier and will be able to achieve almost anything.

People have much to gain from having a positive attitude. A surprising fact is that having a positive attitude has health benefits. For example, a study of 99 Harvard graduates found a strong correlation between their optimistic thinking as college students and good health at age 40 and above. Furthermore, another test was taken at the University of Kentucky. They found that if a student had a positive attitude about passing his or her classes, that student had a higher immune system. If a student had a negative attitude about passing his or her classes, then they had a lower immune system.  This illustrates how having a positive attitude can greatly help the body.

 Also having a positive attitude will help individuals by allowing them to handle problems and stress much better.  Studies have shown that stress can bring about a host of physical and mental problems, from insomnia, fatigue, and loss of concentration to more serious ailments like severe depression, bodily aches and pains, high blood pressure, digestive disorders, and even heart attack and stroke. Since stress feeds on negativity, reducing stress is a good reason to eliminate negativity and stay positive in life. Research has even found that having a positive attitude towards aging can actually add almost 8 years to life. For one thing a positive attitude increases a person’s will to live.  The average life expectancy in North American is around 80 years old.

In summery positive attitudes are very important for success and happiness in life and are especially important when it comes to quality of life. Thinking and acting with positive attitudes can do more than anything else towards achieving goals. By having a negative attitude, people often get caught up in problems and mistakes. However, by having a positive attitude, many times it is easer to work through those problems and mistakes. Having a positive attitude is free and it does not cost anything. The benefits of having a positive attitude are definitely worth the time to have. Stop wasting time today and start to adopt a positive attitude. I have found that meditation is helpful in doing this because it helps me stay in the “here and now” with a positive attitude.