Something to Help Keep You Alive…Literally

“Remember that it is not how you feel that determines how you act but how you act that determines how you feel.”

That’s how a friend paraphrased that quote to me. I have it set up as a reminder in Outlook at work three times each week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. That’s another one of those things that I do for myself.

Reminding myself that I can will myself into feeling better is an important coping tools. Sometimes, I am tempted to give in to the downward sucking force of negative momentum. You know, the whole “how you feel determines how you act” scene. It’s the opposite of what I believe is true. Choosing to believe that your feelings should rule your actions is the kiss of death. Sometimes, that’s literal.

There was a study…can’t recall where I read about it…that followed a group of nuns in a convent for 20 years. The baseline of the study measured attitude. They interviewed the nuns and evaluated the positive or negative nature of their outlook. They’ve been working with these nuns for 20 years (or something like that), and they have found that the most negative of the lot died significantly earlier (10 years in many cases) than the most positive nuns. That’s something to think about.

Now, I realize this sounds like a totally bogus, anecdotal, and misinformed recounting of a study, but it’s fer reals. Google “The Nun Study” to get more detailed information. There’s even a book. The study included over 600 nuns from about 6 different convents. They were all from the same Order. The study also revealed amazing information regarding Alzheimer’s. There’s more to dig into.

On the surface, the positivity aspect of the study should be enough to make you stop and think about your attitude. Are you acting the way you feel, or are you acting yourself into the way you want to feel? A slight change in your perception of your own attitude might be something to help keep you alive…literally.