The Importance of Positivity

"Being positive", "staying positive", "having a positive attitude" -  we hear these phrases thrown around a lot. An endless flow of motivational books write about it, psychologists discuss the topic in papers, and I'm sure we've all heard it at times. 

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This topic is incredibly important to me and something I feel like people should be aware of. I've done so much research on it, I wrote essays on it during high school, I constantly search for quotes that remind me about it; so, if in a month, or three months, you see a Positivity Part 2 post on this blog don't be surprised! Hahaha. I have SO much I could say on this topic but for now, I just kind of want to introduce why, in my opinion, it's important. What does it mean to be positive?

In grade 10 I read some information about a research study conducted by Dr Masaru Emoto using water crystals. Dr Emoto carried out a study on how thoughts, words, energy and music affected water. He started off by freezing tiny amounts of water (taken from all over the world) and photographed their molecular structures. 

Basically, he discovered how saying, even thinking, words of gratitude and love around water, changes its structure - likening it to the form of beautiful snowflakes. He also found that saying and thinking about negative words could make the structure of the water appear splotchy and eroded.

Additionally, he taped words such as "peace", "hope", "I love you" and "Thank you" to glasses of water; as well as the words "sick", "you fool", "hate". Both had profound effects almost immediately.

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Um...AMAZING.

The thing is - science has shown us for a long time now that everything can broken down into (and is made of) energy.

If we break things down, we see that matter is made out of atoms.

If we break down atoms, we see that atoms are just vibrating energy.

Dr Emoto's study showed that it's the same with water, and it's the same with our bodies as well. Think about it like this for a moment: Approximately 70% of the average person is made up of water. Doesn't that mean our thoughts and words can have an enlightened effect on our bodies too?

Building my mind on positive thoughts and continuously feeding it with more is so meaningful to me. What you put out and what you focus on is what you get back.

Let's get something straight: Negativity is pointless. Why am I saying this? Not only does it just invite more negative thoughts into our lives, but have a read of this story: 

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she enquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

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She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." 

She continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything."

Negativity living in your mind just breeds more negativity; similarly, positivity breeds positivity.

I know a lot of people who have gone through, or are going through, incredibly hard and tough times in their lives. By NO means am I marginalising the validity of the negativity they feel towards whatever they're dealing with, or even asking them to suppress it. It is inhumane to not feel pain or sadness - positive thinking does not equal emotional suppression.

The thing is - we all have problems. But to lose out on happiness just because we are placing too much focus on our problems, that's not ideal. Positive thinking IS NOT about waking up positive everyday or being positive 100% of every day, for the rest of your life - it is about making an effort to focus on the good things. We've all heard the "You are what you eat", so I'm going to say it right now that, "You are what you think".

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Once something has happened you can't really change it, but you can definitely change your attitude towards what you're building next. Once choice at a time, you can build a new start - build it with positive thoughts.

When you do have your dark periods, allow yourself to feel what you need - feel sad, rage, cry into a pillow, sulk for a few days - bask in your emotions. It's okay and it's normal, we're human. But, also try and remember and accept that period as a gift in your life - it'll allow you to appreciate the light more.

And…

When you are blessed with great periods, revel in that! Celebrate it, get as much positivity out of it as you can!

I am big on promoting what you love, instead of bashing what you hate. Personally, I think that it is SUCH an easy way to start focusing on positivity instead of negativity. It's something that many people can really struggle with on social media - I saw this photo yesterday and it really makes you think, hey?

We all have one life to live, one set of footprints with which to leave an imprint on this world, why not make it something positive?

Beautiful things happen when you distance yourself from negativity. You feel happiness, you put yourself onto a different wavelength; you feel bouncy, bright, content, chirpy, effervescent, enthusiastic, joyful, lively, optimistic, upbeat, about life. Life gives you back more things on that same wavelength.

So, to your lovely self who happens to be reading this today, remember this:

Your thinking has the biggest potential to transform you - for better, or for worse. So…

Be mindful of your mind, and know that:

Positivity is a choice.

  

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Is today a great day? There's no reason it can't be! Here’s to hoping we all appreciate it ❤️ Today, try to count your blessings instead of your problems.

If you’re not sure where to start, let me help you out with these  ☺️

"Did you ever realize how much your body loves you? I mean its always trying to keep you alive. That’s all your body has to live for. Your body is making sure you breathe while you sleep, stopping cuts from bleeding, fixing broken bones, finding ways to beat the illnesses that might get you. Your body literally loves you so much."

"Your breathing. The beating of your heart. The expansion of your lungs. Your mere presence is all that is needed to establish your worth." - Iyanla Vanzant

New blog post will be up next wednesday!

P.S. I know I promised photos from my weekend away in last week's post, but because I didn't want this post to turn into any more of an essay than it already has (hahaha whoops...sorry about that!) I'll put up a short post tomorrow mainly with pretty photos! :) 

Until then, you can follow me on - 

Instagram 

Tumblr

Pinterest

They're all linked so you should just be able to click on them! :)

Have a great rest of the week!

❤️, Raashi

Can I also just say one more thing (and then I'll shut up I promise! Haha) - thank you so much for reading this post, this one means a lot to me - and please, share it with someone who you think could be uplifted by it, someone who needs a little positivity in their life right now.