Poison

Poison
1. To contaminate or pollute, prove harmful or destructive 
2. Reduce the activity of a catalyst


I am talking about poison in a metaphorical sense and how it can be harmful physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Since we are not talking about poison itself, what am I referring to? 


I volunteer for nursery through our church once a month. I am always assigned the Snails room, which is essentially all infants. There was a shortage of infants so I ended up in the next step up with the 12-18 month kids. I introduced myself to the other ladies and took to the task at hand by playing with the kids. These ladies were apart of some clique at the church, and spent the whole time talking poorly of other members. I walked away from what usually is a pleasant time for me with a sour disposition. My husband asked me what happened and I explained it to him. And as I was explaining how I felt somehow dirtier for even being in the same room with them, I checked myself and realized how often I do this too, and felt ashamed. Have you ever walked away from a conversation and felt worse about yourself for having taken part in it? That is what I'm talking about. I realize I do this all the time with my husband and I spent time reflecting to myself why I do it. I think a lot of it comes from self esteem, as a subconscious way of bringing myself up by comparing (like saying I would never do that if I were a parent makes me superior), bringing that person down by pointing out flaws in their behavior. I also think that when you feel you've been wronged in someway, talking poorly about that person is sort of like serving justice to them, or because negativity is generally more entertaining. Have you ever gone to an outing with your peers from work or school, and noticed the conversation is usually only about complaining about management? I sure have! At my last job I was very close to my co workers, and now I never talk to any of them. I seriously think it is because the only thing we had in common was a bad boss. 


So what do my shortcomings have to do with health? Well this blog isn't just about physical fitness but about emotional and spiritual too. And emotional and spiritual negativity or poison affects you physically. There have been many studies (references below as always) that have linked optimistic behaviors and tendencies enjoy the following benefits:

• Increased life span
• Lower rates of depression
• Lower levels of distress
• Greater resistance to the common cold
• Better psychological and physical well-being
• Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
• Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

Why do researchers and psychologists think this is? "One theory is that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful health effects of stress on your body. It's also thought that positive and optimistic people tend to live healthier lifestyles — they get more physical activity, follow a healthier diet, and don't smoke or drink alcohol in excess," states Dr. Creagan from the Mayo Clinic (May 21,2011). Oh and get this! Researchers from the National Institute on Aging found that people who were cynical, impulsive, or aggressive tended to be more overweight. 

So does this mean we have to don a Mary Poppins outfit and sing about sunshine and rainbows all the time? Of course not. But keep in mind from my previous article about what stress does to us. Try to exercise if negativity is deriving from stress. In my case, gossip or being negative can be a changed behavior too. I think it is important to identify the bad stuff, figure out the origin, and change your focus. And if you find yourself hanging around negative people, try thinking of ways to change the subject. In my revelation about myself, I realized that my self esteem drove me to participate in negative conversation. I plan to try and change by writing down a list of goals that aren't related to the scale. This is called practicing positive self talk. Sometimes the person we are the hardest on is ourselves. A negative person could look at their weight loss goals and say "ugh, I'm so ugly and hideous. I still have 30 freakin pounds to go. So much work." How about instead "Wow, I've already lost 30 pounds! I'm halfway there! Look at what I have achieved that is so hard to do. This is going to be so rewarding once I reach my goal." I have done this a lot lately, and focusing on my running goals has helped a lot. 

At one of my previous jobs, I always dreaded working with one person. He was always a constant rain cloud. I could have had the BEST day ever and there he'd be, raining on my sunshiney parade. I could have sworn if he won the lottery, he'd just complain about the hassle it would cause. I don't want to be that person.

So maybe you should ask yourself, are you a rain cloud or are you sunshine? 


"Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, and small people talk about people."

"Wise men talk because they have something to say fools talk because they have to say something."

References:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_114489.html
Brummett BH, et al. Prediction of all-cause mortality by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Optimism-Pessimism Scale scores: Study of a college sample during a 40-year follow-up period. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2006;81:1541.
Brydon L, et al. Dispositional optimism and stress-induced changes in immunity and negative mood. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. 2009;23:810
Seaward BL. Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-Being. 6th ed. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones & Bartlett Publishers; 2009:445