A few weeks ago, I listened to a doctor on TV discuss the effect of stress on one's health and the importance of stress management. As he pointed out, stress can lead to such deadly diseases as cancer, diabetes, strokes and heart attacks, so it behooves us to know what causes stress and how to control it.

The Webster dictionary defines stress as "a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation." According to the doctor I listened to, a recent study by a medical group seems to verify that stress can lead to such diseases as those listed above.

Then comes the question as to the main causes of stress and in my unscientific view they are: fear, worry, dread, anxiety, and the "what ifs," all of which are initiated and fueled by negative thoughts. And what is the antidote for negativity? It is, of course, positive thinking. This leads me to conclude that a happy, positive attitude toward life is one of the absolute essentials for a healthy aging process and a happy, healthy journey to and through one's old age.

The next question might be: How does one become a positive thinker? I'm certainly no authority on the subject and my answer is based on nothing more than my own personal experience. I do not believe it is an inbred sort of thing but something that must be cultivated. Although I believe I am by nature inclined to be an optimistic kind of person, I had made no particular effort to be a positive thinker until sometime in the 1950s when I was in my 50s and read Norman Vincent Peale's book entitled, The Power of Positive Thinking. It was a life-changing experience for me. I was inspired by all the many Biblical principles he espoused, but the one I latched on to was the miracle-working power of positive thinking. I was so inspired that I made a firm resolution to make a continuing and determined effort to cast out all negative thoughts as they inevitably creep in and replace them with positive and pleasant thoughts.

At about the same time, I adopted as my motto the words of an old popular song that went something like this: Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, and don't mess with Mr. In-between. Mind control is a very difficult thing but I worked hard at it. I wasn't always successful but I stuck with it, and it eventually became as natural as breathing in and breathing out. Throughout it all I was fully aware of the important role a positive attitude was playing in my happy life and the achievement of my business goals, but totally unaware that it was busy defusing each stress attack that came my way before it became a problem and thereby making a huge contribution to my healthy aging process. I wasn't enlightened in that respect until the age of 93 when I listened to that doctor talk about stress on TV.

The essence of my message is this: Yes, it's difficult and takes self-discipline and lots of determination to stick to a healthy diet and a demanding and regular exercise program while maintaining a positive, happy attitude toward life. But I can tell you from my own experience that the payoff in terms of a healthy, rewarding and enjoyable old age is beyond belief. End of blog.

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posted at 01:49:03 PM