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Dorina Qorraj

Period 3M

Health

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I am physically healthy because I drink water.

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I am physically healthy because I eat healthy.

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I can improve my physical health by getting more sleep.

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I can improve my physical health by taking more mindful minutes.

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Hi! I'm Melissa, founder of Mindful Minutes, teacher, and ICF Certified Leadership and Executive Coach. I hope you enjoy exploring the site.
Warning: I may inspire you to manage your stress, practice mindfulness, and generally improve your life.

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Mindful Minutes | How to Squeeze a Deep Breath into Your Busy Day

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Mindful Minutes is a blog about mindfulness and life balance in the digital age. If you're looking for a practical mindfulness blog, mindfulness tips, meditation tips, guided meditations, advice about meditation for beginners, and more, Mindful Minutes has you covered.

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I am positive.

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Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress

Positive thinking helps with stress management and can even improve your health. Practice overcoming negative self-talk with examples provided.
By Mayo Clinic Staff
Is your glass half-empty or half-full? How you answer this age-old question about positive thinking may reflect your outlook on life, your attitude toward yourself, and whether you're optimistic or pessimistic - and it may even affect your health.

Indeed, some studies show that personality traits such as optimism and pessimism can affect many areas of your health and well-being. The positive thinking that usually comes with optimism is a key part of effective stress management. And effective stress management is associated with many health benefits. If you tend to be pessimistic, don't despair - you can learn positive thinking skills.

Understanding positive thinking and self-talk

Positive thinking doesn't mean that you ignore life's less pleasant situations. Positive thinking just means that you approach unpleasantness in a more positive and productive way. You think the best is going to happen, not the worst.

Positive thinking often starts with self-talk. Self-talk is the endless stream of unspoken thoughts that run through your head. These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative. Some of your self-talk comes from logic and reason. Other self-talk may arise from misconceptions that you create because of lack of information or expectations due to preconceived ideas of what may happen.

If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook on life is more likely pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you're likely an optimist - someone who practices positive thinking.

The health benefits of positive thinking

Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:

Increased life span

Lower rates of depression

Lower levels of distress and pain

Greater resistance to illnesses

Better psychological and physical well-being

Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease and stroke

Reduced risk of death from cancer

Reduced risk of death from respiratory conditions

Reduced risk of death from infections

Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

It's unclear why people who engage in positive thinking experience these health benefits. One theory is that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful health effects of stress on your body.

It's also thought that positive and optimistic people tend to live healthier lifestyles - they get more physical activity, follow a healthier diet, and don't smoke or drink alcohol in excess.

Identifying negative thinking

Not sure if your self-talk is positive or negative? Some common forms of negative self-talk include:

Filtering. You magnify the negative aspects of a situation and filter out all the positive ones. For example, you had a great day at work. You completed your tasks ahead of time and were complimented for doing a speedy and thorough job. That evening, you focus only on your plan to do even more tasks and forget about the compliments you received.

Personalizing. When something bad occurs, you automatically blame yourself. For example, you hear that an evening out with friends is canceled, and you assume that the change in plans is because no one wanted to be around you.

Catastrophizing. You automatically anticipate the worst without facts that the worse will happen. The drive-through coffee shop gets your order wrong, and then you think that the rest of your day will be a disaster.

Blaming. You try to say someone else is responsible for what happened to you instead of yourself. You avoid being responsible for your thoughts and feelings.

Saying you "should" do something. You think of all the things you think you should do and blame yourself for not doing them.

Magnifying. You make a big deal out of minor problems.

Perfectionism. Keeping impossible standards and trying to be more perfect sets yourself up for failure.

Polarizing. You see things only as either good or bad. There is no middle ground.

Focusing on positive thinking

You can learn to turn negative thinking into positive thinking. The process is simple, but it does take time and practice - you're creating a new habit, after all. Following are some ways to think and behave in a more positive and optimistic way:

Identify areas to change. If you want to become more optimistic and engage in more positive thinking, first identify areas of your life that you usually think negatively about, whether it's work, your daily commute, life changes or a relationship. You can start small by focusing on one area to approach in a more positive way. Think of a positive thought to manage your stress instead of a negative one.

Check yourself. Periodically during the day, stop and evaluate what you're thinking. If you find that your thoughts are mainly negative, try to find a way to put a positive spin on them.

Be open to humor. Give yourself permission to smile or laugh, especially during difficult times. Seek humor in everyday happenings. When you can laugh at life, you feel less stressed.

Follow a healthy lifestyle. Aim to exercise for about 30 minutes on most days of the week. You can also break it up into 5- or 10-minute chunks of time during the day. Exercise can positively affect mood and reduce stress. Follow a healthy diet to fuel your mind and body. Get enough sleep. And learn techniques to manage stress.

Surround yourself with positive people. Make sure those in your life are positive, supportive people you can depend on to give helpful advice and feedback. Negative people may increase your stress level and make you doubt your ability to manage stress in healthy ways.

Practice positive self-talk. Start by following one simple rule: Don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to anyone else. Be gentle and encouraging with yourself. If a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about you. Think about things you're thankful for in your life.

Here are some examples of negative self-talk and how you can apply a positive thinking twist to them:

Negative self-talk

Positive thinking

I've never done it before.

It's an opportunity to learn something new.

It's too complicated.

I'll tackle it from a different angle.

I don't have the resources.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

I'm too lazy to get this done.

I couldn't fit it into my schedule, but I can re-examine some priorities.

There's no way it will work.

I can try to make it work.

It's too radical a change.

Let's take a chance.

No one bothers to communicate with me.

I'll see if I can open the channels of communication.

I'm not going to get any better at this.

I'll give it another try.

Practicing positive thinking every day

If you tend to have a negative outlook, don't expect to become an optimist overnight. But with practice, eventually your self-talk will contain less self-criticism and more self-acceptance. You may also become less critical of the world around you.

When your state of mind is generally optimistic, you're better able to handle everyday stress in a more constructive way. That ability may contribute to the widely observed health benefits of positive thinking.

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Show references

1. Forte AJ, et al. The impact of optimism on cancer-related and postsurgical cancer pain: A systematic review. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 2021; doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2021.09.008.

2. Rosenfeld AJ. The neuroscience of happiness and well-being. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2019;28:137.

3. Kim ES, et al. Optimism and cause-specific mortality: A prospective cohort study. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2016; doi:10.1093/aje/kww182.

4. Amonoo HL, et al. Is optimism a protective factor for cardiovascular disease? Current Cardiology Reports. 2021; doi:10.1007/s11886-021-01590-4.

5. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. 2nd ed. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://health.gov/paguidelines/second-edition. Accessed Oct. 20, 2021.

6. Seaward BL. Essentials of Managing Stress. 4th ed. Burlington, Mass.: Jones & Bartlett Learning; 2021.

7. Seaward BL. Cognitive restructuring: Reframing. Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-Being. 8th ed. Burlington, Mass.: Jones & Bartlett Learning; 2018.

8. Olpin M, et al. Stress Management for Life. 5th ed. Cengage Learning; 2020.

See more In-depth

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Positive thinking - Harness the power of optimism to help with stress management.

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I am empathetic.

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Empathic vs Empathetic: A Guide for Understanding Emotional Intelligence

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Learn the differences between ‘empathic’ and ‘empathetic’ to improve your English communication skills.

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I am honest.

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Honesty is going to take you places in life that you never could have dreamed and it's the easiest thing you can practice in order to be happy, successful and fulfilled. Honesty is part of the foundation of my core values and principles. Honesty cuts through deception and knifes its way through deceit and lies. Honesty leads to a fulfilling, free life.

Honesty is not just about telling the truth. It's about being real with yourself and others about who you are, what you want and what you need to live your most authentic life. Honesty promotes openness, empowers us and enables us to develop consistency in how we present the facts. Honesty sharpens our perception and allows us to observe everything around us with clarity.

The Tangled Web We Weave

The opposite of honesty is deception - or lying. Lying is equally bad whether you are deceiving others or yourself. When you lie, you delude yourself into believing what you're saying. You start digging a hypothetical ditch, even if with an infant-sized spoon, that will keep getting bigger over time. You confuse yourself, confuse others, lose credibility and put yourself in harm.

The worst type of lying we practice, in order to deceive, is when we lie to ourselves. We start messing around with our concept of morality, right and wrong, as well as our dreams and desires. Times that I lied in order to do something that I knew was wrong, I could feel it. My inner core warred and rebelled against what I was mentally committing to doing because it was in contrast to who I really am.

When I look back on it, every time I lied (that I can recall) I was trying to excuse or misrepresent my own shortcomings or to compensate for something. I was trying to pursue a sinful desire that would only, at best, produce temporary pleasure. Lies I told were often due to a lack of effort, positive morals or thoughts.

Other times, I was convincing myself I wasn't good enough or able to do something my heart was really set on. Lying or presuming I knew something I didn't really know was the easy path. This discouraging thought manifested itself in ways that I couldn't possibly perceive at the time. It set me back by delaying the pursuit of my dreams. It took away my ability to take chances that my heart was willing to take but my mind was blocking me from taking.

Despite its temptation, ease of use and false promises, lying gets us nowhere in the end. We stay right in our own tracks or much worse, go backwards.

Better Health

Honesty and seeking the truth is always the way to go. Honesty engenders confidence, faith, empowers our willpower and represents us in the best way for others to see and witness our example. Honesty improves our vitality. In an honesty experiment conducted by two University of Notre Dame professors, results showed that telling the truth is good for our health:

Telling the truth when tempted to lie can significantly improve a person's mental and physical health, according to a "Science of Honesty" study.

The above results were presented at the American Psychological Association's Annual Convention four years ago.

Respectable, admired behavior is always carried out with honesty. Telling the truth and backing it up with actions show respect for what's right and an esteem for ethical and moral integrity. Honesty is one of the key components to character and one of the most admired traits of any successful, responsible person.

Success, for me, is not quantified in terms of dollars, sales or number of Facebook followers. Particularly not the latter! I value success in terms of character, self-awareness, honesty, emotional intelligence and hard work. How we treat ourselves, others and how we use our talents to improve the lives of others.

An emotionally intelligent person is a person of impeccable integrity and honesty; someone who can perceive and recognize the quality of honesty in another. Business transactions and the everyday transactions of human relations must be carried out with a code of trust and honesty or else everything will break down.

Where Honesty Will Lead You

I've always carried myself with a candidness (and I'd like to believe genuineness) which demonstrates a reflection of my thoughts. At times, I've been candid to a fault. But overall, I live with zero regrets. I believe candidness, openness and honesty has benefited me more than any other qualities in how I comport myself.

Honesty has endeared me to many people of influence and, simply to my friends and loved ones. Honesty is never contrived or inauthentic - it's always the genuine article. I'd much rather lay all my cards on the table and be forthcoming and transparent about my aspirations and intents.

As I matured during my 20s, I learned to leave deception and lies to the CIA agents in the movies - in the land of fiction, where they belong. Honesty is the best use of everyone's time. It's led me to form a network of family, friends and business partners who I trust and respect, as we can all mutually benefit from this truth.

There's no coincidence that perhaps the most respected American in history, President Abraham Lincoln, is often referred to by the moniker, Honest Abe. Lincoln was shrewd, direct and honest in all of his human relations transactions and dealings. He was fair and just, a lesson he learned as a store clerk in dealing with customers at an early age.

A defining first-hand account of Lincoln comes from Leonard Swett, a close friend of the former President:

"He believed in the great laws of truth, the right discharge of duty, his accountability to God, the ultimate triumph of the right, and the overthrow of wrong."

And why not pass along Lincoln's own words on the topic:

"Resolve to be honest at all events; and if, in your own judgment, you cannot be an honest lawyer, resolve to be honest without being a lawyer. Choose some other occupation."

Do you want to be one of the most respected, highly thought of people among your social sphere and even your geography? Follow the example of the man thought of by many as the greatest American who ever lived. Honesty should be the bedrock of your foundation, as it will define who you are before you even allow others to know more about you.

Honesty Helps You Find the Answers You're Looking For

Honesty cuts through red tape, distraction, frustration and indecision. Honesty gets you where you want to go faster because you live how you really feel. You may not always know what you want in your future - whether that's one month, six months or two years from now - but your intuition will give you a feel for what is in harmony with your heart.

Honest intentions in speech and action gain the attention and respect of others. These people become the ones that you not only want to influence but be influenced by. The company we keep and surround ourselves with help to define our outlook on life, as well as lift us to places we couldn't have arrived at entirely by our own efforts.

Start today, first, by being as honest as you can with yourself. Be honest about your thoughts, words, actions and wants. Then think about your interaction with society and your personal relationships. Are you letting people know your true self? If not, what are you afraid of?

What do you think?

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Honesty- How it Benefits You and Others - The Mission - Medium

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Honesty is going to take you places in life that you never could have dreamed and it's the easiest thing you can practice in order to be happy, successful and fulfilled. Honesty is part of the foundation of my core values and principles. Honesty cuts through deception and knifes its way through deceit and lies.

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My proudest moment was when I got honor roll all 4 quarters and got to be in the NJHS.

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One thing I enjoy doing is taking funny photos.

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One thing I enjoy doing is playing with my cats.

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One thing I enjoy doing is hanging out with my friend.

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One personal stressor i have is school.

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Another stressor I have is drama.

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Drama definition is - a composition in verse or prose intended to portray life or character or to tell a story usually involving conflicts and emotions through action and dialogue and typically designed for theatrical performance : play. How to use drama in a sentence.

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One way i relive stress is by talking about it.

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Another way a I relive stress is by cleaning the dishes.

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I have a special relationship with my mom.

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I have a special relationship with my dad.

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I have a special relationship with my brother.

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I look up to my sister because she teaches me things that are useful and she gives me good advice.

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Sisterhood: it’s a relationship that only those who have grown up with a person as your biggest supporter, best friend and even your most relentless bully can fully understand.

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One way I can improve my mental health is taking days to myself to relax and stay with my family.