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Friedrich Nietzsche famously said: “What does not kill us, makes us stronger.” It’s great catch phrase used in songs and movies, but can surviving traumatic events actually lead to a positive outcome?
That’s a question people have been asking themselves throughout history. For thousands of years, humans have been telling stories about an ordinary hero going on an adventure, who overcomes challenges agains all odds and then comes home transformed.
When you’re in the middle of a war zone, lying in a hospital bed or grieving a loved one, it’s hard to see how anything good could ever come from that. But science shows that traumatic events not only cause immense distress, but can also provide an opportunity for personal change, namely post-traumatic growth.
Anyone who’s ever spent a night staring at the ceiling knows it’s true: your mind can be your most powerful ally or your worst enemy.
Left alone with your thoughts, you might start replaying problems in your head, worry about what the future might bring or fantasize about your dreams coming true. Either way, you’re tapping into the power of your imagination.
Imagination is your ability to form a mental image of objects, landscapes, scenarios or ideas without the immediate input of your senses. From vividly picturing your worst fears to envisioning yourself on a tropical beach, your brain has the power to conjure up all kinds of plots and plans.
But even though it’s all in your mind, your imagination may shape your reality more than you may realize. Creative thinking helps to come up with out-of-the-box solutions for your problems. Playing out scenarios in your mind can also prepare you for real-life challenges, making it easier to stay calm and perform well in high-pressure situations. What’s more, picturing yourself achieve your goals will give you the self-efficacy you need to make your dreams come true.
Your thought patterns also have a tangible effect on your body. When you fantasy about the perfect vacation or kissing that guy you fancy, your body releases happy hormones that boost your wellbeing in many ways. That’s because your brain does not distinguish much between vividly imagining and actually experiencing a situation. It’s through the release of those neurochemicals and the following physical reactions, that imagination, visualization and positive constructive daydreaming can boost your brain power, lower your stress levels, reduce fear and help you manage pain.
So tap into the power of your imagination and unleash your creative wisdom with these 17 quotes!
All day long, thousands of thoughts are running through our minds. Funnily enough, most of them are exactly the same thoughts as the day before: we ponder about performing well at work, spending enough time with our family and what we’ll have for dinner. Overthinking is the tendency to constantly monitor and analyze your thoughts. … Read more >
Where did I put my keys? What did the doctor say about these meds? What’s the name of that therapist again?
Chronic illness can often be accompanied by cognitive issues. For people dealing with chronic conditions, problems with memory are not only a matter of forgetting anniversaries or details from the past. Memory problems coupled with chronic illness can be a recurring issue as you go about your daily routines, affecting your overall health and quality of life.
The thing is, memories evolve. When the brain attempts to rebuild memories each time a person tries to recall something, it stores them again for future use. This is where things get mixed up, according to research.
Still, you have to know that there are ways you can improve your brain’s ability for recall. While there may be no guarantee of preventing dementia or memory loss, at least you’ll have a better chance of rebuilding your memory with the following five techniques.
Stiff upper lip. Keep calm and carry on. Soldier through. Put on your big girl/boy pants. Let it go. Our society is filled with platitudes about trauma.
But while these catchy little tropes might make for a good bumper sticker, they certainly don’t make for a good — or healthy — life strategy. The truth is that, contrary to yet another popular cliche, time does not, in fact, heal all wounds.
Quite the contrary. Attempting to simply ignore or “move on” from your trauma is an almost guaranteed way to never truly heal — and the long-term effects, not only to your mental wellbeing but also to your physical health, can be devastating.
You deserve better. You deserve to live your life healed from your trauma. And it can be done.
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