Macrobiotic philosophy is rich with positive psychology encouraging a more optimistic attitude to our health and life. The focus is on making positive changes. Macrobiotic positive psychology is part of macrobiotic education and health coaching.
Research has shown that more optimistic people tend to live 11 to 15 years longer, are less likely to become ill and when ill recover more quickly. This is similar to the benefits of healthy eating. It therefore makes sense to combine healthy eating with positive psychology. Macrobiotics also includes exercise, good sleep and healthy emotions for a holistic approach to health.
Positive psychology is the study of what makes people feel happier. Whereas traditional psychology focusses on researching, labelling and treating mental disorders. Positive psychology explores ways to help someone living a fairly normal life be more happy, content and positive.
Key Macrobiotic Principles for Greater Optimism
The key macrobiotic principles for enjoying a more positive approach to life include:
- Gratitude and being able to appreciate challenges.
- Being loving to self and others, and enjoying a love of life. Includes being loving to those that create the most problems in our lives.
- Continuous learning and education, being the eternal student.
- Self development through self-reflection.
- Being positively engaged in society.
- Creating a philosophy of life.
- Developing an open and freer mind, with less limiting beliefs.
- Adopting the biggest perspective of life.
- Gaining greater control of life through self discipline and responsibility.
Various practical techniques can be applied during macrobiotic health coaching sessions to help people enjoy more of these qualities. Research suggests that when people feel more optimistic they also make more healthy choices and find it easier to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Conclusion
Macrobiotic education and health coaching can be provided through the use of a positive language where the affirmative actions and choices are emphasised. This can include emphasis of people’s strengths, recommending healthy foods and suggesting healthy lifestyle activities. The research suggests that focussing on positives, such as what to eat encourages placebos and reduces the risk of introducing nocebos. This approach is more likely to lead to positive outcomes in terms of patients ability to make positive health changes to their diet and lifestyle.
In addition within macrobiotics there are many principles that can form part of coaching people to be more optimistic, positive and affirmative. This in itself can lead to better health and greater longevity.
Macrobiotic Positive Psychology Paper
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