The Little Blue Book

(1) The power of positive thinking: Pathological worry is reduced by thought replacement in Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Eagleson C., Hayes S., Mathews A.; www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov For the person suffering anxiety of this type, symptoms may include struggling with everyday tasks, being restless and on-edge, having difficulty concentrating, muscle tension, feeling conspicuous and embarrassed, irritability and unexplained pains, being excessively or easily tired, and, commonly, chronic sleep disorders. Negative thinking, negative self-talk and anxiety responses like this can be dangerous to our wellbeing. Please do talk to your GP or health professional if you are troubled by thinking of this type. There is strong evidence to show that being fundamentally happy, having a positive outlook on life, increases psychological resilience. It gives us a little more emotional armour – a strengthened inner buffer zone, psychologically and physiologically – to help us cope with negative events and to more quickly ‘bounce back’. 1 But it’s not just the ‘coping’, it also has an impact on our physical health and resilience. Research published in the International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine shows that ‘good humour’, an ability to laugh, protects health by enhancing our immune system. Humour, laughter, increases levels of “salivary immunoglobulin A (S-IgA)”. This protein, as it turns out, is an immune system protein that is in the body’s “first line of defence against respiratory illnesses”. 2 “These findings indicate that persons who are able to regain and maintain positive emotional states when faced with a stressful life experience (e.g., via laughter, coping with humour) can show improvements in immune function.” 2 LAUGHTER, GOOD HUMOUR, AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM (1) Cultivating positive emotions to optimise health and well-being. Prevention and Treatment; Fredrickson, BL., et al, (2000) www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov http://journals.apa.org (2) Positive emotional states and enhancement of the immune system. Dillon K., Minchoff B., Baker KH. (1986); International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Did you know? ! To reach out, Call : Beyond Blue 1300 224 636 beyondblue.org.au Lifeline 13 11 14 lifeline.org.au ADA Australia ‘A friendly ear’ 1800 232 287 National Mental Health Helpline 1300 643 287 www.mhfa.org.au PostScript Section 2 Section 3 Section 1 19 ADA Australia