The True PMA

My blog last week focused on the 6^th Habit of health- PMA (Positive Mental Attitude), why this is important to our health, and my method for taking back control of emotions. You may or may not have put it to the test, maybe you haven’t needed to. If you have needed to use this method, I would love to hear from you. I hope it has made a difference, and offered you some comfort and empowerment.

I thought I would take some time this week to look into the concept of PMA in a bit more detail. To look at what it actually means. The reason for this is I find there is often a misconception regarding PMA, the idea is often not fully understood and therefore the person practicing PMA can be doing themselves more harm than good. To explain, I have previously had both patients and team members who, when coaching have told me that a positive mental attitude means the following: being happy all the time and/or maintaining that you are okay/ happy/ healthy even when you are not. There are many occasions when I have done the above (I don’t think I am alone here) but this is not PMA. That is creating an illusion to oneself, not wanting to ask for help, not feeling able to ask or discuss or address anxieties. This is nothing to be ashamed of, but it’s a distinctly different concept.

I touched on the real PMA in my last blog, when I mentioned about the relevance of the link between emotional health and physical health. The fact that healthy, happy upbeat thoughts produce neuropeptides and the body’s need for these chemicals for repair and healing. Simply pretending things are okay will not make it so. There is no truth there, you are simply masking over the problem. Saying you are happy without the conviction will not make it so. There is, like everything, more to it. At this point, I want to address the statement about PMA meaning "being happy all the time" because this is not healthy. (Hopefully you will all know that, it goes without saying). It is absolutely normal to not be happy all the time. It is normal to be angry, sad, afraid, anxious or any emotion you may feel. It is completely normal and natural to have  negative emotions and it is my firm belief that you need to feel these at certain points in your life.

Negative emotions on some level are healthy, and perfectly acceptable. The however part though is this, if you feel this way all the time, over a long period of time or every time you have a particular encounter; that is the unhealthy part. That will hold you back and hold you in a place where you are not nourishing your PMA habit. This will affect health as previously mentioned and will hold you in a place where you are not growing.

Last week I outlined my method for taking back control of my emotions so after acknowledging and experiencing, you can take back the power and can move forward and grow. There are other important factors that also need addressing here and that I call the ‘noise.’ The noise is all the other stuff going on around you that contributes to the negative feelings. The noise is tempting, it can come in many forms and it is designed to pull you in and away from your purpose. We can’t control all of the noise, but we can control or dampen down some of it. So, what is this noise? As I said it is many things but here are a few examples:

·        The News- This is a massive bug-bear of mine. It used to be that we would watch the 10pm news before bed (not ideal but anyway!) and that would be it. As if that wasn’t bad enough, now there is no escape. It is everywhere, we can’t even watch television without news interrupting the advert breaks. It’s 24 hours of non-stop doom and gloom, sucking us in, getting us to download apps so we get updates of the doom which we feel compelled to read at all hours. Do you get the feeling that I am not a fan? It’s not great if you are worried, stressed and anxious to begin with. The simple act of avoiding the news can make a difference and is the first thing I tell patients to do.

·        Social Media- The short answer is to avoid, for similar reasons to the above. There is also the pressure to respond to notifications/ posts straight away and it’s easy to lose track of time while trying to find out what is happening in everyone else’s life.

·        Other people’s social lives- It’s so easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing and what challenges they are facing. Obviously, we need to be there in times of need for family and friends, but often there are things we are concerned about for them that we don’t need. There are times where we are more concerned for others then they are for themselves. This is not healthy.

·        Apps- I again touched on this above, we have apps on our phones and tablets, they are constantly pinging to let us know something. Often, we feel the pressure to respond straight away. We get sucked in and our attention is taken by what else is going on.

There are many more items of ‘noise’ but these are just a few of them. I am also acutely aware that many of us are relying on these at the moment whilst we are working from home or isolated from friends and family or have limited face to face human contact. It’s a challenging and worrying time for everyone. Reducing some of your exposure to ‘noise’ will help, at the very least avoid the news especially before going to bed. You could also have a clear out of your apps, turn off notifications, select what you respond to and start filtering through negative information.

Start protecting your PMA by distancing yourself from negativity and actively seek things, people, aspects that inspire and bring you joy. Listen to inspirational speakers, read inspiring books, create, meditate, whatever you need to do to bring that positive glow back to you. This will boost your positive mental attitude and bring you one step closer to your health goals. This is where you start accumulating the power to control how you react and feel. The power to improve your health starts from within and you are in control.