This power of attitude on your health is one whopper lesson I learned during my cancer journey. I had no idea that one’s attitude could impact their immune system in such a powerful way. I’m not saying I didn’t have my ups and downs. Cancer is a roller coaster ride. Some days I was soaring in my faith, but the next day I might plunge into fear and trembling. Our attitudes affect our health and our IMMUNE SYSTEM in many ways, but here are the attitudes that positively impact your health:
- Replace fear with faith. It’s okay to experience some fear. It’s a normal part of the journey. You can use your fear to motivate you to make lifestyle changes that improve your prognosis. But you can’t continually live in a fear state because it taxes your immune system. Fear does not stop death. It stops life. Give your fears to God. Pray about them and realize the worst that can happen is your graduation to Heaven if you are in Christ. There’s no better way to take the sting out of fear!
- See your situation as a glass half full, not half empty. Look for the silver linings. Know that God can take any situation and use it for our good and His glory. Rest in Romans 8:28. Remember the words of Corrie Ten Boom:
Jesus did not promise to change the circumstances around us.
He promised great peace and pure joy to those who would believe
that God actually controls all things.
- Don’t let worry get the best of you. Worry is like a rocking chair. It gets you nowhere while suppressing your body and immune system. You’ll have your days for sure. But most of the things we worry about never happen. I’ve had several close calls during my treatments and afterwards—when my lung x-ray made me fear my cancer had spread to my lungs, when an odd patch was found in my mouth that had to be biopsied, when my mammogram was not clear enough and an MRI had to be done, and when pain appears in my body. Yet so far, I am cancer free. Oh the worries cancer can bring! Worry does not take away today’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace. And peace promotes healing.
- Learn to live one day at a time. It took my cancer journey to force me to do this. One day is all I could handle at a time. And living this way alleviates much stress on our immune system. Oh, the wisdom the Bible teaches us!
- Live a life of forgiveness. As Christians we have the prime reason to be a people who are forgiving. God has forgiven us and He sent His Son to pay the ransom for our sins. That motivates us to forgive others.
Emotional stress whether through unresolved conflict, anger, resentment, abandonment, grief, worry, or unforgiveness has a negative impact on your immune system. Anything that causes your stress response to activate increases cortisol in your body. And when it activates continually, it can wreak havoc on your immune system.
No wonder the Apostle Paul tells us to “Look for the good.” Yes, even in the middle of this pandemic of COVID-19. The positive attitudes actually boost our immune system while the negative attitudes tend to suppress it. Dr. Robert Jeffress wisely said, “If you can change your attitude, you can change your life.” Yes, you can change your life and your well-being. Having a positive attitude of faith can actually promote our good health and increases longevity. And it can boost our immune system and lessen our changes of getting COVID-19!
When it comes to facing hard times, attitude is everything. We can’t escape the impact of COVID-19 all around us. But when we look to God and His eternal purposes and promises to us, we can feel at peace. What are some attitudes you need to change because they are impacting your health?
For Your Health,
Ginny
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