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The Health Risks of Chronic Negativity
In recent
health news the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), shared its findings about
the harmful affects on the brain posed by chronic negativity. Research
shows that people having a habitual negative disposition are at a higher
risk for suffering from memory and comprehension problems later in life,
including a higher incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, compared to people
with a positive disposition and outlook on life.
Scientists
and doctors examined the brain scans of patients with an admitted
history of negativity in their thinking, feeling, and reacting processes, along
with examining the brain scans of patients with noted histories of
optimism and positive thinking, looking for any differences in the scans
between these two groups if there were any. What researchers found was
that there were higher instances of physical and physiological
functioning differences that could be seen in the brain scans of the
chronically negative versus the instances of physical and physiological
changes seen in the brain scans of the chronically positive.
It was
noted that in the scans of those who habitually engaged in negative
thinking, the structure of the brain had actually been changed and that
physiological functions had also been altered. Scientists can now
conclude that these structural and physiological changes are as of a
result of the exposure of the brain to the chemicals that are produced
in the body when we think and feel in a negative fashion. Long term
exposure to the chemicals produced by negative emotions changes how the
brain naturally functions and the structure of the brain is also changed
by parts of the brain that become inactive with chronic negativity.
The frontal
lobe of the brain is where our perceptive, reasoning, and emotional
powers are located. In a brain that is properly functioning, this area
which is located at the forefront of our brains is large and very
active. The chemicals that are produced by negativity slows and renders
some portions of the frontal lobe inactive, this area will physically
become smaller as the inactivity grows. Over time, problems with
activating the full area of this frontal section of the brain may
develop. Researchers believe that this lack of activity and the
resulting shrinkage of mass to the frontal lobe along with a brain that
is continually awash in the chemicals produced by negativity leads to a
weakened and vulnerable brain that is more prone to the development of
psychiatric disorders and disease. Scientists believe this is how
issues such as diminished comprehension, memory loss, depression, and
diseases such as Alzheimer’s begin in the brain.
A common
fear that many of us share is the fear of losing our ability to remember
things as we get older. We are also afraid there may be a time when we
no longer recognize the people we love. Some of us have personal
experience with the anguish caused by Alzheimer’s in having to witness
and care for a parent or a loved one who has been stricken with this
cruel disease. We hope it never happens to us. The news that chronic
negativity causes us to be more susceptible to the development of these
memory and comprehension issues later in life is scary.
What can
you do if up to this point you have indulged yourself in wallowing in
negativity most of the time? Can you undo the harm that chronic
negativity has already caused to your brain? The answer is yes, but it
will require some work on your part. There is no magic pill you can take
to reverse the toll that negativity has already taken on your brain. The
reversal of the harmful affects that chronic negativity has had on your
brain is only possible through concentrated efforts to make the
changes the health of your brain and entire body so badly needs.
Beginning
an exercise program is a great move in the right direction because
exercise helps the body to produce healthy chemicals in the body. These
healthy chemicals act as a coat of protection for the brain against
diseases. At the same time you need to retrain your brain to think and
react in a positive fashion which will also help your body produce these
healthy chemicals. Plentiful low cost resources are widely available to
help you in retraining yourself to look at and react to the things in your
life in a more positive manner. The stubbornly negative may find they need the
professional assistance of a certified hypnotist to help them
retrain how they think and react to people, situations and experiences in their lives. If you
have tried hard on your own to adopt a more positive attitude and
outlook on life but are not really seeing any changes, seek out a
trained hypnotist. Better still find a personal fitness trainer who is
also a certified hypnosis trainer and retrain your body and brain to be
at there highest level of fitness and health.
Chronic
negativity changes the physical and physiological functioning of the
brain making us more susceptible to psychiatric disorders and diseases
than those people who are chronically positive. I do not really need to
tell you how much that will affect your overall living experience and it
may even shorten your life as well. I am sure you would rather be a
chronically positive and happy person who experiences the best out of
life, than someone who always has a dark cloud over their head. Choose to be
positive and you will be.
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