The Power of Positivity: The Effects of a Positive Mindset on Health & Beauty

I am sure you have heard to "Think Positive," "Push out negativity," before. How does thinking positive benefit you and effect your health and beauty?

Let's dive into and explore the benefits of positive thinking!

# Positivity

A year like 2020 has brought many challenges and has left people counting the days until its over. Many things have gone awry this year, and have left many of us dealing with the repercussions of an ever changing environment.

Most of us have been bombarded by stress and negativity, much of which has been exacerbated by media and social media.

How has this taken a toll on you mentally and even physically?

How can we prevent this or guard our thoughts and mind?

Our minds are really powerful. Factors like stress has been known to lead to complications and even disease. 

Positive thinking is away to approach obstacles and situations we face. This can help us decrease the amount of stress we feel.

The meaning of positive thinking is to think the best not the worse will occur when a situation arises.

Glass Half Full View

The Mayo Clinic mentions that positive thinking starts with a self talk. A self talk is going through the unspoken thoughts in your mind. If most of those thoughts are negative, then you may have a more pessimistic  outlook than optimistic one.

How Does Positive Thinking Benefit Me?

According to the Mayo Clinic there are benefits to a positive mindset. Check out our graphic below:

The Road to Positivity

To get started with a positive mindset we need to figure out where our heads are at.

First, we need to identify any negative thinking you may have. This can include things like the following:

• Filtering - that is when you focus on the negative parts of a problem and do not include the positive aspects.

• Personalizing-  You blame yourself as the reason something went wrong

• Catastrophizing - Thinking everything is going to go wrong and the day will be ruined. Just expecting the worse.

• Polarizing -You only see things as black and white, bad or good. You don't recognize a middle ground and the shades of gray. 

Next, focus on the positives thoughts!

Achieving a healthy mindset does take work, but it is worth it! We have included some activities and things that you can do to achieve a more positive mindset.

1. Meditation - This is a great way to to focus on mindfulness. This is something that has been used for many years to achieve relaxation physically and mentally. It allows you to focus on your thoughts and feelings. It is a great tool to learn to be present in the moment and allows your body to be calm and more relaxed.

We have listed some apps that are great for Meditation below!

2. Journaling - Taking some time during your day to recount how you feel in a journal is a great way to express your thoughts, feelings, and aid in personal growth. This a great way to boost your mood and allows you to set goals and keep track of your achievements. Lastly, journaling allows you to reflect on your day. What's working? What's not working? How you felt?

3. Self Love- We mentioned Self Talk before. However, you want to focus on positive self talk. We are own harshest critic, but this is not the time criticize yourself. Instead, focus on the positives. Voice those positive thoughts out loud. This helps you act on it and be more grateful. It is important to show ourselves kindness. This is goes hand in hand with giving yourself a Pep Talk. It's ok to tell yourself "You Got This!" Make sure to give yourself a daily pep talk.

4. You Time - Everyone needs a moment for themselves. It is important to make some time for yourself. This allows you to gather your thoughts, reflect and give yourself a time out from the daily hustle and bustle.

5. Limit your time on social media - Social Media has been great at connecting people however more and more it has been seen that anxiety, depression, and a poor self image. We get caught up in comparing ourselves to everyone we see on Social Media and in the end make ourselves feel bad. Try to limit your time on Social Media and edit your news feed to show things that make you feel happy. Also, take a day to detox away from any Social Media.

6. Surround yourself with positive people -  As humans we need to interaction with other people. We can not just rely on Social Media, and Internet for that interaction. We need to interact with other people in person in order to get that connection. Make sure the people you do surround yourself with are positive people too. There are many quotes and sayings out there, but to sum them up, who you surround yourself with reflects on the person you become. If you want to be more positive and have a more positive mindset, then you will need to surround yourself with those who have a positive mindset.

7. Set Attainable Goals- It is important to have goals, but they must be attainable. Look at your goals, and make sure they are attainable and realistic. Making a goal that you cannot achieve will only set yourself up for disappointment. Make sure you set not only an attainable goal but also make a reasonable deadline for it. Try following the SMART acronym when setting a goal.

S - Specific

M -Measurable

A -Achievable

R -Realistic

T -Timely

8. Finally, remember that positive thinking takes time and practice. 

We have made a list of helpful apps that can aid in starting new healthy habits, journaling and positive affirmations.

A positive mindset can lead to less self-criticism and more self acceptance! This will help with handling stress in a more constructive manner.

Positive Thinking = Stress Management

The Positive Effects on Beauty

It's no secret that high levels of stress can lead to faster aging. 

Dr. Nicholas Perricone has said there is a beauty-brain connection.  He is talking about the effects of stress on aging. Stress is know to lead to high levels of the hormones epinephrine (a.k.a. adrenaline) and cortisol. This increases inflammation and protein loss like a loss of collagen. Collagen is a protein in our body that is the main component of our connective tissues. Furthermore according to Wellnest, studies have shown that high levels of stress lead to cell damage through oxidative stress and shortened telomeres.  A telomere is the end cap of a chromosome. The length indicates the aging of a cell. We see this in the signs of aging in our skin. 

Wellnest also mentions some of the effects of stress and our beauty. Signs of stress can show in dark circles and bags under our eyes, sensitive and dry skin, weigh gain or loss, and acne.

The best way to combat stress is to practice mindfulness such as meditation, also a healthy diet, exercising, and positive thinking and affirmations. These are all great ways to combat high stress levels and keep skin looking youthful while making your body feel great!

Beauty Defined By You

A positive mindset not only combats stress, but is a great way to focus building self esteem and self love.

As individuals we are different in how we feel, think, act, and look. It is important to realize that in those difference is the beauty!

We are unique and that makes us beautiful. Instead of comparing ourselves to the images we are bombarded with on social media, magazines, and tv; we should embrace those differences.

I myself have struggled with having a positive body image. I have always struggled with my weight and questioned my beauty growing up. I would constantly compare myself to other girls in school and on the TV. My Barbie did not look like me.

I just felt a lot of pressure to look a certain way and never amounted to what I saw. This grew even worse after having 2 kids. I am now in my 30s and at the heaviest weight I have ever been in my whole life. However, through my life experiences and becoming more comfortable  with who I am, I have come to realize I will not look like a supermodel. I also realized that should not be my goal. My goal is to be healthy, happy and confident in the person I am and the person I continue to become. I am still beautiful and my weight nor does societal standards determine that. It is determine by me!

What's important is what I tell myself and what I think, not the thoughts of others. Showing myself self love and positive thoughts is the most healthy and uplifting thing I can do.

We are all beautiful  and need to show ourselves love on a daily basis!

This is what inspired me to create Ciao Bellezas and our motto. I wanted to create a brand that makes others appreciate their beauty and to feel confident in their own skin. I wanted to make people feel empowered by their beauty.

Makeup does not make us beautiful. We are already beautiful. The makeup is an accent and a way to express ourselves.

Our mind and outlook is super important and can help us not only feel good but accept ourselves and love ourselves. This will leave us feeling stronger and confident as individuals.

As L'oreal says, "You're worth it." Now just believe it, because Beauty is defined by YOU!