Angela

There is research out there that says a positive attitude helps.  Instead of affirmations I use something else-humor.  For speech, I subscribed to a joke-a-day (adult) and read that out loud.  My speech got better, I laughed, and it helped give me a positive attitude.  Positive affirmations don't do it for me.

32 months ago

Resilient

This is interesting, Angela, I'm glad you found something neat that works well for you. 

I've heard that because our brains have been injured, we tend to have a more difficult time thinking positive thoughts.  I know this is true for me, just wondering about others.

Life with TBI sure seems to be something that happens to us and we're challenged to make the best of it with the resources we have left.  Guess it goes back to the Serenity Prayer of having the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference. 

Thanks for sharing, Angela!

32 months ago

Mandy

i really don't have a problem thinking positively, but i have always been a glass is half full kind of person. besides i decided quite early on in my recovery that although i had no choice in having my injury or even if i waanted to survive it. first there is no way i would have consented to being put on life support. and would defintely not put my loved ones through it, it happened so i decided it was not going to have a victory in my life, that i would continue to live my life on my terms. i could have indulged in one big pity party but who would that have helped? no one. besides i have two sons to watch grow up and hopefully graduate and leave home. then there is retirement with my hubby, oh yes and maybe having my dream of meeting def leppard/ joe elliott and geting my leppard tatoos autographed

32 months ago

BARB

Yes, I feel positive thinking is a good thing. 

Do I always look on the bright side?  NO.  Do I even know if there are bright sides sometimes? NO! 

I keep positive cards and statements around my home--and I learn from them everyday (cuz, I can't remember them!).  As someone who has had many other challenges beyond TBI I find this to be my toughest.... but I am still looking for the good... 

31 months ago

Larry

Barb hit the nail on the head. Yes, positive thinking is good. Do we always do it? Certainly not! Just think about how boring life would be if we all did everything that was good for us. No one would jump out of an airplane and call it recreation. No one would ski down a mountainside and call it fun.

Should we strive to find that silver lining in a cloud? Certainly. First we might have to look for a silver thread before we find the lining. I think we have to be Army-like here.

Be all you can be ... with what you have available. Forget what's not available. I could really help everyone on this site if I was a bilionaire, but I must be all I can be with a website because somedays I have a hard time being a thousand-aire or, even, a hundred-aire.

31 months ago

BARB

Thanks Larry! 

Funny thing is, today is a 'not so hot' day...  So, when I saw my little card upstairs that said 'respect yourself' I wanted to push it through the wall... but I didn't!  Others are around...

I like what you said about the silver thread... A 'Sliver of Silver'.  Hum...  I like that.

31 months ago

Angela

People who seed their life with frequent moments of positive emotions
increase their resilience against challenges, according to a new study, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090708184544.htm.

31 months ago

Angela

Science News

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Positive Emotions Increase Life Satisfaction By Building Resilience

ScienceDaily (July 12, 2009)
— People who seed their life with frequent moments of positive emotions
increase their resilience against challenges, according to a new study
by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill psychologist and
colleagues.

“This study shows that if happiness is something you want out of
life, then focusing daily on the small moments and cultivating positive
emotions is the way to go,” said Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., Kenan
Distinguished Professor of Psychology in UNC’s College of Arts and
Sciences and the principal investigator of the Positive Emotions and
Psychophysiology Laboratory. “Those small moments let positive emotions
blossom, and that helps us become more open. That openness then helps
us build resources that can help us rebound better from adversity and
stress, ward off depression and continue to grow.”

In the month long study, 86 participants were asked to submit daily
“emotion reports,” rather than answering general questions like, “Over
the last few months, how much joy did you feel?”

“Getting those daily reports helped us gather more accurate
recollections of feelings and allowed us to capture emotional ups and
downs,” said Fredrickson, a leading expert in the field of positive
psychology.

Building up a daily diet of positive emotions does not require
banishing negative emotions, she said. The study helps show that to be
happy, people do not need to adopt a “Pollyanna-ish” approach and deny
the upsetting aspects of life.

“The levels of positive emotions that produced good benefits weren’t
extreme. Participants with average and stable levels of positive
emotions still showed growth in resilience even when their days
included negative emotions.”

Fredrickson suggested focusing on the “micro-moments” that can help unlock one positive emotion here or there.

“A lot of times we get so wrapped up in thinking about the future
and the past that we are blind to the goodness we are steeped in
already, whether it’s the beauty outside the window or the kind things
that people are doing for you,” she said. “The better approach is to be
open and flexible, to be appreciative of whatever good you do find in
your daily circumstances, rather than focusing on bigger questions,
such as ‘Will I be happy if I move to California?’ or ‘Will I be happy
if I get married?’”

In addition to Fredrickson, the study authors are Michael A. Cohn,
Ph.D., of the University of California San Francisco; Stephanie L.
Brown, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan; Joseph A. Mikels, Ph.D.,
of Cornell University; and Anne M. Conway, Ph.D., of the University of
Pittsburgh.

31 months ago