Wednesday, June 21, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Fit For
Sisters
Andrew Luscutoff
Columnist
The health effects
of optimism
Everyone knows that
person who is always sing-
ing the sweet song of opti-
mistic, encouraging, and
happy thoughts. To an out-
sider, this person may seem
blind to the struggles, strife,
and sirens of the crumbling
world around us. They
may even be an annoyance
when they cannot seem
to care about how bad the
weather is, or the results
of the previous election
cycle.
These people cruise
through life with a rose-
colored shade. Are they on
to something? Do people
who see the bright in every-
thing life a longer, healthier
life? When terminal illness
does arrive, do they live
longer?
Science is now saying
that the outlook a person
has generally affects their
longevity in two distinct
areas: when they are faced
with a serious condition,
and while aging into the
later years of life. Outlook
definitively predicts qual-
ity of life despite the chal-
lenges they faced, accord-
ing to the researchers. This
revelation was so profound
that some treatment therapy
now includes positive emo-
tional training for condi-
tions such as cancer and
HIV.
Our brain reacts to the
world around it with dif-
ferent responses. It would
be impossible to say that
minor annoyances don’t
provide a negative reac-
tion in the brain; they do.
The trick seems to be how
fast the negative response is
turned around and thoughts
recover. Neuroscientists
from the University of
Wisconsin show that peo-
ple whose brains recover
slower from a negative
emotion (ie. they stew in
negativity) are much more
likely to suffer from a vari-
ety of health conditions.
Our minds, however, are
trainable, and the research-
ers focused on a six-week
training course to sup-
port positivity. They found
that in as little two weeks
in some they were able to
make changes in the brain’s
circuitry.
In The Journals of
Gerontology, one study
published the effects of
compounding positivity.
A single simple positive
thought can get the ball
rolling, building a chain
of positive thoughts. The
interesting discovery was
that people with the mind-
set training to produce
positivity had lower blood
levels of C-reactive pro-
teins. This is a marker
of stress in the body,
which can cause inflam-
mation, heart conditions,
and a whole host of other
problems.
What are some ways
to turn that frown upside
d o w n ? D r. B a r b a r a
Fredrickson, a positive
thinking researcher from
the University of North
Carolina recommends:
Doing good for others;
take a moment to appreci-
ate; develop strong rela-
tionships; establish and
work towards a goal; learn
something new; accept
yourself, flaws and all;
practice resilience; practice
mindfulness.
Take a moment, relax,
and flip the switch to a
more positive mindset. It’ll
change your perspective on
the world around you, and
impact your health for the
better.
Your Care Can Treat
You For Your Allergy
Symptoms Today!
PHOTO PROVIDED
Garden-focused education is taking off in Central Oregon — and especially
in Sisters.
Garden educators
meet in Sisters
Last week, the Central
Oregon Garden Educators
Network met in Sisters for a
garden tour. They started at
Seed to Table Farm, then the
Sisters High School green-
house, followed by a work
party at Sisters Elementary
School.
“We believe successful
school gardens require well-
informed educators that can
learn from and support each
other,” said Lauren Williams,
membership and commu-
nications manager with the
network. “That’s why we
launched the Central Oregon
Garden Educators Network
last fall. Going forward, we
will expand and sustain our
network to provide regular
training, networking events
for peer-to-peer learning,
problem-solving, resource
sharing; and garden tours.”
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