Positive thinking: A skill for stress relief

Stress management requires a positive perspective — knowing how to turn pessimism into optimism.

Is your glass half-empty or half-full? How you answer this age-old question may reflect your outlook on life and whether you're optimistic or pessimistic.

In fact, studies show that these personality traits —optimism and pessimism — can affect how well you live and even how long you live.

Need an attitude adjustment? Find out how to reduce your stress by halting negative thoughts and practicing positive self-talk.

Be positive: Live longer, live healthier
Self-talk is the endless stream of thoughts that run through your head every day. These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative. If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook on life is likely pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you're likely an optimist.

Some of your self-talk comes from logic and reason. Other self-talk may arise from misconceptions that you create because of lack of information.

Researchers continue to explore the effects of optimism on health. The health benefits optimism may provide are:

Decreased stress
Greater resistance to catching the common cold
A sense of well-being and improved health
Reduced risk of coronary artery disease
Breathing easier if you have chronic obstructive lung disease, such as emphysema
Improved coping ability for women with high-risk pregnancies
Living longer
Better coping skills
It's unclear why optimists experience these health benefits. But one theory is that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the effects of stress on your body.