This study hardly surprises me. I have known for a very long time that not only can negative words hurt, so can negative thoughts of your very own.

In learning how to cope with my health problems and the chronic pain that it causes I learned early on that the more positive I remained and kept in my life the better I was at coping with what my body threw at me. Recognizing that I had literally no control over how my body would & could feel I came to the realization that I could have some control over how I chose to handle it.

The more positive I kept my thoughts and feelings; and the more positive people I kept myself surrounded by the better I was able to handle both the physical and emotional sides of living with a chronic illness that also comes with chronic pain.

For me it works, maybe it's a placebo type of effect... but who is counting when I know without any doubt that it makes a huge difference in my life?

I have also noticed that positive behavior and feelings can become contagious. How nice is that?

Thanks Karen!  The reminder that this works well for me is a gentle nudge my way never to forget to be grateful for the small things

~ Toni Helser ~

tjhelser@aol.com