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 Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
Here are 5 Common Ways You Self-Sabotage and How to
Unfuck Yourself:
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF CONCEPT
How Do You See Yourself?
TELLTALE SIGNS YOU HAVE AN UNHEALTHY SELF-CONCEPT
How to Improve Your Self-Concept
TRANSFORM THE PHYSIOLOGY
Enhance Your Lifestyle Choices
Gain Relevant Knowledge and Skills
Create Your Support system
SELF ESTEEM
What is self-esteem?
Why Self-Esteem Is Important
Factors that influence self-esteem
Signs of High Self-esteem
Types of self-esteem
Self-esteem influences your decision
Self-esteem influences your body image
What is self-care?
Replace Negative with Positive Thinking by Identifying
Triggers
Challenge your thinking
Take an Inventory
 Acknowledge Successes
Avoid Comparison
Practice Self-Care

OPTIMISM
Redefining Optimism
THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING
How to Think Positively
Positive thinking mostly starts with self-talk
Health benefits of positive thinking
Identifying negative thinking
How to Avoid Thinking Negative Thoughts
Replacement technique for Preventing Negative Thoughts
Focusing on positive thinking
The Power of Positive Thinking
How to train your mind to think positively
Your Positive Attitude in Action
Practicing positive thinking every day
VALUES
HANDLING EMOTIONS
What's Emotion?
HOW EMOTIONS AFFECT OUR LIVES
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR EMOTIONAL HEALTH
STRESS
What is stress?
Stress: its influence on your mind?
Stress: its effect on your body?
COMMON CAUSES OF STRESS
 Attitudes and perceptions
Ways to manage stress
CONCLUSION
Effects of stress on your health
Do Not Go Yet; One Last Thing to Do

INTRODUCTION
At some point, we've all done it. Whether it's going
back on the commitment we made to ourselves,
backtracking on priorities, or just sheer procrastination,
we've all at some point self-sabotaged. And once we've
done it, we're more likely to continue that same bad habit.
It's time for you to unfuck yourself – keep reading to find out
how!
Studies show that people with a high level of "self-control"
do not continually struggle with temptations – they simply
rely on good habits.
The best first step is to replace the old, negative habits with
new, positive ones, – and it takes just 18-66 days to build a
brand-new habit!

Imagine it this way: it's much easier to substitute a bad

habit with a good one than to stop doing a bad one.

Here are 5 Common Ways You Self-Sabotage and How

to Unfuck Yourself :

1. Self-Sabotaging Statement: "I don't have the time." Most

people will say they're busy. In a study of 10,000 adults,
about half of the young people (aged 18 to 34) said they
usually overstate their busyness to others.
Despite how "busy" you are, you're never too busy to brush
your teeth or shower daily. You make room for these
important issues. So, the things you "have no time for" are
just things you find to be non-essential.
How to stop: Schedule a time to do stuff on your list, but
also re-write the phrase in your mind. Instead of "I don't
have time to do that," say, 'It's not my priority.' That will
help you decide what you're going to make time for and
what's not important to you at the moment. (Example: 'It's
not a priority to call my grandma today' prompts more of a
response than 'I'm too busy to call my grandma today.')
2. Self-Sabotaging Statement: "I'll deal with it later." "Later"
is an abstract time frame that makes room for failure. If you
had a brownie (or three) on your diet, you don't have to wait
until tomorrow to start again. Simply start again, right there.
We learn this continuously in meditation.
It's not exactly about having an empty mind; it's about
getting back to the breath. Not "later," but right now.
Here's how you can stop: if it takes less than five minutes,
do it right now. Dishes, the email you were supposed to
send, pay a bill, thank a family member, etc. Such things
have been on your mind for hours when they should be
finished before the barista made your matcha latte.
For tasks that take longer than five minutes, spend five
minutes to make a schedule on when you're going to do it
and make sure you go through with it. It may be beneficial
to set up a reward system or to get an accountability
partner to help keep you on track.
3.Self-Sabotaging Habit: Comparing ourselves to other
people.
It's usually said that "Comparison is the thief of joy."
Comparison is so profoundly rooted in our culture – from
competing in sports or education to every fashion and
beauty advert ever made. How do we get past it?
Here's how to stop: this is a profoundly personal approach
that differs from person to person. I've had some great
experiences with gratitude journals and claims that help me
look at the big picture. They help to create positive
emotions for the moment.
Another important thing to do is unfollow people on social
media out there that don't make you feel good. I officially
permit you to do so! I honestly don't care if they're the
"best," most "inspiring" expert out there, if this person and
their beautifully designed Insta-world make you feel terrible,
then don't have them on your list!
4.Self-Sabotaging Habit: Creating unrealistic expectations.
Here's a scenario. Once upon a time, Mr. A had the ambition
of reading one book a week. Yes, some people can achieve
this feat with no hurry, but Mr. A is certainly not one of those
people. So, when he made this impossible-to-achieve-target,
he was probably disappointed in the first month when,
despite the hurry, he couldn't finish his third book.
Here's how to stop: be realistic. Check out your past habits
in the area you're looking to develop. Your next move should
look close to what you've already achieved – baby steps.
When you do so, break it down to the smallest steps you
can think of.
You may find that there are more steps than you've known
and that starting smaller might get the ball rolling.
(Example: Triathlon. You may want to start running a 5k, but
when you know that a 5k is 3.1 miles, and you've never run
a mile, then maybe running a mile is a more realistic goal.)
5. Self-Sabotaging Habit: Analysis paralysis.
Analysis Paralysis occurs when we face a decision that we
can't make. We assume we're logical when comparing facts
or writing pros and cons lists. But, in the end, knowledge
makes us useless, and it makes us emotionally or physically
immobile.

Here's how to solve the problem:

just do it! I know. It's the toughest and the most difficult
thing to do. If you could just "do it," you'd have done it! But
I'm going to say it again: if it doesn't affect you or someone
else, do it!
Don't create another list. Delete all delay mechanisms ('I'll
do it later,' 'I'm too busy,' or all numbing forms of self-
sabotage such as drug use or comfort eating) and choose
the alternative that comes to you organically.
Measure the pros and cons. Well, be prepared, yeah. But
don't let these issues hinder you from making a shift and
developing mentally, physically, or emotionally.

Stop Self-Sabotaging and Unfuck

Yourself!
Self-sabotage is a normal, preventable occurrence.
Everyone does it, and there's no foolproof way to avoid it.
Given these five examples, you can see that you can take
bad behaviors, stop them in their tracks, and transform
them for the better.
Start with self-consciousness. Find the root of the problem,
and find a constructive way to put yourself on a more
productive path.
What kind of self-sabotage have you experienced? How are
you going to re-route this habit?
People are trapped in their heads all the time – some of us
more than others. Although it's good to think about life and
inquire about yourself, the problem is that most of our
thoughts aren't that positive. When we're in mind-wandering
mode (i.e., "in our heads"), thoughts generally shift to what
bills are due, why your wife was a jerk yesterday, why a
coworker got credit for your work today, why you responded
to a family member in a particular way, and so on. And,
surprisingly, at times like this, when we're not focused on
something, in particular, the brain's default mode network
(DMN) is turned on, which means that the brain resorts to
this kind of (worry-based) thought a lot of the time.
When your mind wanders in every direction from what you
do, you are far less likely to feel satisfied. A Harvard study
some years ago used a specially built iPhone app to ask
people about what they've been doing at random times
during the day, whether or not they've been thinking about
the job, and how happy/unhappy they've been. The verdict
was simple and became the title of the paper: "A wandering
mind is an unhappy mind." So, to get out of our heads and
back to the present is the answer. How to carry this out has
been the subject of debate among psychologists for
centuries, and philosophical debate for even longer.
Here are tried and tested (and science-based)
approaches to help you get out of your head and
back into your life.
1. Get ready to "go there."
This sounds like a way to do just the opposite of getting out
of your head, but it doesn't. Keeping in contact with your
internal stuff helps you to process it, enabling you to step on
from it. The truth is that most people, particularly depending
on your age group, have grown up with the idea that it's
easier to cover your feelings than to talk about them. That,
of course, is one of the most damaging things you have to
take with you, because it means your thoughts never get
processed – they only loop around your head ad infinitum.
But approaching them by talking about them (with friends
or, better yet, with a psychologist) is one way to get away
from them.
People are beginning to speak more freely about their
feelings and their suffering, which is a very positive thing. It
should be remembered that medications can be completely
helpful – and life-saving – for others. But if you don't process
your experiences at the same time, the underlying issues
will persist. Even if it's not possible to go to formal therapy,
speaking about how we feel with close friends helps us
process things and feelings in a way that just can't happen
going over and over in your head.
2. Be a storyteller, not a ruminator.
The risk of introspecting so much, of course, is that it can
quickly turn into full-blown rumination – an endless loop of
self-examination and anxiety that goes nowhere. David
Brooks wrote a wonderful piece on this subject, pointing out
that we must create a narrative rather than an endless cycle
of overly-detailed self-inquiry. "When people examine
themselves from too close," he says, "they often end up
ruminating or oversimplifying. Rumination is like the mid-
night thinking — when the rest of the world is concealed by
darkness, and the mind descends into a spiral of continuous
reaction to itself. People have recurring thoughts, but they
don't take action. Depressed ruminators end up being more
depressed. «Instead, as he and others have stated, you
should think of yourself as a storyteller, trying to fit things
into a general context, rather than pouring over every little
piece of knowledge. "Introspection is a closed system,"
Essig says. "The patterns of development only emerge by
opening yourself up to the feedback of others. Can you
imagine looking for an iPhone without a network
connection? Even the best search strategy, i.e.,
introspection on its own, would be limited. Same with
cognition, desire, and feeling."
3. "Be a little inappropriate."
This may be the best strategy of all, even if it's easier said
than done. While it may not be scientifically "verified," you
have experienced it in action several times: when someone
asks you a question that is a little too personal, you may
have found that after the initial shock, it feels good to
answer it, as it opens the discussion up to another level. The
fact is that most of us want to be more transparent and
interactive; we are just ignorant of how to do it – it's so
ingrained in us not to offend others, not to over-share, that
we end up being too traditional. Gretchen Rubin put it well
in her little talk article when she found that when people are
a little too inquiring, it doesn't necessarily turn anyone off –
it opens them up. "I can't use this technique on my own,"
she wrote, "because I don't have the necessary gumption,
but my husband is a master. Over and over, I hear him ask a
question that seems slightly too prying, or too cheeky, and I
feel a wifely annoyance, but then I see that the person to
whom he's talking isn't offended–if anything, that person
seems intrigued and flattered by his interest."

4. Talk to a stranger.
In the same vein, creating connections with others – even if
you don't personally know them – is an excellent way to
step out of your head, especially in these days of iPhone
isolation. At the University of Chicago, a study was
conducted, and participants were asked to speak to a
stranger on the bus or train, it was observed that their
moods were considerably brightened – and even more,
interestingly, the mood of the stranger was also brightened.
Again, this is probably because we just want to
communicate with each other more – even with strangers –
but don't know if others want to. It happens they do.
So, try to overstep the boundaries just a little – not so much
to creep the other person out, but just enough to show them
that you're up to feel a little more connected. Or talk to the
man next to you on the bus. It's going to get you out of your
head and also brighten up your day and his.
5. Deactivate the "Me Centers" in your brain through
meditation.
There is almost no mental exercise that has more research
behind it than meditation: among the most striking
advantages, meditation appears to deactivate the brain's
"me centers," - areas that are activated when we have
thoughts connected to self-based thoughts.
The medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) is a region that is "on"
when we have these thoughts, and meditation has been
shown to reduce activity in this region of the brain. In
reality, experienced meditators' brains have also been
shown to co-activate areas associated with self-monitoring,
indicating that their brains may still be on the lookout for
me-centered thoughts, ready to carry them back to the
present moment just as quickly.
Of course, meditation has also been shown to help
overcome many associated mental health problems, such as
anxiety, depression, addiction, and attention deficit
disorders, as well as to enhance focus, attention, and
cognitive ability. So, give it a try: start by sitting down and
concentrate on your breath for five minutes. If your mind
wanders, just monitor the wandering, with a sense of
interest, and bring it back to your focus. The part – dragging
the mind back, again and again – is the center of the
practice.
 6. Focus on someone else.
A lot of people have said that helping others was indeed a
selfish act because it's a very good way to help yourself.
Helping others helps you because it allows you to come out
of your shell and focus on something outside yourself. If
you're a mom, you know that concentrating on someone
else (even if they're a little, demanding one) does the same
thing. But when you set out to devote your time to another
person or cause, you'll find that it's a really good way to
shift your attention away from you. Try asking anyone who
looks down if they need to talk to someone. It's going to
make them feel better, just to ask the question. And you're
going to feel better for it, too.
7. Understand what mindfulness is.
If you still can't seem to jump out of your head, try a few
minutes of mindfulness every time you find that you're
trapped there. Though it has become a buzz word in the last
few years, mindfulness is just an efficient way to introspect
productively. If you find yourself spinning a thought in your
head, try to stop and investigate. Here's a perfect way to do
that. Observe how it feels like, what triggered it, and how
your body feels in response to it. Also, just observing it
curiously will make it a lot less frightening.
Many experts on mindfulness have said that the most
important thing to note is that thoughts don't always have
to be believed — they come and go from our heads like
clouds, sometimes quite randomly. And if you can only
accept a thought without judgment, and then let it go,
you're going to be in good shape. The part of letting go is, of
course, the hard part, but with practice, it can happen. And
then your thoughts will lose control over you.
So, if you're in an endless loop of rumination, step
back and try one of these methods:
 ➢ Speak to a friend or a psychologist.
➢ Meditate for five minutes.
➢ Ask another person (or a stranger, if you feel bold)
how they are.
➢ Share a little (or a lot) about yourself.
➢ Introspect carefully at your feelings and then try to
let them go.

A mind is a great place – but when it's getting too

much, it's good to know how to take a break. Here
are six tips to unfuck yourself when things go wrong:
1. Trust the process: when we lose something, the universe
decides whether it comes back, and in what shape. Maybe
it's coming back better; maybe it's coming back so you can
re-evaluate it and question if it was needed in the first
place. You'll get to decide. Just trust the process, and unfuck
yourself.
2. When necessary, make amends: we are all human. We all
make mistakes. Apologize when necessary. Don't live with
the guilt and regret that can build up. Just say you're sorry
to the people you hurt and unfuck yourself.
3. Know that sh*tty stuff and people happen: again, we're
human. We all do our best to make something out of the life
we've been given. Often people screw up too, depending on
where they are in their lives. Pardon me if you will. Adopt a
rule, probably the "three strikes out" rule. Trust in the
goodness of people, and unfuck yourself.
4. Know that it's not always cancer: it's not always the end
of the world, even though it seems like it is at the moment.
It is sometimes, but most of the time, it's not. I appreciate it
when you're feeling fine. Get the most out of your well-being
and your days. Take care of yourself, please. Stop dwelling
on unnecessary stuff, and unfuck yourself.
5. Find a target and some tools: we're sure to unfuck
ourselves when we've got our eyes on the reward we're
working towards. Get your target clear and find the tools
that will get you there. Travel around the world, write a
novel, run a marathon. Go ahead, do it, and unfuck on your
own.
6. Recognize when you've gone past it: the time will come
when we all finally get sick of our old stories. They're not
going to represent us any longer, and we're ready to make
space for new stories. Accept them, let go of them, and
finally realize that you've unfucked yourself.

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UNDERSTANDING THE SELF CONCEPT
How Do You See Yourself?

The strictly defined self-concept is the entirety of our

beliefs, preferences, opinions, and attitudes, which are
systematically organized towards our existence. Simply put,
it is how we think about ourselves and how we should think,
behave, and represent our different roles in life. Self-concept
is our understanding of who we are that encompasses all of
our thoughts and feelings about ourselves physically,
personally, and socially. Our understanding of our behavior,
our abilities, and our characteristics are part of our self-
concept. Our self-concept develops fastest in early
childhood and adolescence, but the self-image continues to
develop and change with time as we discover more about
ourselves. Each of us has a different personality, qualities,
abilities, and preferences that we sometimes cannot
understand what is going on in us. While we probably don't
have all the answers to why we think so or why we behave
in this way; self-concept theory is a good basic knowledge of
the importance of our perceptions for our existence. The
self-concept comprises three components:

Self-image
Self-image is the way we see ourselves. The self-image
includes what we know physically about ourselves (e.g.,
brown hair, blue eyes, large), our social roles (e.g., woman,
brother, gardener) and our personality traits (e.g., sociable,
serious, friendly). The self-image does not always coincide
with reality. Some people have an excessive perception of
one or more of its characteristics. These exaggerated
perceptions can be positive or negative, and an individual
can see more positively certain aspects of the self and
others more negatively.
Self-esteem
Self-esteem has to do with the value we place on ourselves.
Individual self-esteem depends on how we evaluate
ourselves. These reviews include our comparisons with
others and others' responses to us. When we compare
ourselves to others and discover that we are somewhat
better than others and/or that people react positively to
what we do, our self-esteem increases in this area. On the
other hand, if we compare ourselves to others and find that
we are not so successful in a certain area and/or people
react negatively to what we do, our self-esteem decreases.
In some areas, we may have high self-esteem ("I am a good
student"), while in other areas, we may also have negative
self-esteem ("I am not very popular").

Ideal self
The ideal self is the self we want to be. There is often a
difference between your self-image and the ideal self. This
inconsistency can harm self-esteem. The self-image and the
ideal self can be congruent or inconsistent. The congruence
between the self-image and the ideal self means that there
is a good overlap between the two. While it is difficult, and
probably impossible, to achieve perfect consistency, greater
consistency enables self-actualization. The lack of
coherence between the self-image and the ideal self means
that there is a discrepancy between one's self and
experiences, which leads to inner confusion (or cognitive
dissonance) that prevents Self-actualization.
Development of Self-Concept
Self-concept starts to develop in early childhood. This
process continues throughout a person's lifetime. However,
it is during the period between early childhood and
adolescence that self-concept undergoes the most
development.
At 2 years of age, children start to distinguish themselves
from others. Around the ages of 3 and 4, children recognize
that they are different and distinct. At this point, the child's
self-image is mostly descriptive, often based on physical
features or precise information. But children gradually pay
more attention to their skills, and by around 6 years of age,
children can express what they want and need and now
starting to describe themselves concerning social sets.
Between ages 7 and 11, children start making social
comparisons and understand how others view them. At this
point, children's representations of themselves are
becoming more abstract. They start to describe themselves
in terms of talents, not just specific details and understand
that their characteristics exist on a continuum. For example,
at this point, a child would begin to see himself as more
athletic than others and less athletic than others, rather
than simply athletic or not athletic. From this point, the ideal
self-image and self-image begin to grow.
Adolescence is a crucial phase of self-concept. The self-
concept that has been developed during adolescence is
typically the basis of self-concept for the rest of one's life.
During the teenage years, people experiment with various
positions, personas, and selves. For teenagers, self-concept
is affected by performance in places they value and the
reactions of those they admire. Performance and
acceptance will lead to greater self-esteem and a better self-
concept in adulthood.

The Diverse Self-Concept

We all have many varying ideas about ourselves. Some of
these ideas may only be loosely linked, and some may even
be contradictory. Such inconsistencies do not, however,
pose a dilemma for us, since at any given point in time, we
are only conscious of some of our self-knowledge.
Self-concept is made up of several self-schemas − different
conceptions of a specific aspect of the self. The idea of self-
schema is helpful when considering self-concept because it
helps to explain how to have a specific, well-rounded self-
schema about one area of self while not having any idea of
another aspect. For example, a person may see himself as
being organized and cautious, a second person may see
himself as being disorganized and scattered, and a third
person may have no opinion as to whether he or she is
organized or disorganized.

Cognitive and Motivational Roots

The formation of self-schema and a broader self-concept has
cognitive and motivational origins. We tend to process
knowledge about ourselves more deeply than knowledge
about other things. Around the same time, according to the
theory of self-perception, self-knowledge is gained in much
the same way as we gain information about others: we
analyze our actions and conclude who we are from what we
experience.
Although people are driven to pursue this self-knowledge,
they are selective in the details they pay attention to. Social
scientists have identified three motivations to pursue self-
knowledge:
➢ To learn the truth about the self, irrespective of
what is discovered.
➢ To discern beneficial, self-enhancing knowledge
about the self.
➢ To validate whatever is believed about the self.

Importance of a Healthy Self-Concept

The benefit of maintaining a healthy self-concept is more
apparent when we understand how much it impacts our
ability to control our emotional experiences. It doesn't end
there, though.
A healthy self-concept also defines how much you're going
to venture beyond your comfort zone to solve a problem or
accomplish a goal. Also, it affects how you use your
physiology when facing obstacles, barriers, and threats.
A healthy self-concept influences the questions that you
usually ask yourself every day, and it influences how you
interact with others, what you think about yourself,
everyone else, and circumstances.
Putting all this together, your self-concept dictates what you
can do or choose not to do at any given moment. This also
influences your inherent ability to do, to be, to have, and to
achieve your desired goals.

Factors Affecting Your Self-Concept

There are a variety of factors that form your self-concept
and thus influence your health and vitality over time.
Some of these factors come from internal sources, while
some come from external sources.
Internal sources include what you believe about yourself
and/or others, what you pay close attention to, how you
view the events and situations of your life, and how you
perceive both failure and achievement.
External factors include the setting in which you spend
much of your time, your relationships with others, and how
other people choose to mark you.
The most significant thing to remember here is the effect
other people have on your self-concept.
Through rejection, judgment, mockery, and criticism, other
people also affect how you feel about yourself, the labels
you assign yourself, and essentially what you believe about
yourself, about your abilities, and the world around you.
In many ways, your self-esteem is connected to the people
in your life. So, if you're dealing with an unhealthy self-
concept, it may very well be a direct product of your
relationships with other people.
The bad news is that all these internal and external
influences have a tremendous effect on your self-concept.
The good news is that beginning today; you will begin to
take constructive and meaningful steps to strengthen your
self-concept and change the way you live your life.

TELLTALE SIGNS YOU HAVE AN

UNHEALTHY SELF-CONCEPT
An unhealthy self-concept is something that sometimes
drags us down in life. This is something that restricts your
opportunities, limits your access to essential resources, and
inhibits your ability.
An unhealthy self-concept means that you have a poor
opinion of yourself. And when we have a poor opinion of
ourselves, we typically lack the confidence required to step
confidently towards our goals.
Without self-confidence, we lack the resources required to
conquer uncertainty, solve problems, and handle change
effectively.
Life quickly becomes daunting and difficult to bear. You have
to deal with your feelings and making bad choices.
Everything becomes a challenge. And things aren't meant to
be this way.
Your unhealthy self-concept keeps getting in the way of your
full potentials by the way you live your life.
It's filtering out the facts of how life is and constructing an
imaginary narrative that you have sadly accepted as the
truth.
What's more, we're so wrapped up in our own lives that it's
hard to see whether or not we're dealing with a weak self-
concept.
There are, however, clear indicators that will help you
determine whether or not you are dealing with a poor self-
concept. For starters, you're likely to have a poor self-
concept when you:
➢ Struggle to offer affection.
➢ Always equate yourself to others.
➢ Succumb to envy.
➢ Reject compliments regularly.
➢ Perpetually criticize yourself and other people.
➢ Indulge in negative self-talk that expresses
pessimism.
➢ Still suffering from the shame of what you might,
could, or should have done.
➢ Neglect your interests in favor of the interests of
others.
➢ Suffer from poor emotional and physical health.
Worse, you can succumb to engage in restricting
behaviors in a weak attempt to feel better about yourself.
You may, for example, turn to "denial mode" and deny
that there is something wrong despite the evidence to the
contrary.
Create a verbal dam where you attack yourself and others
based on wrong perceptions of how you see things.
Decide to dwell in misery. Life is full of troubles as it is, so
why not just bask in self-pity and witness the brunt of your
negative feelings?
Seek to avoid circumstances and people by distracting
yourself with addictions and other unhealthy habits.
Taken separately, these signs do not indicate that you have
a weak self-concept. However, if you've ticked 3 or 4 things
off this list, that's probably a good indicator that your self-
concept has been affected.
If you have to deal with a low self-concept, then it's high
time you devote yourself to enhancing your thoughts,
values, decisions, and behaviors to move forward. Only in
this way can you change your self-concept and refine the
way you live your life.
However, given all this, it is important to note that all these
signs are nothing more than defense mechanisms that
protect you from emotional harm.
Your mind and body are doing their best to cope with life,
events, and circumstances. However, these coping
mechanisms still don't work to your advantage.
Each of these semi-coping techniques might give you a
semblance of control. They may also give you some comfort
and temporary happiness. But in the long run, they're just
going to hurt you. You will be hurt because you'll be
struggling to face the reality of your situation.
You are unable to face the truth. And without the truth,
you're not going to make the changes needed to transform
your self-concept and help you take full charge of your life.
How to Improve Your Self-Concept
Transforming Your Self-Concept is not going to be easy. It will
take a lot of patience, time, and energy.
You will likely need to let go of old habits, limiting beliefs,
and useless thoughts along this journey. Essentially, you'll
need to appraise the value of how you've lived your life,
including the choices and decisions you've made.
If the choices you make don't stretch your comfort zone and
move you towards your goals, then change is something
that has to be on the agenda.
Even though this journey and the eventual transformation
will not be easy, it will still be worth your time.
You will no more be at the mercy of your rosy view of reality.
Instead, you're going to take control. And confidence comes
with control. And with confidence comes personal strength
— the ability to change your life with purpose.
Before moving on, it is important to remember that the
quality of your life is a true reflection of your emotional
state of mind. What this means is that when your feelings
are balanced and serving your greater good, the quality of
your life will also increase.
Your life changes, because life always boils down to the
emotional experiences that we choose to have.
If our emotional experiences are of a balanced and
optimistic nature, it enhances the quality of our thoughts.
And as our thoughts improve, our choices improve, too, our
decisions and our actions.
You will get better results when you make better choices.
And with positive results, you feel much better about
yourself. The truth is, when you feel better about yourself,
your self-concept gets stronger.
That, in essence, is the secret that will help refine a poor
self-concept into one that will help you maximize how you
spend the rest of your life.

Step 1: Make a Personal Contract Before you start

working on these suggestions; it is important that
the first thing you do is to make a personal contract.
Write a contract that gives you the go-ahead to begin the
process of transformation. Acknowledge that:
➢ Things have to change.
 ➢ I'm responsible for this change.
➢ I'm determined to make this change.
If for any reason, you're unable to agree with these, then
you're just not ready to initiate change. Let's look at this in
more detail.
Your first step is to understand that changes have to be
made. When you cannot accept that anything is wrong, then
there is no point in going forward with this process.
Second, you need to take responsibility to make these
changes. No one handles your life, but you do. It can't be
done without you.
You must, therefore, take responsibility, on your shoulders;
you and yourself are responsible for making these changes.
Third, you must be determined to make the necessary
changes needed to make your life better.
There is no motivation without dedication. And without
motivation, there's just not enough justification for you to
implement change — this is where things mostly fall apart.
You also need to understand that things have to change,
that you need to take responsibility for this change, and that
you need to devote yourself to the change.
When you've acknowledged these three factors, you'll be
able to take the first step in your path to a healthy self-
concept.
Step 2: Figure out who you are, Close the Gap!
Your next step in changing your self-concept is figuring out
who you are.
Now, on the surface, this might seem a little silly. You do
know who you are, don't you? You are you! You're a human
being living a life that's unique to you. But below the
surface, you are so much more than that.
So, my question is, do you know who you are?
What you're trying to do here is to define the gap between
"who you are" and "who you're striving to become." To
improve your self-concept, you need to find out how to cross
this gap effectively.
You have to merge the YOU in the NOW along with the YOU
in the FUTURE.
This definitely won't be easy. Currently, there's still going to
be some kind of gap. And this is important to understand, as
there is no drive to grow and improve yourself over time
without a gap.
However, if this gap is too significant between the YOU of
today and the YOU that you aspire to become in the future,
then your self-concept will never blossom into its full
potential. Therefore, there must be congruence, or else, self-
actualization is impossible.
Take time to answer the following questions with this in
mind:
➢ Who am I?
➢ Who am I?
➢ Physically, who am I?
➢ Emotionally, who am I?
➢ Spiritually, who am I?
➢ Socially, who am I?
➢ About my objectives, who am I?
➢ Concerning my accomplishments, who am I?
➢ Concerning my failures and mistakes, who am I?
➢ About my social roles, who am I?
➢ Who am I? Why?
➢ Who am I not? Why not?
These questions aim to define how you see yourself at this
moment and then compare it with the final set of questions
listed below. The final set of questions concentrates on the
kind of person you're striving to become.
As you go through each question, you'll gain several insights
and viewpoints about who you are. And that's all right. Take
note of these differences, because that's essentially how
you see yourself every day.
It is also important to keep in mind that there are no wrong
answers. Things are exactly the way they are.
What is most important here is whether or not these
answers are aligned with the answers you give to the next
set of questions:
➢ Who am I ideally aspiring to become?
➢ How do I view myself in the future?
➢ What kind of person is this person?
➢ What kind of attributes does this person possess?
➢ How does this person reason?
➢ How does this person talk to themselves?
➢ What sort of questions does this person ask
themselves?
➢ What kind of emotions does this person express?
➢ Which kind of habits does this person have?
➢ What kind of encounters does this person have
every day?
➢ What kind of goals does this person work towards?
➢ What kind of person is this?
In the present moment, the ideal self must be aligned with
your perceived self.
If there is a big difference between the two, then you have
to focus on closing the gap — thereby enhancing your self-
concept.
Now let's look more closely at the gap. Ask yourself:
 ➢ What is the gap existing between my perceived
self and my ideal self?
➢ Where is the most substantial gap?
➢ Where is the gap not so wide?
➢ Is there a realistic distance between the gap?
➢ How can I start bridging the gap today?
Your goal for the remaining part of this journey is to begin to
close the gap existing between your ideal self and the self
you are facing at this very moment.
The more aligned both of these "selves" are, the stronger
and better your self-concept will become.
I have some words of caution before I go on.
Your ideal-self must be realistic and workable. Otherwise,
you're going to fail to achieve the highest success
expectations. Subsequently, your self-concept will continue
to suffer.
The goal, then, is to make sure that your ideal-self is not
completely out of this world — at least not at the onset.
Given this, be sure to lower your standards and aspirations
to make them more workable. Only when you follow these
set criteria and goals should you lift the bar more slowly.
Remember, however, that your self-image is often not based
on reality. Instead, it is based on how you interpret reality.
Hence, if your self-image is based on false assumptions or
distorted perspectives, you will first have to work through
these issues before going on with the process highlighted
here.
Our focus here is more about using this guide to help
develop your self-confidence so that you can take the
appropriate steps to achieve your desired goals and
objectives.
Time to Make Some Major Changes to Enhance Your Self-
Concept Below, you will find various guidelines and tips to
help you transform your self-concept. Some of these
guidelines are simple and quick to implement, while others
can take a little longer.
But what's important here is what you're focused on while
making these improvements. Essentially, this comes down
to three basic things:
➢ Changing your thoughts habit.
➢ Changing your self-talk.
➢ Changing your system of beliefs.
No matter how you proceed, every single improvement you
desire comes down to just these three fundamental issues.
Therefore, no matter what strategies you choose to
implement, be sure to bear in mind how such changes can
be made concerning your thoughts, self-talk, and value
systems that control your subconscious actions.
Let's hope that all this will begin to make more sense as you
work your way through the following guides.
Transform Your Inner World Your first goal is to look within
and become very conscious of your everyday thoughts, self-
talk, belief systems, psychological rules, and questions that
you tend to ask. Ask yourself:
➢ Are my thoughts compatible with my image?
➢ What kind of thoughts do I dwell on?
➢ What the heck are these thoughts doing to me?
➢ How exactly do these thoughts make me feel?
➢ How about my self-talk?
➢ Why do I usually speak to myself?
➢ What kind of questions do I tend to ask myself?
➢ What are the implications of my self-talk and the
questions that I ask myself?
➢ What do I constantly believe about myself?
 ➢ What do I constantly believe about my abilities?
➢ Is this compatible with my self-ideal?
➢ How does all of this make me feel?
➢ What about all the rules that regulate my day-to-
day decisions?
➢ How do these rules affect my day-to-day activities?
➢ Are all these things in line with my self-ideal?
➢ How can I make the necessary changes to align my
self-image with my self-ideal?
Your goal is to create congruence in these areas. Your self-
image will never match directly with your self-ideal.
However, you can make the needed changes to your
mindset to step in the right direction.
To assist you in this transformation process, you need to
devote some time for meditation and visualization.
Meditation is going to help eliminate the noise in your head.
It will motivate you to think and act more thoroughly
throughout the day. This will then improve your ability to
make effective decisions.
Visualization, on the other hand, will provide you with the
vision you need to better understand the direction for your
future. This will also help you lay down an even clearer path
to your desired outcomes.
Remember, how you think about things does have a lot to
do with your perceptions and interpretations of reality.
For example, interpreting things in one way will give you
access to a specific set of resources and opportunities.
However, interpreting things in another way will give you
access to a different set of resources and opportunities.
Ironically, you may also be refused access altogether.
It is, therefore, important to bear in mind that how you
interpret and/or reframe your experiences dictates what you
benefit or lose from those experiences.
Therefore, as problems occur, it's not what happens to you,
but how you perceive what happens, that makes a
difference.

TRANSFORM THE PHYSIOLOGY

When it comes to our physiology, it's important to note that
the body and the mind are intertwined. What this means is
that how you think and how you emotionalize your
experience affects how you use your physiology. In the
same way, how you use your body affects how you think
and emotionalize your experiences. They're both
intertwined, and what you do to one directly affects the
other.
With that in mind, think about your body and how you use it
every day. Do you move with confidence, or do you rather
move sluggishly? What about your stance and your posture?
What's it like?
By making minor changes to your physiology, you would
have an indirect effect on your inner self. And as your inner
self changes, you will begin to close the gap between who
you are now and your ideal self.

Enhance Your Lifestyle Choices

When it comes to your lifestyle, you have to start making
better choices that will help you move towards your ideal
self. Ask yourself these questions:

➢ What kind of life does my ideal-self have?

➢ What type of food does my ideal-self eat?
➢ How often does my ideal-self exercise?
➢ In what environment does my ideal-self spend
most of the time?
 ➢ What kind of lifestyle decision does my ideal-self
make?
➢ What activities does my ideal-self spend time on?
➢ How does my ideal-self work? Where and on what?
➢ How can I begin to close the life gap between who I
am now and my ideal-self?
As you go over these questions, you will have a good
understanding of the changes you might have to make to
close the gap between who you are today and your ideal
self.
Above everything else, keep reminding yourself that it's all
about achieving a state of congruence where your present
self (self-image) aligns with your future self (ideal-self) in as
many ways as possible.
Strengthen your self-confidence
If you have unhealthy self-concept, you will likely struggle
with self-confidence. When you struggle with self-
confidence, you are also very likely to fall victim to rejection,
criticism, judgment, and the influence of others.
You need to develop self-love to improve your self-
confidence. Before you can feel comfortable in the outside
world, you must first have trust in yourself — which comes
from self-love.
Self-love means completely embracing yourself despite your
shortcomings, your limitations, and your inadequacies. It
means being confident in your skin, no matter what you
look like or what you feel like.
You have to spend time with yourself to discover your self-
love. Yet don't just waste time watch meaningless
Television. Spend your time pampering yourself. Go get a
massage, enjoy a hot sauna, go out for a nature walk, etc.
First and foremost, the goal is to reconnect with yourself.
Only when you've found that bond with yourself can you tap
into your real sense of confidence.

Gain Relevant Knowledge and Skills

Your ideal self has certain skills, intelligence, and abilities.

Identify what these things are and then get to work to
acquire the necessary knowledge needed to close the gap
between your self-image and ideal self.
You will also find the information you need in books, by
taking courses, by devoting your time to a cause, or by
interacting with others who already have the knowledge and
skills you desire.
For example, you could get a mentor or a life coach. Choose
someone who can lead you on your path towards your self-
ideal.

Create Your Support system

While you focus on improving your knowledge and skills;
you will most likely need help on your journey. You're going
to need people to strengthen you through difficult times and
hardships. You're going to need someone who can be
counted on for emotional support. So, you're going to need
people who support you unreservedly without strings. Such
people will, of course, be positive, creative, inspiring,
passionate, and caring. They must be generous and kind,
joyful, and peaceful people. They are the kind of individuals
who should be part of your support system. For example,
the support system may be made up of colleagues, friends,
family members, life coaches, and/or mentors. These people
are going to be there to help you when you're having
difficulties. They will be there to keep you motivated,
concentrated, and encouraged as you work toward your
ideal self.
Use your support system for guidance and support.
However, don't give up control of your life by placing your
destiny in the hands of others. This is never going to fit well
in the long run. You have to be in control of your own
choices and decisions.
To be in charge means not to concern yourself with what
others think. It means not to worry about rejection or
criticism. And it means not comparing yourself with others.
You're on a unique path of your own. These people are there
to support you, but at the end of the day, you make the final
decision that decides the path you are going to take.

Set Meaningful Objectives

To have meaningful goals means that your life has value and
purpose. This keeps you motivated and busy. However, you
don't just want to set random goals. You want to set goals
that align with your ideal self. So, ask yourself:
➢ What are the goals of my ideal-self?
➢ What purpose is my ideal-self working towards?
➢ What inspires and drives my ideal self?
When you have your answers to these questions, set
inspiring goals and map out an action plan that will enable
you to close the gap between who you are today and who
you want to be in the future.

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 SELF ESTEEM
What is self-esteem?

According to psychology, the term self-esteem is used to

denote a person's overall sense of self-worth or personal
value. In other words, how much you respect and appreciate
yourself.
Self-esteem is usually seen as a personality trait, meaning
that it tends to be stable and long-lasting.
Self-esteem includes a variety of beliefs about yourself, such
as your personal view of your appearance, values, emotions,
and actions.
Why Self-Esteem Is Important

Self-esteem plays an important role in motivation and

success in life. Low self-esteem can hold you back from
being successful at school or work because you don't
believe that you are capable of success.
On the other hand, having healthy self-esteem will help you
achieve success as you navigate life with an optimistic,
assertive mindset and believe that you can achieve your
goals.

Factors that influence self-esteem

As you might expect, several factors can influence self-

esteem. Genetic factors that help shape the overall
personality may play a role, but it is usually our experiences
that form the foundation for overall self-esteem. Those who
regularly receive overly critical or derogatory remarks from
guardians, family members, and peers, for example, are
likely to experience low self-esteem issues.
Also, your inner thoughts, age, any possible illnesses,
disabilities, or physical limitations, and your job can affect
your self-esteem.
Signs of High Self-esteem

You have a good sense of who you are if you show the
following signs:
✓ Ability to say no.
✓ Confidence.
✓ Positive outlook.
✓ Ability to see the overall strengths and weaknesses
and acknowledge them.
✓ Negative experiences do not affect your overall
perspectives.
✓ Ability to express yourself.

Some signs of Low Self-esteem;

You may need to work on yourself if you exhibit any of these
signs:

✓ Lack of confidence.
✓ Negative outlook.
✓ Intense fear of failure.
✓ Inability to express your needs.
✓ Always focusing on your weaknesses.
✓ Excessive feelings of depression, shame, or anxiety.
✓ The belief that others are superior to you.
✓ Trouble accepting positive feedback.

Types of self-esteem
There are three types of self-esteem. That does not mean
that we should mark ourselves with one kind of self-esteem,
but instead, we realize that sometimes we feel more
exuberant and sometimes more dispirited. It all depends on
what happens in our lives.
But you should know what kind of self-esteem is
predominant in you. Which is the one that appears most
often?

1. Inflated self-esteem.
Those with inflated self-esteem believe they are better
than others and have no reservations about
underestimating others. This is very bad self-esteem, as it
prevents them from developing affectionate and stable
relationships. Their ambition is always at the forefront,
and they always want to get to the top. For these people,
joy is found in obtaining success, but the simple truth is
that this attitude does not make them happy.
People with inflated self-esteem are known for their inability
to listen to others and to evaluate themselves. They are
never able to correct their own mistakes and, as such, they
constantly blame others for them. Besides, they appear to
undervalue others by adopting aggressive behavior towards
them.
It is quite difficult for these people to have a healthy
relationship with others. They always see everyone else as a
competition.

2. High self-esteem.
People with this kind of self-esteem accept and value
themselves. It is a kind of self-esteem that is considered
 to be positive because it encourages a person to be
happy with his or her life. Does this mean that there will
be no obstacles or walls to scale? Not at all, but
confidence in oneself and the bravery to tackle any
challenges that may arise, make things much easier.
Accepting who you are and believing in yourself is what
characterizes people with this kind of self-esteem. However,
it doesn't make them proud, nor does it make them feel
better than anyone else. They just have the protection they
need to avoid allowing unpleasant situations and events to
throw them off balance.
Yet even for those with high self-esteem, some people can
be seen off-balance. That is, they are not always able to
sustain this strong self-esteem.
What characterizes such people who give in to insecurity?
An offensive, passive, or negative disposition towards
accepting other points of view. This is exactly the case in
competitive environments, where their vulnerability is
something they simply cannot face.

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 3. Low self-esteem.
Individuals with low self-esteem are the opposite of those
with high self-esteem. They don't value themselves, they
don't trust their abilities, and they carry their insecurities
into almost every situation. Fear of failure is something
that always torments and holds back people with low self-
esteem. They're a model of unhappy people.
People with low self-esteem have their moments of euphoria
when things are going well for them, but when things start
to go wrong, their self-esteem drops very rapidly. They are
emotional people who are easily influenced. They tend to
share their opinion, but do not defend it.
Some people have low self-esteem that is not as unstable;
instead, their problem is indecision. They have very little
confidence in themselves, they underestimate themselves,
and they have such a strong fear of messing up that they
always feel that they do not measure up to their challenges.
What type of self-esteem is most common to you?
Bear in mind that it is difficult to escape inflated or low self-
esteem, but if you are among people with high self-esteem,
even if you still give in to the instability of other
circumstances sometimes, congratulations! You are far
closer to finding the joy and fulfillment of life that will make
you feel blessed.

Why is self-esteem important?

The importance of self-esteem cannot be overlooked as it
affects your actions and thoughts. It affects how you value
and feel about yourself. This also affects your motivation,
confidence, and ability to make good decisions.

However, how self-esteem influences your thoughts and

emotions depends on many of the variables we will look at.
We'll also talk about how self-esteem influences your
confidence and overall success, as it's more complicated
than you might have thought. Everybody is special, so read
on to learn how this is going to apply to you.

Why should Self-esteem matter to

you?
Self-esteem can be the difference between failure and
success. Self-esteem will influence your mindset, causing
your attitude to be positive or negative.
Self-esteem affects your confidence.
Higher self-esteem would encourage you to make better
choices. It affects your body image. It affects your social
skills which are essential for excellent communication. If you
don't value yourself, you'll have a hard time valuing other
people.
Self-esteem influences how you take care of yourself.
Self-esteem allows you to have the right mentality to excel
at work. Low Self-esteem influences your happiness because
it can lead you to compare yourself with other people.
Self-esteem and success.
The ability to accomplish what you truly desire is directly
linked to your self-esteem. This may be because people with
higher self-esteem are more likely to consider criticism as
constructive feedback. If anyone takes criticism personally,
they're more likely to give up.
Self-esteem Affects your self-confidence.
Self-esteem is acknowledging and respecting who you are.
Self-confidence is simply, trust in your ability to do things
and tackle challenges. It's easy to see why the two are
closely related. They belong together!
Without confidence in who you are and what you can do,
what chance do you have of happiness or success?
If you want to rise to every challenge, you have to believe in
yourself. If you can't believe in yourself, how can you trust
and believe in others?

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 Self-esteem influences your decision

One thing I discovered a long time ago was that it is hard to

make positive choices with a pessimistic mindset.
The other way around is entirely different. A positive and
optimistic mindset will help you to see things from a
different perspective and make choices that will push your
life forward in a positive direction.
Self-esteem and self-confidence are the cornerstone of a
positive outlook on life and are critical tools to tackle the
obstacles and challenges that life presents to you.

Self-esteem influences your body image

Your body image is part of your self-respect. A poor body

image can trigger so many negative emotions that can kill
your mindset and confidence.
It is a sad fact that a 2010 study by Dove found that only a
small percentage of women liked the way they looked.
Bad body image can be connected to low self-esteem.
Whether it's a cause or effect, it's not clear; maybe it could
be both. This indicates that more women need to cultivate a
more optimistic image of themselves and realize that
beauty is not only seen on the outside but also the inside.
Improved self-esteem would benefit women, encouraging
them to respect themselves, recognize their strengths, and
"see" the uniqueness they have. It is easy, particularly with
a lack of confidence, to focus on the imperfections in
appearance, which may be entirely imaginary.
Self-esteem affects your Social Skills.
Social Skills are another important aspect of how you feel
about yourself. Low self-esteem means that you have a poor
image of yourself, and this will lead to a lack of confidence.
As a consequence, your social skills will also suffer, and you
will find it harder to socialize as others may react negatively
to your lack of confidence.
Poor social skills can hinder your career development,
depending on the type of work you do. Most jobs today
require a high level of communication skills and confidence
in addition to the right way of thinking for business growth.
Self-esteem affects your Approach to Work Self-esteem, can
also motivate you to work. Your confidence and optimistic
mindset will make it possible for you to look and feel your
best. You will have no difficulty portraying yourself in a
favorable light because you will be full of self-respect and
confidence about who you are.
The most appealing version of you is the real and genuine
one of you. If you dare to share your thoughts and feelings
and the ability to express your personality and individuality,
you are more likely to be effective in your work.
Work includes building relationships and sharing thoughts,
which are only possible if you have an open and sociable
attitude. Low self-esteem will kill your ability to respond
positively to others.
Self-esteem affects your Happiness.
One more thing about the value of self-esteem and why it
matters so much is that it will enable you to become a
happier person.
How much Do you value yourself?
Value yourself, your abilities, and your contributions to the
world because you are special. Do you get that? You cannot
value and respect others unless you value and respect
yourself first. Start by placing yourself first for a change.
Self-care self-esteem is vital because, without it, you won't
make taking good care of yourself a top priority. When you
love and respect yourself, you will devote your time and
attention to self-care.

What is self-care?
Self-care is ensuring that you take proper care of your well-
being by doing regular exercise and maintaining a balanced
diet. It also means ensuring that you take care of your
mental health by spending time involving your mind and
body in things that you enjoy. Poor self-care is a major
indicator of depression or low self-esteem.
Here are a few tips to build your self-esteem.

Replace Negative with Positive Thinking by

Identifying Triggers

To increase the rate of positive thinking in your daily life,

you first need to understand what individuals, places, and
activities trigger negative thinking. Maybe it's the weather
or a coworker who constantly complains about everything.
You can't change those circumstances, but you can change
the way you respond to them and understand them. It
begins by paying attention to what makes you feel anxious
or sad.
Note that there's a constant conversation or "self-talk" that
keeps going on in your head as you go about your day. This
self-talk observes the world around you and assessed
yourself and others. So, take the time to begin to identify
some interesting patterns in this conversation. Is this
thought based on reality? Or is it generally leaning towards
irrationality, always believing the worst in a situation?

Challenge your thinking

When you find yourself jumping to conclusions, or you're
still downplaying the positive in yourself, then you have to
step up and add some constructive thought to your self-talk.
Understanding to concentrate on the good and to empower
yourself is a lot like strengthening your muscles. Every day,
you have to exercise your brain a little to build capacity to
think positively, to pardon yourself when you make
mistakes, and to learn to applaud yourself when you
achieve a goal.
Take an Inventory

If you're not sure where you rank when it comes to self-

esteem, an inventory of your attributes will help. If you find
yourself listing more shortcomings than strengths, this could
be an indication that you're usually too hard on yourself.
Consider what strengths, skills, and interests you haven't
discussed or maybe even discovered. Never presume that
you know everything about yourself, and what you're
capable of. People with high self-esteem leave space every
day for self-discovery.
Acknowledge Successes

Sometimes, people with low self-esteem will dismiss their

achievements as luck or chance. Or maybe they're dwelling
on not being flawless, rather than celebrating how far
they've come. Those with high self-esteem prefer taking the
opportunity to celebrate their achievements. They say,
"Thank you," when people commend them, rather than
ignoring their appreciation. This doesn't mean that people
with high self-esteem are arrogant or egocentric; they just
have confidence in their abilities and accept successes
when they happen.
Avoid Comparison

Other people cannot be the benchmark when it comes to

self-esteem. This is because you're always going to find
someone who is stronger than you or more capable than
you in every area of life. Social media doesn't help, because
researchers have found that people who track social media
more frequently are more liable to suffer from low self-
esteem. Note that people typically only post the best parts
of their lives online. Your own life should be a standard of
living rather than the lives of others, since what is right for
you might not be someone else, and vice versa. Know that
every time you make a change or keep yourself from
repeating a mistake, you're making progress.
Practice Self-Care

The more you prove that you value your well-being, the
more you grow the confidence to appreciate other parts of
yourself. Pay attention to your body, and avoid food that
makes you feel cranky or exhausted. Eating healthy foods
and exercising will also increase your positive outlook and
make you feel more optimistic about the future. If you spend
enough time with people who care for you, you may find
that it becomes less difficult to take care of yourself.
Mind that practicing positive thinking and implementing a
healthy lifestyle would not be a cure overnight. It takes
time, practice, and persistence to be kind to yourself and
increase your sense of self-worth. But the more you push
your thoughts and perspectives, the more pleasure you can
find in yourself and your abilities. You're going to feel proud
of how far you've come and looked forward to the future.
As they say, you can, if you believe you can. You must note
that only you can know what's realistic for you and what's
not.
On the other hand, failure is far more likely when you suffer
from low self-esteem because you will accept what others
say when they tell you why you cannot succeed. Let's be
honest, there's be honest, there's never a shortage of these
negative folk! But you can boost your self-image with
enough effort.

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 OPTIMISM
The word "optimism" refers to a mental and psychological
view of life. It is a positive state of mind and means that a
person takes the view that he expects the best outcome
from any given circumstance. An optimistic person is
someone who sees the glass as 'half-full' instead of 'half-
empty.'
The biggest difference between the optimists and the
pessimists is how they define their failures to themselves.
Using these concepts, researchers found that optimism
contributes to better health, while pessimism contributes to
ill health.
In a series of long-term, carefully monitored experiments,
Seligman found that optimists are more effective than
pessimists− optimistic students get better grades,
optimistic athletes win more tournaments, optimistic
salespeople earn more money.
Why is this so? Well, because both optimism and pessimism
tend to be self-fulfilling predictions. If you think a downturn
is permanent, why would you attempt to fix it? Pessimistic
reasons continue to make you feel defeated, making you
less likely to take positive action. Optimistic reasons, on the
other hand, will make you more likely to act. If you think the
loss is just temporary, you're inclined to try to do something
about it, and if you're taking action, it means you've made it
temporary. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Pessimistic people, however, have one advantage: they
perceive reality more clearly. It's the attitude to take if
you're trying to do something risky or dangerous. But be
cautious, since one of the main claims against pessimism is
that it causes depression. More specifically, pessimism sets
the stage for depression to occur. A bad setback will push a
pessimist into the hole.
Since depression is a major killer in the world than heart
disease each year, pessimism has terrible side effects. It's
sort of a consolation − prize for a pessimist to be able to
say, "Yeah, but I see reality more accurately." The wonderful
news is that a pessimist can choose to be an optimist.
Pessimists can learn to see setbacks as temporary. They can
be more precise about the results, they can learn not to take
all the blame, and they can learn to take credits for the
good they do. It just involves practice. Optimism is just a
way of thinking about good and bad; it's a cognitive skill
that everyone can acquire.
How about the age-old conflict? Is the glass half-full or half-
empty? The best answer would be that the glass is both
half-full and half-empty, but you're much better off if you
believe it's half-full.
When something bad happens: Believe it won't last long,
look and see what isn't affected, and don't engage in self-
blame.
When something good happens: See its effects as
permanent, examine how much of your life is influenced,
and see how much you can take credit for. Do you prefer to
see the positive, even in difficult situations? Or do you
expect the worst instantly and concentrate on the negative?
When it comes to how we see the world, most of us fall into
one of two categories: optimistic or pessimistic. According
to experts, whatever group you fall under has a lot to do
with your background.
"Optimism, from my perspective, is both a personality trait
and a consequence of our environment," says Karol Ward,
LCSW, a licensed psychotherapist. "Babies and children
begin to pick up the emotional vibrations in their homes
from an early age. If the environment is calm and caring,
children can flourish even if they have an inherent
inclination to anxiety. But if the atmosphere in the home is
stressful and full of chaos, optimism is among the first
things to go. It's hard to be emotionally open and optimistic
when it's not being modeled for you by your caregivers. But
if you identify yourself as someone who tends to default to
the negative, your upbringing isn't entirely to blame."
Studies reveal that optimism is about 25% inheritable, but
other variables influence our positivity — like socio-
economic status — which are mostly out of our control. But
this still leaves a good deal of room for us to build a more
positive attitude as adults. So, if you're someone who most
often sees the bad in most situations, there's still hope.
"Some people are optimistic by nature, while quite a lot of
people learn it. Anyone can learn to optimism — the key is
to find a purpose in life and work," says Leah Weiss, Ph.D., a
Stanford professor specializing in workplace sensitivity. »
When we work with purpose and live with intention, we feel
more relaxed and better able to see the glass as 'half full.'

Redefining Optimism

Most times, people balance optimism with happiness. But

while one of them can breed the other, they're not the same
thing. And while the optimists are generally grouped as
those that just see the best in any case, the experts claim
that's not true either.
"Positive thinking doesn't mean you don't notice the
stressors of life. You only handle difficulties more
productively," says Kimberly Hershenson, LMSW.
Creating an optimistic view of life helps one to have a
complete interpersonal world despite adverse situations. It
decreases feelings of sadness/depression and anxiety,
increases the life span, fosters better relationships with
others, and offers coping strategies in times of difficulty.
Being positive helps you to cope better with stressful
conditions, which decreases the negative health effects of
stress on your body. Science has shown that people with a
positive mindset have improved cardiovascular health and a
stronger immune system, a higher income, and a more
productive relationship.
Experts say that the true difference between optimists and
pessimists is not in their level of optimism or in how they
view the situation, but in how they cope with it.
"Optimism is a way of thinking that encourages people to
see the environment, other people, and things in the most
favorable, positive light possible. Some people call this a
'half-glass full' mindset," says Dr. AparnaIyer, an assistant
professor, and psychiatrist at the University of Texas South
Western Medical Center. "Optimistic people do recognize
negative events, but they are more likely to resist blaming
themselves for the negative outcome, tend to perceive the
problem as temporary, and likely to anticipate more
optimistic results in the future."
The Optimistic Brain
So, what exactly is going on in the brain when we have a
positive or negative reaction to the problem?
Research indicates that positive moods are correlated with
more left-side activity, while negative feelings, such as
being angry or sad, are correlated with more right-side
activities.
According to Dr. Davidson, Director of the Laboratory for
Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin, "Just
about anyone can identify their brain wave patterns as one
type or another." He performed multiple research on the
relationship between frontal lobe activity and emotions and
found that only 15% of people did not tend one way or the
other.
Another research published in The Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology indicated that these brain pattern
behaviors are good predictors of how we will react to certain
situations. Volunteers with more left-sided activity watching
entertaining movies had a much higher, more positive
reaction, whereas those with more right-sided brain activity
watching distressing movies had much higher negative
reactions.
Positive moods are linked with more left-brain activity,
whereas negative emotions are on the right side of the
brain.
The good news is by deliberately altering your thought
patterns; you can re-wire your brain.
Davidson experimented to see whether it was possible to
change the behavior of those who had a propensity towards
the right-brain activity. Mindfulness was taught to
employees in high-stress jobs who, on average, tilted to the
right in the ratio of the emotional level. The results were
promising: after two months of training (three hours a
week), their emotions moved to the left and recorded
feeling less nervous, more energized, and happier.
Yeah, the employees have shown that we can adjust the
way our brains react to experiences.
The Significant Health Benefits of Looking on the
Bright Side
Is making an effort to train your brain to be more optimistic
worth it? Science says yes to that. Research shows that a
bright worldview has some very real health and productivity
benefits.
In line with a study published in the Clinical Psychology
Review, optimism is closely linked to resilience. "Optimism
has been shown to create mental and physical strength for
individuals, particularly those who have been through
extremely stressful life circumstances or medical
circumstances," says Iyer.
Science has also shown that people with an optimistic
worldview appear to be more proactive when it comes to
their well-being, have improved cardiovascular health and a
stronger immune system, earn higher incomes, and have
more productive relationships.
With all of these suggested advantages, it's no wonder that
research has also shown that being positive will prolong
your life.
The Harvard School of Public Health carried out a study
which showed that the most positive women were 30% less
liable to die from any of the severe illnesses reported over
the 8 years, including cancer, stroke, and heart disease.
Half-full or half-empty, huh? Experts say that you can
choose to see the positive. It's time for a change in attitude
(and to take advantage of the privileges that come with it)?
You'll be happy to know that experts agree that optimism is
a quality that can be acquired very easily.
"Earlier studies have shown that optimism can be improved
with fairly uncomplicated and low-cost interventions — even
as easy as making people write down and think about the
best possible outcomes for different aspects of their lives,
such as jobs or friendships," said Kaitlin Hagan, co-author of
the Harvard report. Encouraging the use of such approaches
may be an effective way to enhance wellness in the future.
Optimism can certainly be a learned trait. Just because
you've been a pessimist most of your life, doesn't mean
you're still going to be a pessimist. In reality, there are
several successful ways to embrace an optimistic mindset.
Here are a handful of strategies that will help you begin to
see the glass half full.

1. 'Try On' A Positive Viewpoint

Shifting your viewpoint is as simple as intentionally thinking
good thoughts.
For people who always tend to be pessimistic, issues are
typically viewed as negative. Having them encourage
themselves and always remember that there might be
another way to look at things, is referred to as positive
reframing by experts. For example, if a person
demonstrates that the entire day was ruined because it was
dark or rainy outside, he may try to reflect on what might
have been achieved during that time. He may probably
respond that he ended up spending time indoors relaxing,
reading, or cuddling to someone he loves. Rather than
looking at things in the most negative way imaginable, it is
important to make a concerted attempt to 'seek' positive
viewpoints as much as possible. This will become effortless,
a more natural and optimistic frame of mind, after a while.
Making this deliberate effort not only changes your
viewpoint in the short term but can also train your brain to
think more positively. The more we actively frame situations
in a positive light, the more we train our minds to set up
circuits in various regions, gradually altering our reaction to
negative experiences.
2. Be Mindful of the Company You Keep
We all have buddies that are chronic grumblers or gossips.
Most times, after spending a couple of hours with them, we
find ourselves exhibiting the very same character. It's
obvious: the negativity is infectious.
Thankfully, positive feelings can also be infectious. Just as
certain illnesses are infectious, certain emotions can spread
across social networks. Joy can be a mutual phenomenon:
Getting a happy partner, relative, or neighbor who lives
close to you increases the chance that you will also be
happy.
Which means it's high time you add a few optimists to your
network.
Start considering with whom you spend your time regularly.
When you start interacting with people who are optimistic
and rooted in life, you will begin to be influenced by their
positive energy. The same thing goes for the time you spend
with negative people. The more time you spend with
negativity, the more pessimistic you are likely to feel. Turn
off the television. Few minutes of the morning news is just
enough to send someone's mood in a downward spiral.
Politics and the current state of the media and news will
make it very difficult for people to be hopeful. The truth is
that the moment you turn on the TV or read the paper,
you're likely to be dampened by negativity and a gloomy
outlook on the future. This, however, is an imbalanced view
of the world, so I recommend that people seek to reduce
their news consumption. Usually, I recommend giving
yourself just enough time to read the news, after which I
suggest that you turn off the television and then spend time
doing things that help preserve your well-being and a
positive outlook. If you feel like you need to get involved
with the current state of political or global affairs, you may
want to consider having a healthy conversation with a friend
or family member; this also helps you to digest the details,
but it can also give you a good level of debate and a
balanced view of the news.

3. Record in a Journal for a Few Minutes Every day

Researchers describe gratitude as recognition of what is
important and meaningful to oneself, or a general state of
appreciation — no doubt a mental state that promotes an
optimistic outlook. Yet it can be easier said than done to be
thankful for day-to-day stressors.
The smart way to ease this is through a Journal, a common
technique for fostering gratitude, which takes only a few
minutes each day.
It is important to own journals of appreciation. At the end of
every day, record one or two things you've done or seen
that filled you with appreciation. It's also important to
remember that this may be anything — a cup of coffee that
filled you with happiness, a spontaneous act of kindness by
a stranger, or even a breath of fresh air on your morning
walk. This will encourage you to reflect on the positive
aspects of your day and to develop an optimistic mindset, a
wonderful note on which to end your day. Recording what
you are grateful for is connected to a greater sense of
optimism.
Recording in a journal about what you are thankful for is
related to a greater sense of happiness, and maintaining a
journal in which you write down your acts of kindness can
also give your optimism a boost.
Also, writing down what you're thankful for comes with
some pretty amazing physical benefits, including better
sleep, improved heart health, less stress and discomfort,
and less depressive symptoms.
While your journal is open, check out some of your
achievements as well. "It may sound corny, but start to
acknowledge your personal and professional
accomplishments. Doing so creates a feeling of self-esteem,
and healthy self-esteem enhances confidence. You become
more optimistic about life when you feel confident.
 4. Recognize What You Can and Cannot Control
While some people may not be able to cope with change,
optimistic individuals can adapt and succeed. Consider what
you can and cannot do. For instance, if happen to you lose
your job, you cannot control the fact that you have been
fired or laid off. You can control whether you're taking steps
to find a new job and whether you're taking care of yourself
with enough sleep and proper nutrition. Exercising
Mindfulness is a great way to help counteract the urge to
ruminate on everyday stressors, which is a breeding ground
for depression.
We usually ruminate constantly, without really
concentrating on tasks at hand. If you can train yourself to
be in the present space (while permitting other thoughts to
reach your brain, but then gently driving them away)
without any judgment or thinking of past or future, you can
find that there is less space for pessimism.

5. Don't Forget to Recognize the Negatives

You have to understand that making an effort to be more
positive doesn't mean walking around wearing pink glasses.
While it is good for our mental health to see the best in
circumstances, not seeing the negative will impede you in
the long run.
Optimism can be dangerous if it holds you trapped in
imagination, and you're in denial about your current reality.
You may be hopeful about finding a more lucrative job or a
loving relationship, but if you don't address the issues that
hold you away from those aspirations, you won't be able to
achieve what you want. The blend of optimism and a
realistic mindset helps people move through life.
Realistic thinking doesn't mean seeing the positive side of
life, not at all. It's simply a way to help your optimism by
taking action so that you can create a positive future
instead of being trapped in a fantasy. Optimism and
Psychological Health Optimism are important when dealing
with difficult life events. Optimism has been related to
better responses to various difficulties, from the more
ordinary to the more serious. Optimism tends to have a
defensive role to play, helping people cope with extremely
difficult events. Optimism has also been found to associate
positively with life satisfaction and self-esteem. Optimism
tends to be specifically related to a positive effect, which
means the optimists are generally happier about their lives
than the pessimists.
Optimists are also in a position to rebound from
disappointments more easily by taking part in positive
results to a greater extent than negative ones. Meanwhile,
pessimists are more likely to develop depressive symptoms
and to feel personally responsible for failures in life.
Optimists are also more likely to be engaged in problem-
solving when faced with difficulties associated with
improved psychological well-being. Although pessimists
prefer to cope with denial and abandon impeded goals,
optimists rely on humor and acceptance. Optimism can
even play a role in the well-being of caregivers for people
with chronic illnesses. Caring for a loved one with an
extreme, terminal illness can have serious negative effects
on the psychological well-being of a person. Optimism,
however, tends to protect against the worst of these
consequences, as optimism has been correlated with less
depression and greater well-being.
With all that has been stated above, it is clear that optimism
is a powerful tool in our arsenal to keep us happy, healthy,
and alive. This is great news for people that are "natural"
optimists, but what about others who don't typically look on
the bright side? Can "natural" pessimists learn to be more
optimistic about life?
 Can a Pessimist Become an Optimist?
The founder of positive psychology, Martin Seligman,
started his career by researching depression, stress, and
anxiety. From his research in these fields, he discovered that
the positive explanatory style mentioned above served as a
protection against the development of depression in the
face of difficult circumstances. For a psychologist, knowing
what makes certain people more resilient to pain is helpful,
but it is also somewhat unsatisfactory if such advantages
cannot be applied to others. Seligman, therefore, set out to
understand whether or not optimism could be taught. A
program has been built for school children to try to instill an
optimistic informative style in them. Children were selected
as the population of concern because their personalities are
more flexible than adults, this is due to the fact they are still
developing and have not "solidified". They are, therefore,
the ideal population to test the idea that psychological
interventions can alter the personality of an individual. The
program called the Penn Resilience Program (PRP) is focused
on the idea that inculcating optimism in young people may
help to prevent them from developing depressive symptoms
in the future as a kind of "psychological immunization." The
program relies on teachers and school counselors to
perform 12 intervention sessions in which students are
taught, among other things, how to switch the types of
thought that are associated with the pessimistic explanatory
style. Students were tested for tests of depressive
symptoms and well-being two weeks after the final session
and every six months for three years. In two of the three
classes, 20 percent less PRP students reported elevated
depressive symptoms three years’ post-intervention
compared to the control group, and almost 10 percent less
than the PEP. This research seems to support the idea that
optimism can be developed and nurtured in young people,
although similar interventions have not been developed for
adults. But it seems that optimism can be trained or taught.
This is, therefore, a compelling case that anyone can learn
to enjoy the many benefits of optimism.

THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING

The power of positive thinking is extraordinary. The idea
that your mind can transform your world seems almost too
good to be true. However, I can assure you that I have seen
and witnessed the goodness that a positive focus can offer.
Let me ask you one question before I proceed.
Can you guess what the happiest and successful people
think about all day long?
It's simple — happy, healthy people think about what they
want and how to get it, most of the time. In this way, having
a positive attitude will transform your entire life.
When you think and talk about whatever you want and how
to do it, you feel a lot better and more in charge of your life.
When you think of something that makes you happy, your
brain releases endorphins that give you a widespread
feeling of well-being.
As a result, you create a positive mindset.

How to Think Positively

Based on many psychological studies, successful people

seem to have a special attribute that allows them to lead a
happier life than the average.
Can you imagine what it's like?
This is the value of optimism! The great thing about
optimism is that it is a quality that can be learned. This
means that you can learn how to think better by adopting
an optimistic attitude.
By the rule of cause and effect, if you do and say what other
happy, healthy people with positive attitudes do and say,
you will soon feel the same way, get the same results, and
have the same experiences as they do.
Understanding positive thinking and self-talk
Positive thinking does not mean that you stick your head in
the sand and neglect the less pleasant circumstances in life.
Positive thinking means that you are treating
unpleasantness more optimistically and constructively. You
think the best thing is going to happen, not the worst.
Positive thinking mostly starts with self-talk

Self-talk is an endless stream of thoughts that go through

your head. Such automatic thoughts may be positive or
negative. Self-talk sometimes comes from logic and
reasoning. Other self-talk can arise from misconceptions
that you build due to a lack of knowledge.
If the thoughts that go through your head are more
negative, your viewpoint of life is more likely to be
pessimistic. If your thoughts are usually positive, you are
likely to be an optimist — someone who practices positive
thinking.

Health benefits of positive thinking

Researchers never cease to investigate the health benefits

of positive thinking and optimism. The health benefits that
positive thinking offers are numerous, which includes:
 ✓ Increased lifespan.
✓ Lower rates of depression.
✓ Lower levels of anxiety.
✓ Greater resistance to the common cold.
✓ Stronger psychological and physical well-being.
✓ Better Cardiovascular health and lowered the risk of
death as a result of cardiovascular disease.
✓ Better coping skills during struggles and times of
pressure.
It is said that having a positive mindset helps you to better
deal with stressful conditions, which reduces the negative
health effects of stress on your body.
It is often believed that positive and confident people tend
to lead healthy lifestyles — they engage in more physical
exercise, eat healthier foods, and don't smoke or drink
alcohol.

Identifying negative thinking

Don't know if your self-talk is positive or negative? Some

common forms of negative self-talk include filtering. You
exalt the negative aspects of a situation and filter out all the
positive ones. You had a fantastic day at work, for example.
You have finished your assignments ahead of time and have
been complimented for doing a quick and thorough job. That
evening, you're only focused on your strategy to do even
more work and forget about the commendation you got.
Personalizing
When something bad happens, you don't hesitate to blame
yourself for it. For example, you learn that an evening out
with your friends is canceled, and you presume that a
change in your plans is because nobody wanted to be
around you.

Catastrophizing
You immediately expect the worst. The coffee shop gets
your order wrong, so you immediately believe the rest of
your day is going to be a disaster.

Polarizing
You recognize things as either good or bad. There is no
middle ground here. You believe you have to be fine, or you
have to be an utter failure.
How to Avoid Thinking Negative Thoughts

Believing that the worst is going to happen, anticipating

failure and tragedy, and seeing the drawbacks instead of
the benefits means that you stay passive and do not try new
things. When bad things happen, you're not surprised,
because you've always been expecting them.
Negative thoughts and negative attitudes make life
unpleasant and miserable. This is why, among other things,
you ought to avoid entertaining negative thoughts.
You need to change your mindset and train your mind to
think positive thoughts instead. There are many ways to
accomplish this purpose, such as hypnosis or
psychotherapy, but there are several basic methods you can
apply, such as affirmations and visualization, which do not
require hypnosis or professional assistance.
It's best to concentrate on the basic but very effective
techniques that everyone can use.
To make this strategy work, you're going to have to invest
some energy and sometime in it, but the rewards will be
worth it. This technique is called the "replacement
technique of thought."

It's an easy strategy to substitute negative thoughts with

positive ones, but you need to practice it frequently if you
want results.

Replacement technique for Preventing

Negative Thoughts

This is a simple method that will prevent you from thinking

negative thoughts. Thoughts Replacement Method will help
you cope more easily with negative thoughts and bad
thoughts and keep them from bothering and harassing you.

What you need to do.

You need to be mindful of negative thoughts as they invade
your mind and quickly replace them with positive thoughts.
You don't let negative thoughts develop in your mind in this
way. Whenever they come, you're driving them away with
positive thoughts.
Here are a few examples of thought replacement: When you
think about problems, think about the solutions right away.
When you think about failure, start thinking about success.
When you expect something negative to happen, substitute
the thought with the idea that something positive is going to
happen.
Replace your thoughts with ideas of strength and resilience
when you feel down.
When you recall past mistakes, challenges, or obstacles,
choose to see yourself as accomplished and satisfied.
When people complain, and when you hear bad news on TV
or radio, take your mind away from them, talk about good
and positive things.
At first, there will be inner resistance and a lack of
confidence, and you may even fail to substitute your
negative thoughts. However, you need to continue to
practice this technique over and over until this way of
thinking is natural and convenient, no matter how long it
takes.
If you adopt this technique, it will gradually become a norm,
and you will naturally substitute your negative thoughts
with positive thoughts.
At times, negative and unpleasant thoughts could be so
strong and daunting, and you'd want to give up. At this
time, you will need to consider the benefits of preventing
your negative thoughts. You may find it helpful to keep
reading about positive thinking and to keep reminding
yourself to continue this practice, despite the lack of
motivation.
Always remind yourself that negative and disturbing
thoughts are just thoughts, and if you refuse to concentrate
on them, they will become weaker and vanish.
Always acknowledge that you are better than you think. It's
you who should control them, not the other way around.
After a week or two of using the thought replacement
strategy, you will certainly begin to see the effects.

Focusing on positive thinking

You can learn how to turn negative thoughts into positive

thoughts. The process is easy, but it needs time and
practice — after all, you're forming a new habit. Here are
some ways of thinking and behaving more positively and
optimistically: identify areas for change. If you want to be
more optimistic and practice more positive thinking, first
recognize aspects of your life that you generally think
negatively about, whether it's work, your everyday routine,
or a relationship. You can start small by concentrating on a
more positive approach to one area.

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Check out yourself
Stop and assess what you do regularly during the day. If you
find that your emotions are mostly negative, seek to find a
way to put a positive spin on them.

Be responsive to humor
Allow yourself permission to smile or laugh, particularly in
difficult times. Look for fun in daily occurrences. You feel
less stressed when you can laugh at life.

Adopt a healthy lifestyle

Plan to exercise for about 30 minutes on most days of the
week. You should split it in 10-minute bits of time
throughout the day. Exercise may have a beneficial effect on
mood and reduce stress. Follow a balanced diet to fuel your
body and mind. And master the methods of stress
reduction.

Surround yourself with good people

Ensure those in your life are optimistic, compassionate
people who you can rely on to provide helpful advice and
feedback. Negative people can raise your stress level and
make you question your ability to handle stress healthily.
Engage in regular positive self-talk. Start by following a
simple rule: don't say something to yourself that you
wouldn't say to someone else. Be compassionate and kind
to yourself. If negative pops up in your head, analyze it
rationally, and respond with affirmations of what is good
about you. Recall the things that you're grateful for in your
life.
Happy People Find Value in The World.
Optimists tend to have different ways of coping with the
world that distinguish them from the average.
First, they keep their eyes on what they want, and they're
always searching for ways to get it. They're clear about the
targets, and they're sure they're going to reach them sooner
or later.
Second, with any problem or challenge, the optimists search
for the positive. If things go wrong, as they often do, they
say, "It's okay!", then set out to find something positive
about the issue.

Truth is that if you're looking for something positive or

beneficial in a person or circumstance, you're always going
to find it. And while you're looking, you're going to be a
more positive and cheerful person.

The Power of Positive Thinking

Optimists discover a valuable lesson in any failure or
setback. Rather than get angry and blame someone else for
what happened, they take control of their feelings by
asking, "What can I learn from this experience? » Make up
your mind today to learn how to cultivate positive thinking
and a positive attitude towards yourself, people around you,
and towards your life.

How to train your mind to think positively

Training your mind to think positively can be done by using

a basic idea. Your mind has enough capacity to focus on just
one thought per time. All you ought to do is keep it centered
on uplifting thoughts until you develop the same types of
neural pathways that are formed when you create a new
habit.
When a negative incident happens, note that it is your
reaction that decides the outcome. Often search for a
positive response or an inspiring lesson when such things
take place.
Positive statements are positive words that can be repeated
over and over to show you how to get rid of negative
feelings and promote a positive attitude.
You may also consider encouragement from inspiring quotes
and messages to be very helpful when trying to trigger
positive thinking.
Decide to be happy.
Strive to see your glass of life as half full rather than half
empty. Happy people offer thanks for the many gifts of life,
rather than worry or lament about things they don't have.
Assume the best of interests on the part of all those around
you. Many people are pretty good, truthful, and they're
trying to do the best they know how to do. When you search
for something good in their words and actions, you're
almost always going to find something.
Finally, decide to be happy, no matter what happens.
Looking at the bright side is the most important thing when
things go wrong.

Your Positive Attitude in Action

It's easy to be happy when everything goes according to

plan. Yet it is when you face unforeseen failures and
challenges that you show yourself and the world around
you, what kind of attitude you have.

Ensure it's a positive one!

How Positive Thinking can help you?
Cultivating a positive mindset will benefit you in more ways
than you can imagine. You don't permit your mind
(conscious or subconscious) to entertain any negative
thoughts or worries when you think positive thoughts.
Once you know how to think positively, you'll find incredible
improvements all around you. Your brain will then begin to
function in a state of free-flowing, happy hormones called
endorphins, which will make you feel lighter and blissful. You
will also experience a big boost of confidence and feel more
capable of taking on new tasks and challenges that may
have been beyond your comfort zone before.
By reducing your self-limiting views, you can effectively
release the brakes and experience development like you
never dreamed of before. Essentially, you can improve your
entire life simply by taking advantage of the power of
positive thinking.

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 Practicing positive thinking every day

When you happen to have a pessimistic mindset, don't

expect to become an optimist instantly. But with practice,
the self-talk will gradually comprise less self-criticism and
more self-acceptance. You can also be less skeptical of the
world around you.
If your state of mind is usually positive, you are better able
to cope with daily pressures in a more constructive way. This
ability has contributed to the widely recognized health
benefits of positive thinking.

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 VALUES
Values are defined in the Organizational Behavior as
collective perceptions of what is considered to be good,
desirable, and proper or bad, undesirable, and improper in
culture.
Value is a common understanding of how something is
ranked in order of desirability, worth, or goodness. This has
also been interpreted as meaning the principles from which
the ends of actions are chosen.
Thus, values are collective notions of what is considered to
be good, desirable, proper or bad, undesirable, and
improper in culture.
Common examples of values are loyalty, wealth,
independence, justice, equality, brotherhood, and
friendliness.
Your values are the things you believe to be essential in the
way you live and work.
They usually determine your goals, and, deep down, they're
probably the standards you use to determine whether your
life is working out the way you want it to.
When the things you do and the way you behave align with
your values, life is generally good – you're fulfilled, and
you're happy. But when they're not compatible with your
values, that's when things seem wrong and can be a major
cause of unhappiness. This is why it is so necessary to make
extra effort to define your values.
Below are the most common groups to which values are
classified.
Universal Values: These are Values that are almost
universal in their significance. Such as the sanctity of
human life, human dignity, and peace.
Instrumental Values: They are basic values that can be
used to obtain something special. In other words, these
values are instruments that help you to get other things.
Examples of these would include Progress (which enables
leisure time), Liberty (through which we can obtain dignity
and/or self-actualization), and Knowledge (which helps us to
achieve economic stability and growth).
Intrinsic Values: Something has intrinsic value or meaning
solely because of what it is and not necessarily because of
what it will lead to or because of its acceptance. Some
potential examples of intrinsic values include beauty,
happiness, and artistic expression. We value them because
they are a fundamental part of life.
Prerequisite Values: These are values that are required
before you can achieve a larger goal. It's similar to the basic
course you need to take to get to a more advanced level.
Some good examples of this kind of interest include safety,
which is needed before anyone can even think of anything
else, justice- which is required before we can step on to
equality or the common good, which must be respected
before we can ever get to a state of peace.
Paramount Values: This kind of value is the value that is
above all other things. Examples of this may include liberty
or freedom, which many people have given up their lives to
see as central to a better life or the sanctity of life, which, if
we do not value or have cherished, makes all else worthless.
Operative Values: These types of values are the way we
determine to spend the rest of our lives. We use such values
as the central and guiding principles that tell us what is both
right and wrong. There are things like integrity, loyalty, and
honesty.
Why Personal Core Values Are Essential Values being part of
us.
They show what we stand for. They can reflect our special,
individual essence. Values direct our actions by providing us
with a personal code of conduct.
When we consistently uphold our core personal values, we
experience fulfillment. When we don't, we're incongruous,
so we're more likely to run into bad behaviors and fall back
into childish behaviors to uplift ourselves.

Discover Your Core Values

Most people don't know about their values and don't
understand what is most important to them. Instead, they
focus on the values of society, culture, and the media.
Can you identify your top 5 to 10 values that are most
important to you?
Without going through a discovery process, it's difficult to
identify your core values.
It's easy to assume and idealize what you're meant to value.
But it takes effort to know and accept what you value.
Although the following process is best accomplished with a
professional mentor, you can do it on your own if you apply
self-honesty, discipline, patience, and determination.
Are you ready? Take out a journal, or a notepad. And let's
get started now.
Here are seven steps to establish distinct and meaningful
core values that will be of benefit to you in all areas of your
life and work:
STEP 1: Begin from the Beginner's Mind
It's too easy to believe that we know the answer at the
beginning and thus never embark on an innovative,
personal discovery journey.
Adopt the mind of a beginner — someone with no
preconceived ideas about what is — to grant you access to
the inner truths that your conscious mind is not yet aware
of.
Take a deep breath, clear your mind. Remember, the
conscious mind doesn't have all the answers. Create a
space for the emergence of new insights and revelations.
Moving in the right mental and emotional state is an
important first step.
STEP 2: Create your Personal Values List
Getting to a succinct and shortlist of personal values can be
a challenging process. You can find lists online of hundreds
of values to choose from.
However, I do not advise you to use any predetermined lists.
Why? Because Values are not selected, they are discovered
and released. If you start with a predetermined list, your
conscious mind will check which values are "better" than
others.
That said, if you don't know how to deal with values, you
can search a list of values to get an insight into your range
of choices.
To help you explore your core values, here are three
methods that you can try:

1) Peak Experiences

Find a memorable moment — a peak experience

that stands out.
What was going on with you?
What values were you upholding at this time?
2) Suppressed Values
 Now, go in the other direction; imagine a moment
when you're mad, upset, or frustrated.
What was going on? How did you feel? Now, turn
those emotions around.
What is the value being suppressed?
3) Code of Conduct

What is the most important thing to you in life?

Beyond your basic human needs, what do you need
to achieve fulfillment in your life?
Creative self-expression? A high sense of fitness
and vitality? A feeling of anticipation and
adventure? Being surrounded by beauty and
elegance? Always learning?
What are the personal values you have to uphold,
or part of you withers?
STEP 3: Fraction Your Values into Related Groups
Combining all the responses in Step 2, you now have a full
list of personal values. There could be between 20 and 30
values on your list, and even more.

That's too much to be workable.

The next step is to place these values in a group of related
themes.
Values such as responsibility, accountability, and timeliness
are related.
Values such as learning, growth, and development are
related to each other.
Relationship, connection, and intimacy are also linked.
Group them.
STEP 4: Highlight the Core Theme of each Value
Group.
When you have a collection of values that include fairness,
openness, integrity, sincerity, directness, and accuracy, use
the word that best describes the community.
For example, honesty might serve as a central theme for the
values I have mentioned.
You should keep the other terms in the category in brackets
to add more meaning to your primary value. You're going to
need them again in step 6.
STEP 5: Determine Your Major Personal Core Values.
Upon completing Step 4, you will still have a wide list of
values. Here are some questions to help you get your list
down:

What values are important to your life?

Which values represent your primary way of life?
What are the values that are important to support
your inner self?
As a unique person, you have certain strengths and
weaknesses. Your values are most important to you.
How many core values are you going to end up with? Too
few, and you're not going to absorb all the unique aspects of
your life. Too many, and you're going to forget them, or not
take advantage of them.
Although the number of core values for each individual
varies, the ideal range tends to be between 5 and 10.
In order of significance, list them. This is also the most
demanding aspect of it.
You may need to take this step in several sittings. After
completing one round of ranking, put it aside, and "sleep on
it." Review your ranking the next day to see how it sits with
you. Go through the cycle again, then.

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STEP 6: Give Your Personal Values Deeper Meaning
Now that creativity comes into play.
Highlighting values into unforgettable sentences or phrases
lets you express the significance behind every value.
It gives you the chance to make the value more meaningful
and unforgettable.
Here are a few tips and suggestions for the interpretation of
your values: use motivating terms and vocabulary. Our
brains are quick to remove or neglect the ordinary and
common.
Source for words that provoke and cause emotional
reactions. They're going to be more meaningful and
unforgettable.
Utilize your strengths in building up your values.
Make your value remarks rich and meaningful to you so that
they encourage you to stick with them.
You may use other words from the groupings you made in
Step 3 of your description.
Let's assume, for example, that you have established a core
value of health that reflects other values, such as strength
and vitality.
Your declaration of value may be: "Health: to live with
maximum vitality and energy each day."
STEP 7: Evaluate the Nature of Each Value
Once you have completed your list of core values, put them
away, and review them the next day after a good night's
rest. Go over your list:

How do they make you feel?

Do you think that they are compatible with who
you are?
 Are they unique to you?
Do you see any values that are incompatible with
your personality −like they belong to someone
else, and not you?
Check your ranking of priorities. Do you think your
values are in the right order of importance?
There's nothing final. Make any adjustments and changes as
necessary.
How to utilize your core values in making choices?
Understanding your core values and their order of
importance helps make tough decisions.
Start by evaluating your values, as mentioned above, then,
imagine your life several months or years from now.
For example, how will a new business or family change your
life?
Step into this vision of the future as soon as you can. Make
this come alive in your mind.
Now, evaluate your values while keeping your dream alive
in your mind. Does this increase the score of your value?
Will this cause conflict with one of your higher values?
This process will help add new insight into the decision-
making process.

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 HANDLING EMOTIONS
What's Emotion?

In psychology, emotion is usually described as a complex

state of feeling that results in physical and psychological
changes that affect thinking and actions. Emotionality is
correlated with some psychological factors, including
personality, mood, temperament, and motivation. They are
produced in our brains in response to our perception of the
world.
There are eight basic emotions – and a multitude of
variations and nuances. The eight basic emotions are joy,
disgust, fear, sadness, excitement, disappointment, rage,
and trust.

Emotions concentrate our attention and inspire us to take a

particular course of action. Every emotion has its intent.
Take rage, for instance. Anger is a warning that our path has
been blocked. It focuses our attention on the danger and
motivates us to respond by battling or pushing through the
obstacle. This can be used destructively, of course, but it
also gives us the ability to find solutions to urgent problems.
And what about a different emotion, like Joy? Joy centers our
attention on an opportunity and motivates us to do more of
what we do. We experience joy when we find meaning and
connection, and the emotion intends to tell us that these are
positive things we should be looking for.
People who have strong mental well-being are mindful of
their emotions, feelings, and behaviors. They've learned
safe ways to deal with stress and issues that are a natural
part of life. They feel good about themselves and have
stable relationships.
However, a lot of things that happen in your life can affect
your emotional well-being. This can contribute to a heavy
feeling of depression, tension, or anxiety.
Such issues include:
✓ Getting laid off from work.
✓ Having a child leave home.
✓ Getting divorced or getting married.
✓ Suffering from sickness or injury.
✓ Seeking a job promotion.
✓ Money problems.
✓ Moving into a new home.
✓ Having or adopting a baby.
Your body reacts to the way you think, feel, and act. This is
one form of "mind/body relation." If you're nervous, anxious,
or upset, your body responds in a way that may warn you
something isn't right. For example, after a particularly
traumatic incident, such as the death of a loved one, you
can develop high blood pressure or a stomach ulcer.

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 HOW EMOTIONS AFFECT OUR LIVES
Emotions can play a significant role in how we think and act.
The emotions that we feel every day will cause us to take
action and affect the decisions that we make about our
lives, both big and small. It is necessary to understand the
three basic components of emotion to fully understand
emotions.
There are three components of emotion: a subjective
component (how you perceive the emotion), a physiological
component (how your bodies respond to the emotion), an
expressive component (how you behave or act in response
to the emotion).
These various components may play a role in the purpose
and function of your emotional reactions.
Emotions may be short-lived, such as a burst of annoyance
at a co-worker, or long-lasting, such as enduring sorrow at
the loss of a relationship. But why do we feel emotions?
What role do they play?
Emotions Can Inspire Us to Take Action.
When confronted with a nerve-wracking exam, you may feel
a lot of anxiety about how you're going to do well, and
whether the test will impact your final score. Because of
these emotional responses, you may be more likely to study
harder. Since you've felt a specific emotion, you've been
inspired to take action and do something positive to
increase your chances of having a better grade.
We also tend to take certain actions to experience positive
emotions and decrease the chances of experiencing
negative emotions. For example, you may be searching for
social events or hobbies that offer you a sense of
satisfaction, contentment, and excitement. On the other
hand, you may also avoid circumstances that could lead to
frustration, depression, or anxiety.
Emotions Help Us Survive, Flourish, and Escape
Danger .
Emotions play an important role in our lives by encouraging
us to respond quickly and take action to increase our
chances of survival and success.
Emotions can help us make decisions.
Our emotions have a big impact on the decisions we make,
on what we want to have for breakfast, which candidates to
vote for in political elections.
Researchers have found that people with other forms of
brain injury affecting their ability to feel emotions may have
a decreased capacity to make sound decisions.
Even in cases where we assume that our actions are driven
solely by logic and reason, emotions play a key role.
Emotional intelligence, or our ability to perceive and control
emotions, has been shown to play a significant role in
decision making.
Emotions Allow Other People to Understand Us.
As we communicate with other people, it's important to give
them hints to help them understand how we feel. Such
signals can include emotional expressions via body
language, such as different facial expressions related to the
specific emotions we are experiencing.
In other situations, it can include explicitly stating how we
feel. When we tell friends or family members that we feel
happy, sad, excited, or afraid, we give them important
details that they can use to take action.
Emotions Allow Us to Understand Others.
Just as our own emotions provide useful information to us,
the emotional expressions of others around us provide us
with a wealth of social information. Social communication is
an integral part of our everyday lives and relationships, and
it is necessary to enable us to recognize and to respond to
the emotions of others. It helps us to react appropriately
and to create deeper, more meaningful relationships with
our friends, family, and loved ones. It also helps us to
interact effectively in a variety of social circumstances, from
interacting with an unhappy customer to handling a hot-
headed employee.
Knowing the emotional expressions of others gives us good
knowledge about how we may need to react to a specific
situation.
People who have strong emotional well-being are mindful of
their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. They've learned
healthy ways to deal with stress and issues that are a
natural part of life. They feel good about themselves and
have stable relationships.

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 HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR EMOTIONAL
HEALTH
There are ways you can boost your emotional health. First of
all, try to recognize your emotions and understand why
you're getting them. Sorting the causes of depression,
tension, and anxiety in your life will help you manage your
emotional health. Here are some other useful tips.
Express your emotions in the right way.
If feelings of anxiety, stress, and sadness cause physical
problems, keeping those feelings inside can make you feel
worse. It's all right to let your loved ones know when
something is bothering you. Keep in mind, though, that your
family and friends may not always be able to help you cope
with your emotions properly. At this time, ask for help from
someone outside the situation. Seek to get help and support
from your family doctor, counselor, or religious advisor to
help you improve your emotional health.

Live a balanced life.

Focus on the things you're most grateful for in your life. Try
not to be engrossed with problems at work, school, or at
home that lead to negative feelings. This doesn't mean that
you should feign happiness when you feel stressed, anxious,
or angry. It's important to handle these negative feelings,
but try to focus on the positive things in your life as well.
You might want to use a notebook to keep track of things
that make you feel happy or calm. Some research has
shown that cultivating a positive attitude will increase your
quality of life and enhance your health. You will also need to
find ways to let go of some of the things in your life that
make you feel depressed and frustrated. Create time for
things you enjoy.
Build resilience.
People with resilience can healthily cope with stress.
Resilience can be gained and improved through a variety of
strategies. These include social support, having a positive
view of yourself, embracing change, and keeping things in
perspective. A therapist or counselor can help you achieve
this goal through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Ask
your doctor if that's a good idea for you.

Calm your mind and body.

Relaxation techniques, such as listening to music,
meditation, listening to guided visualization songs, yoga,
and Tai Chi are effective ways to balance the emotions.
Meditation is a form of guided thought. It can take a lot of
forms. You can do this, for example, by breathing deeply,
exercising, or stretching. You can ask your family doctor for
advice on relaxation methods.

Take care of yourself, please.

To have sound emotional health, it is important to take
proper care of your body by keeping a routine for eating
healthy meals, getting enough sleep, and exercising to
alleviate pent-up stress. Avoid overeating and do not use
drugs or alcohol. The use of drugs or alcohol induces other
problems, such as family problems and health problems.

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 STRESS
What is stress?

Stress is the reaction of the body to any change that needs

adjustment or response. The body reacts with physical,
behavioral, and emotional responses to these changes.
Stress is a natural part of life. You can experience the stress
of your thoughts, body, and environment. Even positive life
changes, such as the birth of a child, mortgage, or a
promotion, give rise to stress.
Stress affects life in many ways. For example, stress can
affect us physically and psychologically, which means that it
can deteriorate quickly. Also, stress can lead to severe
problems, such as depression and burnout.
Stress: its influence on your mind?

In addition to its effect on the body, stress can also have

serious consequences on your psychological well-being. For
example, stress can lead to worry. Worrying is an
accelerated version of thinking in circles, where you remain
stuck on the same topic without finding a solution. If it
remains up for a long time, this can lead to psychological
fatigue, which may also lead to depression and burnout.
Stress can also cause you to have more trouble focusing
and recalling things that can make your job, household
chores, and other day-to-day activities much more difficult.
If you're stressed out, these activities can take more time,
which in turn can lead to more stress.
Stress: its effect on your body?

While you might think that stress is something of a

psychological sort, it can most definitely have a great
impact on your body. First of all, stress contributes to muscle
tension. Such muscle stress, in effect, can lead to unnerving
pains and headaches. People with chronic headaches often
have tension headaches caused by muscle tension.
Beyond that, stress can interrupt your rhythm, which in turn
can lead to exhaustion, as well as physical vulnerability. This
lowers your immune system if you sleep poorly for some
time, but also if you exhaust your body, for example, by
stressing over all the tasks you need to do that day. Stress
can also affect the circadian rhythm, which ensures that you
can wake up tired and stressed.
When stress becomes long-term and is not effectively
handled, it can lead to several more severe health
conditions, including:

Depression;
High blood pressure;
Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia);
Stiffening of the arteries (atherosclerosis);
Heart attack;
Heartburn;
Heart disease ulcers;
Irritable bowel syndrome stomach upset —
diarrhea, cramps, and constipation;
Weight gain or loss;
Changes in sex drive;
Fertility issues;
Asthma or arthritis flare-ups;
Skin problems such as eczema, acne, and
psoriasis.
Managing stress can make a huge difference in your health.

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 COMMON CAUSES OF STRESS
Work-related causes include:

1. Being dissatisfied with your job.

2. Having a huge workload or too much
responsibility.
3. Working excessive hours.
4. Having poor management, uncertain expectations
of your work, or no say in decision-making
processes.
5. Working under hazardous conditions.
6. Being insecure about your chances of promotion
or risk of dismissal.
7. Having to make speeches in the presence of
colleagues.
8. Having to deal with discrimination or intimidation
at work, especially when your organization isn't
supportive.
Life stresses can also have a major impact. Examples of life
stresses are:

1. The death of a loved one;

2. A divorce;
3. Loss of a job;
4. Increased financial burdens;
5. Getting married;
6. Moving into a new home;
7. Chronic illnesses or injuries;
8. Emotional problems (anxiety, anger, depression,
low self-esteem, guilt, grief);
9. Taking care of a sick or aged family member;
10.
Traumatic events, rape, theft, natural
disasters, or violence against you or a loved one.
Sometimes the stress comes from within, rather than
outside. You can stress yourself just by worrying over things.
Fear and uncertainty are all factors that lead to stress. When
you constantly hear news about the risk of terrorist attacks,
climate change, and harmful chemicals, you may feel
stressed, particularly when you feel like you do not influence
these events. And even though disasters are usually very
rare events, their vivid media reports can make them seem
as though they are more likely to occur than they do. Fears
can also strike you closer to home, such as being worried
you won't finish your project at work, or that you won't have
enough money to pay your monthly bills.
Attitudes and perceptions

How you look at the world, or a certain situation will decide

whether it creates stress. For example, if your TV set is
stolen and you take the attitude, "It's OK, my insurance
company is going to pay for a new one," you're going to be
much less stressed than if you worry, "My TV is gone, and
I'm never going to get it back! What if the robbers come
back to my house to steal again?" Likewise, people who feel
like they're doing a good job at work will be less stressed
out by a big project to come than for those who worry that
they are incompetent.

Unrealistic expectations
Nobody is perfect. If you hope to do everything right all the
time, you are bound to feel stressed when things don't go as
planned.

Change.
Major life changes can be stressful — even a joyful event
like a wedding or a job promotion. More stressful events,
such as divorce, major financial setbacks, or the death of
loved ones can be a major source of stress.
Your stress level will vary depending on your temperament,
and how you react to situations. Some people let it all roll
off their backs. To them, work stress and life stress are only
minor bumps on the road. Others are worried themselves
sick.

Ways to manage stress

When it comes to managing stress, basic adjustments will

go a long way to improving your overall well-being and
reducing stress. Getting methods and strategies that you
can turn to in stressful conditions will keep your stress levels
from rising.
Find a balance
It's important to organize some of your time so that you can
be relaxed when busy without being stressed. Working hard
doesn't always mean working efficiently. Too much work
reduces productivity.

Be kind to yourself
It's important to understand that you're not weak because
you feel stress. Stress is a rather normal response to
stressors in your life.

Lean on the people you trust

Before your stress levels increase, reach out to anyone you
trust, such as a family member, friend, or colleague. Sharing
your feelings or venting your worries may help reduce your
stress.

Keep a journal
Set aside time to think about your day. Write down every
feeling or thought you have. This can be a handy tool to
enable you to understand your stressors better, how you
respond to stress.

Eat a Regular balanced diet.

When it comes to managing stress, good nutrition is a good
buddy. Skipping meals will reduce your blood sugar, which
may dampen your mood. In some situations, this may also
cause strong feelings of anger and frustration.

Regular exercise
Indulging in regular exercise will boost your general health
and minimize your stress. Your body releases endorphins
when you exercise. Such happy hormones can also alleviate
symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Get a lot of rest

Your ability to manage stress declines when you're tired. Try
to get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep every
night. If you have insomnia, try to get as much sleep as you
can, then carve out rest periods during the day.

Practice relaxation Exercises

These exercises, which may include deep, slow breathing
and gradual muscle relaxation, include tensing and
relaxation of the various muscle groups. Try carving out
three minutes, thrice a day to perform these exercises.

Schedule your worry

While it may feel out of place at first, consider scheduling
your worry to certain parts of the day.
When we tilt to our fears by intentionally seeking out our
stressors, but not avoiding or running from them; they often
lose their power.

Working with a professional

A Therapist or mental health expert can help you discover
ways to manage stress.
If your stress is chronic or is accompanied by daily
headaches, tight jaw, constant fatigue, or fibromyalgia (a
condition characterized by chronic pain, tenderness, and
stiffness of the muscles, joints, and tendons), it is advisable
to seek help from a mental health professional
You should also see a mental health professional if you have
depression, panic attacks, and suicidal thoughts.
Effective therapy sessions may take place in person, on the
phone, and even online. Ensure to choose one that's right
for you.

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 CONCLUSION
Effects of stress on your health

Stressful situations incite a physical response in your body.

Your nervous system will start to respond, releasing
hormones that will prepare you either to fight or to flee. It is
called the "fight or flight" response, and that's why, when
you're in a stressful situation, you might find that your pulse
speeds up, your breathing gets faster, your muscles become
tight, and that you start sweating. This form of stress is
short-term and temporary (acute stress), and your body
usually recovers quickly from it.
But if your stress system remains active for a long period
(chronic stress), it can contribute to or exacerbate more
serious health problems. The constant release of stress
hormones will put a lot of wear and tear on your body, make
it age faster and make it more vulnerable to diseases.
If you have been depressed for a short period, you may
begin to notice some of these physical signs:
✓ Headache;
✓ Exhaustion;
✓ Trouble Sleeping;
✓ Difficulty Concentrating;
✓ Stomach upset;
✓ Irritability.

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 Do Not Go Yet; One Last Thing to Do
If you enjoyed this book or found it useful, I’d be very
grateful if you’d post a short review on Amazon. Your
support does make a difference, and I read all the reviews
personally so I can get your feedback and make this book
even better.
Thanks again for your support!

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 Copyright 2020 Brian Bersin - All rights reserved.
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