How Your Mindset & Beliefs Affect Your Health
Beautiful Sunset in Saint Raphael, France
Mindset, or the way we think and approach challenges and opportunities, can have a significant impact on our health outcomes. Research has shown that a positive mindset can lead to better physical and mental health, while a negative mindset can have detrimental effects on health. Often, it can be the one thing truly holding you back from thriving (whether you believe it or not!).
One study published in the Journal of Health Psychology found that people with a positive mindset had a lower risk of developing chronic health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, compared to those with a negative mindset. This may be because a positive mindset can lead to healthier behaviors, such as exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet.
In addition to physical health, mindset can also affect mental health. A positive mindset has been linked to better mental health outcomes, including lower levels of anxiety and depression. On the other hand, a negative mindset can contribute to the development of mental health issues and make it more difficult to recover from them.
Mindset can also influence how we respond to stress and adversity. People with a positive mindset are more likely to cope with stress in a healthy way, such as through social support or healthy habits, while those with a negative mindset may be more likely to turn to unhealthy behaviors, such as substance abuse, to cope with stress.
It is important to note that mindset is not a fixed trait and can be changed. There are several strategies that can help individuals develop a more positive mindset, such as practicing gratitude, setting achievable goals, and seeking support from friends and loved ones.
Improving your mindset is like any skill — it takes time and lots of imperfect practice! Everyday will provide you opportunities to CHOOSE which path you decide to go with your thoughts, will you let them hold you back or will you recognize them for what they are and choose a path that will move you forward?
Shameless plug here, I intentionally incorporated multiple aspects in the FOOD MOOD POO journal that are super helpful to grow your positive mindset with daily practices of choosing an affirmation, writing out things you are grateful for (focusing on what IS going well), and a top 3 priorities section to help you focus on actions that will indeed move you forward to your health and life goals!
How Beliefs Impact Your Health
First, let’s breakdown what a belief is. It is something that you subconsciously think and act upon. Often, these beliefs were created within your prime years of zero to seven when the subsconcious mind is forming the most. Our subconscious mind is often associated with the automatic functioning, our survival functions. At seven years of age, the conscious mind takes center stage when we become more aware of ourselves and our place in our own world. By this time, we have observed the adults and caretakers around us, sensed the environment we lived in, and developed the beliefs that we believe to be true about the world.
These beliefs are often around:
How we are perceived and what is considered “good” vs. “bad” behavior
Labels we have been given (intentionally or not, they stick!)
Relationships with our environments and the world (“the world is scary vs. the world is miraculous”)
Definitions about religious figures (and the expectations those figures have of us) and what to believe is the “true path to heaven”
How worthy we are of attention, care, and love
The “normal” way of responding to life stressors (based on what we saw our caregivers do during stressful times)
Unfortunately, if our caretakers aren’t hyper aware of how little brains are developing and soaking in literally everything, including our caretakers’ own emotions, then we often develop limiting beliefs which have a rippling affect into the rest of our lives including:
How we show up and perform in school
Our self-image and self-esteem
Our relationship to food
How we act in both our adolescent and adult romantic relationships
The friends we attract (whether they are healthy, supportive friends, or trauma-bonded)
You get it. These created beliefs can impact us on every level.
Limiting beliefs are negative thoughts or attitudes that a person holds about themselves or their circumstances that can prevent them from achieving their goals or living a fulfilling life. These beliefs can have a significant impact on a person's physical and mental health, particularly in the case of chronic diseases.
One way in which limiting beliefs can keep people sick with chronic diseases is by affecting their adherence to treatment plans. For example, a person with diabetes who believes they will never be able to manage their disease may be less likely to follow their prescribed treatment plan, such as taking medication as directed or following a healthy diet. This can lead to worse health outcomes and an increased risk of complications.
Limiting beliefs can also contribute to poor mental health, which can in turn negatively impact physical health. For example, a person with a chronic disease who believes they will never be able to live a normal life may be more likely to experience depression and anxiety, which can worsen their physical symptoms and make it more difficult to manage their disease.
Limiting beliefs can also prevent a person from seeking treatment or support for their chronic disease. For example, a person who believes that their chronic disease is a sign of personal failure may be less likely to seek help or support from others, which can make it more difficult to manage their condition and improve their health.
Thankfully, we can grow our awareness around our beliefs and redefine them to meet us where we are now. And better yet, we can create new beliefs that help us reach our goals of who we want to become, the person we know is deep within just waiting to make their grand appearance in the world. We can embody positive, uplifting beliefs that will help us grow and expand.
The beauty about choosing to 1) acknowledge ingrained beliefs that may be keeping us stagnant and 2) taking the step to courageously redefine them as well as embody (believe it even before it happens) will have a positive butterfly affect on those around you.
“You’ll see it when you believe it”
Again, mindset work and redefining our beliefs to BE the person we desire to be takes time, practice and most importantly believing that a different path IS POSSIBLE.
The first step is believing, friend.
P.S. Don’t forget to check out the FOOD MOOD POO Journal, I think you just might love it :)
References:
Fredrickson, B. L., Cohn, M. A., Coffey, K. A., Pek, J., & Finkel, S. M. (2008). Open hearts build lives: positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5), 1045-1062.
Segerstrom, S. C., & Sephton, S. E. (2010). Optimistic expectancies and cell-mediated immunity: the role of positive affect. Psychological Science, 21(2), 448-455.
Huppert, F. A., & So, T. T. (2014). The effects of positive psychological interventions on psychological well-being: a meta-analysis. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 9(4), 358-367.
Bolier, L., Haverman, M., Westerhof, G. J., Riper, H., Smit, F., & Bohlmeijer, E. (2013). Positive psychology interventions: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 119.
Hagger, M. S., Chatzisarantis, N. L., & Biddle, S. J. (2002). The theory of planned behaviour and self-regulation in exercise and sport. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32(2), 192-215.
Lorig, K. R., & Holman, H. (2003). Self-management education: history, definition, outcomes, and mechanisms. Annual Review of Public Health, 24, 1-16.
Nigg, C. R., & Rutter, C. M. (2000). Health beliefs and behaviors associated with adherence to medications for chronic diseases. Patient Education and Counseling, 40(2), 123-138.
Grover, S. A., & Conner, M. (2010). The role of illness beliefs in medication adherence: a systematic review. Health Psychology Review, 4(2), 95-112.
