January 2008 |
VOL 3 ISSUE 4
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Freshman Profiles About Staying Connected |
The Advantages of Positive Thinking By Dr. Patrick Stack, Director of Counseling/Life Development A very dear friend of mine recently said, “I hate this time of the year. The holidays are over, winter has set in, and there is nothing to do. Everything is so blah.” I said, “I love this time of the year. The NFL playoffs begin, there is a Super Bowl at the end of the month, and I look forward to a possible gigantic snow storm when I can use in earnest my little snow blower.” I bought that snow blower as a promise to myself in my teenage years. Growing up in Boston, you first love the snow as a child but come to dislike it as a teenager when you are constantly shoveling it. That teenage promise to buy a snow blower in my adulthood helped me to successfully survive many a Boston winter. Even if I never get to use the snow blower I have a sense of accomplishment that I reached my goal of being financially capable of purchasing one in my adulthood. There was no doubt in my mind that one day I would be the proud owner of a snow blower. I learned from the examples of my mom and dad, as well as other adults, that hard work pays off in positive ways. Often, the Boston winter wind was piercing and the snow deep and heavy, and each lunge of my shovel into the snow and thrust of snow off the shovel into a high pile trained me that this winter effort will somehow help me for the future. Indeed it has helped. Though the days of heaving snow seem over, there is still energy to serve students at Webster University. Teaching and encouraging students is the hallmark of what I do as a therapist. One aspect of therapeutic teaching and encouragement is positive thinking. Positive thinking is proactive. I have been told that the Chinese lexicon for the word crises is the combination of two words- danger and opportunity. Positive thinking acknowledges danger but embraces opportunity. It is also an unspoken assurance or confidence that things will work out. Practicing positive thinking is similar to any other skill, the more you practice, the better you improve. Positive thinking is a choice which someone can accept or reject. Psychologically, it helps with mood regulation, provides self gentleness, and allows the extending of the benefit of doubt to others. Its positive power is immeasurable. Yes, the holidays are over and winter has set in. You can choose to think and experience these days as blah, or choose to think and experience these post holidays as the darkest time of the night which takes place right before dawn. I hope you have a wonderful winter. I will. I can’t wait to see students returning and the NFL playoffs. And maybe there is a big snow storm on the horizon that will allow me to use the snow blower. |
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