New research is showing the great value of positive emotions--such as joy, gratitude, calm, hope, and compassion in our lives. Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson suggests that when we experience a positive emotion, "our vision literally expands, allowing us to make creative connections, see our oneness with others, and face our problems with clear eyes." In other words, positive emotions make us more creative, more capable of seeing what is actually happening, and more able to find solutions.
And as we seek out and nurture our positive emotions, we become better able to deal with life stressors and make the most of our situation. So moments or activities we think are fun but frivolous are not a waste of time at all--they are key to our emotional, mental, and physical health!
Dr. David R. Hawkins, MD, PhD developed a scale from 1 – 1000, representing logarithmic calibrations of human consciousness and the corresponding level of reality and the relationship between the consciousness levels. The Hawkins scale is a useful way to understand where we are in terms of conscious awareness. We have all been at low levels of consciousness in certain moments as it is necessary for achieving the higher planes of awareness. (Note: The Map of Consciousness® title and image are copyrighted and trademarked to the Institute for Spiritual Research DBA Veritas Publishing.
When you feel positive emotions your body shifts into the parasympathetic branch of your nervous system, releasing happy neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine into your bloodstream to help your body rest and repair.
Dopamine and serotonin are heavily associated with feelings of joy and happiness (in fact, people with clinical depression often have lower levels of serotonin).
Positive emotions also trigger the release of “feel-good” chemicals and hormones like Oxytocin (the love hormone) and Endorphins (a pain reliever and happiness booster) which bind to cell receptors and block pain signals.
Both of these chemicals are heavily associated with happiness (in fact, people with clinical depression often have lower levels of serotonin).
Research correlating a positive attitude with better health and a longer life found:
A 2005 paper found that happiness predicts lower heart rate and blood pressure. In the study, participants rated their happiness over 30 times in one day and then again three years later. The initially happiest participants had a lower heart rate on follow-up (about six beats slower per minute), and the happiest participants during the follow-up had better blood pressure and 23 percent lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol than the least happy.
Another study observed and rated participants on a scale of one to five for the extent to which they expressed positive emotions like joy, happiness, excitement, enthusiasm, and contentment found that over the span of ten years, the happier participants were less likely to have developed coronary heart disease. In fact, for each one-point increase in positive emotions they had expressed, their heart disease risk was 22 percent lower.
Research associated the tendency to experience positive emotions, such as feeling energetic, pleased, and calm, with greater resistance to colds and fewer unfounded symptoms. Additional research “suggests that dispositional positive affect may be associated with decreased vulnerability to (and protection against) upper respiratory infections.”
Here are some tips for increasing the amount of positive emotions in your life and the best part is that you don’t need to be happy all day, every day - just scheduling 5 minutes of happiness a day was significant enough to shift your health.
Remember to smile. Our brains don't know the difference between a real and forced smile and release the same 'happy chemicals' in both situations. So, even if you have to force it a bit to start with, smiling is great for positivity.
Laugh. Laughter is said to be the best medicine. Research backs this up, showing that laughter can help relieve pain, bring greater happiness, and even increase immunity. Laughter has been shown to reduce the level of stress hormones like cortisol, and adrenaline and increases the level of health-enhancing hormones, like endorphins. Endorphins help heal damaged cells by both decreasing inflammation and increasing the immune cell activity around damaged cells. Laughter was also found to increase the number of antibody-producing immune cells. Dr. Kelly Turner in her book Radical Remission, identifies nine characteristics that those who survived cancer had in common, including increasing positive emotions.
Spend time in nature. The environment can play a big role in triggering or soothing stress, and researchers say the more green in your life the better. Studies show that people who spend more time outdoors (or have access to green plants and windows in their indoor environment) have better moods, expanded thinking, and find more meaning in life than those who stay cooped up inside.
A 2015 study found that brains, and specifically the prefrontal cortex, of people who spent an hour walking in nature were calmer as compared to those who spent an hour walking in an urban setting. Activating the prefrontal cortex helps calm an overactive amygdala and reduce the intensity of emotional responses.
Researchers at Stockholm University in Sweden found that subjects exposed to sounds of nature showed quicker recovery from psychological stress as compared to those exposed to urban noises. You might also enjoy the sound of silence and choose to relish the quiet time to calm your mind
Move Your Body (Engage all of your senses) Any kind of physical movement, including walking, running, yoga, help can boost positive emotions by releasing feel good endorphins and other natural brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) that enhance your sense of well-being. Exercise can also take your mind off worries and negative thoughts that may feed negative emotions like depression or anxiety.
A UC Berkeley study found that feelings of awe, such as those generated during time in nature like looking at a mountain peak or a beautiful waterfall, calms over-thinking and anxiety and allows for the expression of other positive emotions. Sight and the eye movement associated with forward motion and movement (when you are walking through nature) also help calm you amygdala and activate your prefrontal cortex (commonly known as the “control panel” of the brain) monitors your emotional state and helps calm feelings of anxiety and depression.
Research conducted in Korea found that people who merely looked at natural scenes/images for a few minutes showed a marked reduction in Amygdala activity compared to those who looked at urban images. Your amygdala plays a major role in processing intense emotions, like fear and anxiety. An overactive amygdala, also known as amygdala hijack, triggers a heightened emotional response. Nature calms the amygdala response which calms the intensity of your emotional responses.
Just Breathe. Fast breathing sets off your body’s alarm bells and activates a stress response. Slow and deep breathing helps to calm stress and allows you receive more positive emotions. Deep breathing activates both the lungs and the diaphragm, especially when you breathe deeply from your diaphragm. Slower, deep breathing improves oxygen saturation, lowers blood pressure, and will put your body into parasympathetic mode. The slow expansion of your lungs signals to your heart to slow down, which sends a feeling of calm throughout your entire nervous system. Your vagus nerve connects all of this signaling and releases acetylcholine, a calming chemical you can give yourself a shot of any time by doing relaxation techniques. In one study, slow breathing exercises improved autonomic functions in healthy participants.
Practice gratitude. Writing down something you are thankful for each day. Recognizing and appreciating the good aspects of your life, no matter how small, can have a tremendous impact on your emotional wellbeing. Experts recommend adding variety to your gratitude practice by expressing your thanks in different ways each day, for things both big and small, to keep the practice meaningful and fresh.)
Be kind. Helping others has been scientifically proven to boost your own mood and lengthen your lifespan. But instead of exhausting yourself with nonstop generosity (which can become either mundane or emotionally taxing), Fredrickson suggests designating a “Kindness Day” once a week, during which you can sprinkle your ordinary activities with extra warmth—holding doors open for others, putting a quarter in an expired parking meter—or take an extra step and volunteer with a shelter or drive a friend to a doctor’s appointment.
Connect with others. Warm, trusted relationships are an essential component of emotional wellbeing. Strong social ties can boost confidence and self-esteem, as well as provide a psychological buffer against stress, depression, and anxiety. Identify the most important connections in your life—perhaps with a partner, relative, close confidante, or spiritual friend—and nurture those relationships by spending quality time together.
Hug someone (or even yourself). The physical sense of touch, like hugs, have demonstrated a measurable impact on your mood, according to recent research. Hugs were found to increase positive feelings and reduce negative ones. Petting an animal can invoke similar positive health benefits. Try to give or receive physical touch either to another person or an animal on a daily basis.
Savor goodness. Humans perpetually rush through life experiences—especially good ones. Learning to savor life means slowing down and appreciating moments of joy, contentment, and peace, no matter how small. The longer something is held in awareness, the more neurons that fire and store the object or thought in memory. Thus, savoring positive experiences and thoughts will “teach” the brain to fall into a more naturally positive pattern. Look forward to a positive experience, relish it while it’s happening, and later allow the positive feelings to re-emerge as you hold the experience in your memory.
Replace “negative self talk” with “coping self talk.” When you catch yourself thinking something negative like “I can’t do this, it’s just too hard,” try to change it to something more positive, like “This is hard but I can get through it.” It can be helpful to think of “changing the tape” that runs through your mind. It is useful to make a list of the negative thoughts you often have and write a list of positive, believable thoughts to replace them.
Stop and smell the roses. Your sense of smell connects directly to the part of your brain that regulates the release of several major hormones, which directly impact how you feel and how you function. Smell travels through your olfactory system to your hypothalamus a region of your brain that acts as your hormonal control center, by way of your amygdala in your limbic system. When you smell an essential oil for the hypothalamus, it stimulates your hypothalamus to release hormones that trigger a rapid emotional response.
A study done by Japanese researchers suggested that breathing in plant-derived essential oils and phytoncides (a beneficial chemical emitted by plants and trees), help lower blood pressure, reduces cortisol and improve your immunity. The study showed that subjects exposed to forest environments for more than a few hours demonstrated increased immune activity as measured by an increase (by more than 50%!) in the number and activity of immune supporting natural killer cells. The beneficial results lasted for over 7 days!
Essential oils are powerful tools to help you let go of negative emotions that can interfere with your ability to practice self-love, including criticism, negative self-beliefs, shame or any undermining behavior.
Rose™ alleviate symptoms of depression, calm the nervous system, promote feelings of happiness and boost your mood. Rose can be added to a bath, massaged into the skin or applied directly over the heart.
Frankincense™ fortifies the mind and assists with anxiety, nervous tension and stress-related conditions, infections and inflammations.
Lavender™ promotes calmness and promotes rapid healing of burns. It also is active against bacteria, viruses, and fungi and serves to relieve muscular pain, treat acne, and repel insects.
Peppermint™ stimulates the brain and clear thinking and promotes digestive health.
Did you know...the most powerful therapeutic results are obtained when individual essential oils are blended together - synergistically - with other essential oils. The term “synergy” actually means “working together in harmony” and is based on complex interactions among the many constituents of the individual plants from which the oils are derived that give rise to its unique characteristics and healing properties.
Discover more essential oils at Vibrant Blue Oils. Vibrant Blue Oils formulates proprietary blends of organic or wild-crafted essential oils that help balance organ systems and regions of the brain, including balancing emotions and supporting symptoms, so the body can function optimally and heal.
Take Barbara Fredrickson's online test to determine the ratio of positive to negative emotions in your current life.
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