Page 68 - South Mississippi Living - June, 2020

HEALTHY LIVING
the power of THINKING
Dstory by Lori Beth Susman photo courtesy of Laurie Johnson
r. Norman Vincent Peale was a believer stress and grief.”
in the power of positive thinking. So Her advice? “Distract our brains from seeing only much so, that Peale, who along with his what’s wrong. This can begin with something as wife Ruth Sta ord Peale founded the simple as a daily practice of gratitude. Just thinking
interfaith ministry Guideposts in 1945, wrote a book about or journaling ve things that worked well
entitled, “The Power of Positive Thinking.” Using the book as a guide, Peale demonstrated that when an individual changes their attitude in a positive manner, they will nd positive changes in their life.
Peale was able to prove that in his own life and, in fact, knew that everyone has this personal “power.” He reasoned, if each individual had a favorable attitude, then each is capable of doing great things.
Having a positive attitude, a seemingly simple concept that sometimes isn’t all that easy, is especially important during times of trouble, such as when
a pandemic arises and major changes in daily life occur. Positive thinking helps with managing this additional stress and has even been shown to improve health.
Laurie Johnson, an associate certi ed life coach and owner of 4 Elements Coaching located in Bay St. Louis, said, “Sometimes we get in a groove of thinking that resembles an old record that plays
the same song. When we are stressed, as many of
us are now, it’s hard to nd ways to get out of the groove of believing that everything is falling apart. It becomes a train wreck of negative thinking that feels overwhelming and shows up in our bodies as anxiety,
or made you happy each day can change your relationship to positive thinking.”
Johnson added to use a rmations like “I’m so happy and grateful now that...” It might be as simple as “...now that the roses are blooming” or “I have a full pack of toilet paper.”
Helping others at this time is important, too. “When your friend is down in the dumps, listening and allowing the friend to vent about what’s wrong
can be very
helpful, until
it keeps them
stuck on that
train. You could notice what is going well for your friend and balance it out,” Johnson said.
Positive thinking is a habit individuals can cultivate. The more one is surrounded by like minded people – the positive ones – the more they are likely to notice that in their brain and re ect it in their own life.
LAURIE JOHNSON, owner of
4 Elements Coaching
68 | June 2020
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living