The Power of Positive Thinking

I want to share a story regarding positive thinking.  This experience happened during the summer before I was to be a Junior in college.  I’m a Type A personality, the oldest child, and a people pleaser, which contributed to my trying to be everything to everybody.  My parents had moved from Nacogdoches, Texas, so I rented an apartment with two of my sorority sisters.  I was working a part-time job, taking summer school classes, a member of a sorority, and a little sister to a fraternity.  Needless to say, I had no free time. 

I continued on this path until circumstances sent my health on a downward spiral.  After a doctor’s visit, he determined that I had walking pneumonia.  He implicitly instructed me to cancel everything I was doing, including classes immediately, and stay in bed for an entire week, only leaving the bed to use the toilet or get something to eat or drink.  The following week he would re-evaluate me.  If there was no improvement, he was going to put me in the hospital.

That week, I must say, was one of the worst weeks of my life.  I had never coughed with such intensity and so out-of-control.  Once I started coughing, I was afraid I would never stop.  Several times throughout that week, I thought I would die, or maybe I wished I would.  My parents were now in Wyoming, so I had no one to care for me, only sympathy from my mom over the phone.

I knew at that time that I could continue to wallow in my illness, or I could pray and start to look at the possibility of regaining my health.  I had read where your brain can help you heal, so I was going to see if it was true.  Fortunately, during those rough seven days, I slowly began to mend.  And as I began to feel better, I became bored.  We didn’t have cell phones or TVs in each room as we do now.  But I learned another essential self-help technique – journaling.  There are many advantages to journaling, especially helping you prioritize problems, fears, and concerns.

Check out my Pinterest folder labeled journaling.  I’ve included many different tools to assist you. https://www.pinterest.com/JulieSpirkFolkerts

Remember, positive thinking can lift your spirits, can aid in keeping you healthy, attract positive energy, and contribute to a new level of success and happiness.

All my best, Julie