The Power of Positive Thinking

Guest Article by Judith A. Falk, LCSW  (contact information can be found at the bottom of this article)

As human beings, we are wonderful works of creation. We speak about ourselves in parts, as body, emotions, mind, and soul. By focusing on each part separately, we can learn about the whole. In actuality, though, all these are connected, and each affects all the others. Who has not had the flu, and found it very hard to think? Or had an emotional surprise, and felt a racing heart or rapid breathing?

In psychotherapy, we focus on mind and emotions. It is true that pleasant and positive thoughts generate positive health and well-being in our lives, while negative thoughts and feelings generate negative results. Why is it true that some people "always win" when they gamble? Why do some people seem to have everything they want and need, while others struggle to achieve the minimum? It has much to do with a person's mental outlook.

If I believe in the principle of abundance, that there is enough of everything in the universe for everyone, then this mindset creates a life of abundance for me. On the other hand, if my mindset focuses on lack, then lack is created in my life.

There is a concept called the law of attraction. It has been explained with many catchy phrases, such as: "What we believe is what we receive." Or "What we think about is what we bring about." There is science that says that our thoughts and feelings generate energy, positive or negative, that goes out into the universe. This energy comes back to us multiplied, changing our own energy positively or negatively.

Thus, if our thoughts and feelings are uplifting and positive, we will experience lives that are uplifting and positive. If our thoughts and feelings are negative, we experience lives that are negative. Positive thinking is a wonderful and effective way to improve health of body, mind, emotions, and spirit.

Positive thinking can be directed toward ourselves and toward others. A positive outlook toward ourselves is called healthy self-esteem. When we think well of others, we create social connections, and enhance our own lives, and the lives of others. Positive energy affirms others, lifts them up, and improves the collective energy. We have all heard the golden rule, which says, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Two ways to create more positive attitudes are: affirmations and gratitude.

Affirmations are statements of the reality that is true or that we wish to be true. For example, if a person wishes to find a job, s/he states that the job is already hers/his, and visualizes the job with all the good things about it. This creates energy that can actually help the person land the job.

Gratitude can be experienced by writing simple statements from the heart, and express thankfulness for all the good things we have, or would like to have. If it is difficult to do this, just think of the basics of food, clothing, and shelter. Some people begin their day be expressing everything that they are grateful for.

Contact information for Judith A. Falk, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Counseling & Psychotherapy: Maria Regina Center, 1118 Court Street, Suite 12, Syracuse, NY 13208, Ph: 315-634-6943, Cell: 315-440-6558, jaf135@yahoo.com.

Vitamin F

A Friend shared this article with me and I want to share it with you.

Why do I have a variety of friends who are all different in character?

Some of them can be considered marginal even ?

How do I get on with them all ?

I think that each one helps to bring out a "different" part of me...

With one of them I am a polite, good girl.

I joke with another friend.

I sit down and talk about serious matters with one of them.

With another I giggle at every silly thing.

I have my wine with one

And dance with another.

I listen to one friend's problems and give her advice.

Then I listen to another advising me.

 

They are all like pieces of a jigsaw,

When completed they form a treasure box.

A treasure of friends!

They are my friends who understand me better than I do,

Who support me through good days and bad days.

They are like colorful antidepressants that I take on different days.

 

Real Age doctors tell us that friends are good for our health.

Dr. Oz calls them Vitamins F (from Friends) and counts the benefits of friends to our well being.

 

Research shows that people in strong social circles have less risk of depression and terminal strokes. If you take Vitamin F constantly, you can be up to 30 years younger than your real age. The warmth of friendship stops stress, and even in your tense moments, it decreases the chance of a cardiac arrest or stroke by 50%.

 

I am so happy that I have a stock of Vitamins F!

 

In summary we should value our friends and keep in touch with them.

We should try to see the funny side of things and laugh together, remembering to "open wide" to capture the Vitamins F swirling all around us!!!

 

Thank you for being one of my vitamins!

Check Your Shampoo Bottle Label

I don't know WHY I didn't figure this out sooner!!!! It's the shampoo I use in the shower! When I wash my hair, the shampoo runs down my whole body and (duh!) printed very clearly on the shampoo label is this warning: FOR EXTRA VOLUME AND BODY! NO wonder I have been gaining weight!!! Well! I have gotten rid of that shampoo, and I am going to start using Dawn dish soap instead. Their label reads, DISSOLVES FAT THAT IS OTHERWISE DIFFICULT TO REMOVE. Problem Solved!!! If you call and I don't answer the phone, it's because I'm in the shower!!!

DID YOU KNOW?

• Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

• Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil.  It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

• Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

• Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef.  It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

• To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy  cream; then beat them.

• Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of  the recipe if your want a stronger taste of  garlic.

• Heat leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove; set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy.  No soggy micro pizza.

• For great deviled eggs put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal;  mash till they are all broken up. Add  remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy; squeeze mixture into egg.  Just throw bag away when done - easy clean up.

• To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave next to a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

• Start putting torn newspaper in your garden plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants, overlapping as you go; cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic; they will not get through wet newspaper.

• To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

• Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... Ta  DA! .. Static is gone.

• Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup.  Next, add your ingredient (peanut butter, honey, etc.) and watch how easily it comes right out.

• Foggy  Windshield: Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

• Opening Envelope: If  you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.

• Conditioner: Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth.  It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.

• Goodbye Fruit Flies: To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2 with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

• Get Rid of Ants: Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

• Safety Issue for the Clothes Dryer: The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something.  He went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load of  clothes.) He took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material.  I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well .... the hot water just sat on top of the mesh!  It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh - that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE  the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box ...  well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush at least every six months.  He said that increases the life of the dryer at least twice as long!