The Power of Positive Thinking

A positive state of mind even gives you a higher pain tolerance.

When you have a positive outlook, you are better equipped to take action, cope with stress and hardships, think more creatively, and are better at problem-solving.

Thinking positively puts you in a better mood and as a result, helps you to form positive relationships with co-workers, family members, friends, and new acquaintances.

Signs Of Positive Thinking

How do you recognize a positive mindset?

People with positive attitudes tend to have a healthy lifestyle. They smile more, are more pleasant to be around, and are more calm under pressure. Someone with a more positive outlook is often willing to try new things. They have higher self-esteem, love to have a good laugh, and point out the silver lining in every gray cloud. A positive outlook is infectious, and people with a positive outlook can’t help but share it with those around them. Positive thinkers are always kind to people and don’t talk negatively about themselves or others.

People with more positive thoughts have better-coping skills and know how to manage stress better by doing things like exercising more often and having a healthier diet.

The Effects Of Negative Thoughts

The opposite of a positive outlook is a pessimistic outlook.

Negative emotions and thoughts put limitations on your brain activity and ability to make choices. When you are faced with a destructive emotion, such as fear, you can think of little else except what you are fearful of. This can be helpful when you are in a dangerous situation and you instinctively think of running away from it so you can be safe and protect your well-being. But fear is detrimental when it prevents you from trying something new that could change your life for good because you are afraid you might be laughed at, rejected, or fail. The same is true for anger, jealousy, sadness, loneliness, annoyance, guilt, frus- tration, and other negative emotions. Negative thoughts prevent us from progressing, and having a negative outlook prevents us from being happy. It affects both your physical health and mental well-being. Pessimistic attitudes attract more negativity to you. Complaining, being cynical, not trusting, and blaming make it more likely that disappointing things will continue to come to you.

Signs Of Negative Thinking

Turn a negative thought into a positive one by recognizing the signs of a pessimistic outlook. One sign is perfectionism. When you set standards that are impossible to reach, you constantly set yourself up for failure. Another sign of a damaging attitude is anticipating that the worst will happen without any facts to back that up. You may feel like the whole world is against you and more bad things happen to you than good.

When you get to the end of your day and obsess about the negative events that happened but filter out all the many positive experiences you had, you are allowing a harmful attitude to control your outlook on life. Those that do not make a habit of thinking positively see a glass half empty instead of half full. They focus on what they do not have instead of being grateful for what they do have. The forefront of their thinking is about what is going wrong instead of what is going right.

People with negative attitudes also tend to:

Automatically blame themselves when bad things happen Blame others instead of taking responsibility for their own thoughts or feelings Magnify minor problems into much bigger negative events

Dwell on past experiences and mistakes instead of looking toward the future Focus on minor details instead of seeing the bigger picture

Have poor stress management skills and do not make their mental health a priority. Practice Positive Self-Talk Vs. Negative

Earthquakes Cause Catastrophe in Turkey and Syria

By: Khadija Nadeem, Gr 11

On February 6 th, two large earthquakes impacted the southeastern region of Turkey near the border of Northern Syria initially killing thousands and toppling buildings across regions. The first, measured 7.8 on the Richter scale, struck early in the morning, and less than 12 hours later a second, measured at 7.6, struck the same areas. Felt by millions of people across both countries and more than 100 aftershocks following, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 provinces across Turkey. In Syria, the areas affected are divided by government territory and opposition-held land encircled by Russian-backed forces. The scale of destruction in the towns and cities across the region is shown in the destruction of buildings both commercial and residential. At a depth of just 18km below the Earth’s surface, both earthquakes were relatively shallow meaning the proximity of seismic activity made the shaking quite severe. Although Turkey is in one of the world’s most active earthquake zones, Monday’s earthquakes exceeded the catastrophic 1999 earthquake that lasted 45 seconds and had an official death toll standing over 17, 000 within a few days. In the last 7 occurrences of significant seismic shift in Turkey, the most recent in Kahramanmaras has ranked the highest and has reached the largest death count.

For much of the past week, the frantic work of rescuing people from the debris of Turkey and Syria’s earthquakes has been on a constant move but slowly, that routine is beginning to end. Instead of searching for survivors, debris is being moved from areas, and gone are the quiet pauses to stop and listen for signs of life. Post-earthquake responses have now entered a new phase, where finding and burying the dead has become a priority. Cemeteries are being expanded and volunteers are helping to respectfully lay the dead to rest. Under Islamic tradition, the bodies are washed and undergo the correct processes before being wrapped and buried. Now, the survivors face the long and difficult months approaching. Relief centres with tents and stalls with hot meals have been set up to help families settle for however long into the makeshift camps.

With entire support systems disintegrated, some don’t know how long they’ll be living in this state until they are able to return to some semblance of normal. In some parts of Turkey, people have lost hope that rebuilding efforts will begin any time soon if ever especially in cities near the Syrian border where it appears as if almost every building has suffered significant damage. With many 12-story buildings domino-ed into three or four meters of concrete, no one may ever know how many people were asleep inside when the earthquake hit. The shock and psychological collapse are what professionals at the scene fear the most, both people and the towns turning into ghosts. From social media influencers to the United

Nations, everyone across the planet is working to try to find the best way to help the citizens of the affected zones. Aid groups are sending food and supplies but efforts have been delayed due to cold temperatures, blocked roads, and the ongoing conflict in Syria. Additionally, Syria’s economy has already been struggling due to its political state, and refugees from there have hoped to find homes in Turkey, still trying to settle. President Erdogan has stated that 70 countries have offered help along with organizations such as the United Nations, and the World Health Organization. Canada itself has announced that $10 million dollars of immediate aid will be provided to Turkey. Ordinary citizens are also taking action to provide what help they can to citizens. Some havestarted GoFundMe campaigns while others have fundraised door-to-door.

Self-Talk

Stop negative self-talk with the positive things you say to yourself, words of encouragement, recognition of your successes, and sincere compliments that build your selfesteem.

Self-talk is the thoughts that run through your head. Sometimes we are not even aware of the stream of thoughts that are playing in our subconscious mind. But if we tap into our thought processes, we can have more control over whether we are practicing positive self-talk or the opposite. If your internal dialogue is mostly positive, you are a positive thinker. If it’s often negative, it reflects in a bad attitude and pessimistic outlook.Positive thinking creates positive emotions, positive attitudes, and positive results, whereas negative thinking will keep you stagnant.

Let me show you some ways you can replace pessimistic thoughts with positive thoughts: Instead of saying, “I don’t want to do that, I’ve never done it before,” say, “I’ll try it because I may learn something new.” Instead of thinking, “I’m never going to get better at this,” say, “I’ll try again until I figure it out.” We tend to be hard on ourselves, but we need to be our biggest cheerleaders. So when you feel you’ve made a mistake or even failed at something, think instead, “What can I learn from this so that I’ll be more successful?”

Don’t think about what if you fail, think about what if you succeed.

Email: asmashums@gmail.com

To be continued in next edition.

Popular Twitch streamers have raised nearly $1 million US so far and people around the world are continuing to donate what they can. If you choose to donate to those in need, ensure that your efforts are going to reputable charities that are able to help struggling areas. Cash and non-perishable food donations are welcome, but so are things like blankets, baby diapers, sanitary pads, and more. Most organizations will provide a list of items they are most in need of, so remember to give with an open heart.

Across

2.amount of points for a touchdown

5.the game that is played in the SuperBowl

6.the Philadelphia team playing

8. the MVP of the match

10. the area past the goal line

Down

1. the Kansas team playing

3.position that calls the play,initiates action, and handles the ball the most

4.winners of the last SuperBowl

7. this year's SuperBowl number in roman numerals

9. the halftime performer

Changes to NAB law lessened gravity of offences: CJP

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial said on Tuesday that after the recent amendments to the NAB law, there were definitive features in the law that have lessened the gravity of offences. For instance, properties acquired in the name of family members or spouses had been taken out of the ambit of the act, and that the law now required concrete evidence to include family members as accused in a corruption reference, he said. The CJP observed this while heading a three-judge bench that had taken up a challenge filed by former prime minister Imran Khan against the August 2022 amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO). Justice Ijazul Ahsan, a bench member, said it would be very difficult to prove if the corruption reference was referred to the relevant forum after it was returned to NAB by the accountability courts. Only five politicians among 41 acquitted after amendments, SC told However, senior counsel Makhdoom Ali Khan, who represented the federal government, told the Supreme Court that the change of procedure in corruption references did not provide any right to the petitioner to substantiate the violation of the fundamental rights with that of procedure.

Khawaja Haris Ahmed, on behalf of the pe- titioner, also pleaded before the Supreme Court that the amendments to the law did not sanction what to do next after the reference was returned by accountability courts. While citing several cases, Mr Khan argued that the petitioner for approaching the top judge directly had to cross the first threshold that the statute he had challenged was ex facie discriminatory and that his personal right had been infringed or he was representing on behalf of a certain class whose rights have been infracted and by filing the petition on their behalf such class would be benefitted and that the petitioner had acted in a bona fide manner.

The counsel said the amendments to the accountability law was not discriminatory, and the petitioner had to establish that they violated particular fundamental rights...

Source: dawn.com

Kabul willing to help address TTP sanctuaries issue

agreed to collaborate to effectively address the threat of terrorism”.

The delegation among others included ISI Chief Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum, Foreign Secretary Asad Majid, Special Envoy on Afghanistan Muhammad Sadiq and Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in Afghanistan Obaid Nizamani, who has been here since the gun attack on him on Dec 3.

and since then 58 attacks have been claimed by the group in which 170 people died. Many of these attacks were planned and directed by the TTP leadership based in Afghanistan. A senior Pakistani official, while talking to Dawn, on the background said the delegation delivered a pointed message to the Taliban officials that Afghanistan-based TTP elements must be reined in.

further said.

The details of the cooperation against the TTP would be worked out in subsequent meetings between the two sides at the experts and technical level.

The two sides in their meetings also discussed the broader issues of counter-terrorism and border security cooperation.

ISLAMABAD: The Afghan Taliban on Wednesday promised to cooperate with the Pakistan government on its concerns about the presence of the outlawed Tehreeki-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters and sanctuaries on its soil after Islamabad delivered a stark warning on the issue.

The Foreign Office in a statement issued after a day-long trip by a delegation led by Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif to Kabul said growing TTP and IS-K threat was discussed and “the two sides

By: Shahid Iqbal

Various possibilities regarding how to bring the economy back on track are being discussed in financial, trade and industry circles, and it is becoming clearer that there may be no short-term remedy for our economic troubles. Instead, there appears to be a growing consensus that the suffering of the common people may continue for a historically much longer period even if the IMF comes to the country’s support.

Much has gone wrong over the last 10 months. Many industries have been practically forced to shut production or bring capacity below 40 per cent; prices have risen at rates never experienced in recent history; and new waves of inflation are already in the pipeline, threatening to tear to shreds what remains of the purchasing capacity of common people. There is a strong fear among some stakeholders that the economy may never come back on track, and the situation may continue worsening both on the economic and political fronts. Record inflation, which may reach 33 per cent by the end of the current fiscal; critically low levels of foreign exchange reserves, and 44pc devaluation of the rupee since April 2022 have left no space for the economy — or the government — to perform. The estimated economic growth rate for FY23 has been slashed to 1.5 from 2pc. Pakistan has also

The visit took place days after the TTP gunmen raided the police headquarters in Karachi in which four people including three security personnel lost their lives. Earlier a suicide bomb explosion in Peshawar mosque on Jan 30 claimed nearly 100 lives.

The TTP was blamed for the mosque attack as well. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in TTP violence since peace talks between the militant group and the government began to falter in the later half of last year. The TTP formally ended ceasefire on November 28

The visiting delegation had met Taliban Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Beradar Akhund, Defence Minister Mawlavi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Afghan leaders have in the past always rejected the allegations that TTP used their country’s soil for attacks in Pakistan, but the official said this time they surprisingly agreed to cooperate on the issue. “Probably they realised the gravity of the situation,” he

No Quick End To Crisis In Sight

suffered severe reputational damage due to frequent downgrading of its credit ratings. The three top rating agencies

— Fitch, Moody’s and S&P — have downgraded Pakistan seven times in the last 10 months — a situation never experienced by this country.

Yet, despite all this gloom, some are keeping their hopes alive.

“I sincerely believe Pakistan is alive, and some urgent steps can immediately change the economic situation. We need to start with drastic austerity,” said Jawed Bilwani, chairman of the Pakistan Apparel Forum and a well-known exporter and business leader.“Several dozen advisors [from the prime minister’s cabinet] should be sent home; expenses should be slashed across the board; and perks like free electricity and fuel for bureaucrats should be withdrawn.

The government needs to bring its house in order,” he said. “It is quite pathetic that 90pc of our political parties are in government, and they still cannot run this country,” he added. On long-term measures to bring the economy back on track, he said: “Every year, we produce goods worth $60 billion from the agriculture sector by using only two million hectares of land while three million hectares remain unused. This is something we must review.”

Samiullah Tariq, head of research at the Pak-Kuwait Investment and Development Company, had a different view: “In the short term, we have to focus on increasing remittances and exports to eliminate the dollar crunch.”“For the long term, structural reforms like overhauling the power and gas sectors, addressing fiscal deficits through amendments to the National Finance Commission (NFC), broadening the tax net, industrialisation, and the development of the IT sector should be priorities,” he said. Most researchers and analysts who spoke to this correspondent regretted that every government tries to take short-term measures — mostly driven by their political goals — which have long-term disastrous repercussions for the economy. They agreed that this is a serious problem pushing the country towards sovereign default. They noted that it had given IMF greater leverage, and everyone is now willing to do whatever it takes to secure IMF help and avoid default. “The resumption of the IMF programme is a bitter pill as some immediate measures will undoubtedly worsen inflationary readings. However, this course of action needs

Afghan Taliban, meanwhile, said the two parties had discussed economic cooperation, regional connectivity, trade, and the state of bilateral relations.

Mullah Baradar urged Pakistan not to allow “political and security concerns to affect business or economic matters”.

The official, who spoke on background, said the delegation linked progress on all these ideas for enhacing bilateral cooperation to Afghan Taliban addressing the concerns about TTP presence in their country.

Source: dawn.com to be undertaken to fix some of the structural flaws responsible for the country’s worsening economic conditions,” said Tahir Abbas, head of research at Arif Habib Ltd. “Moreover, the country is expected to remain in the IMF programme while structural issues are addressed in the energy sector; the tax net is increased; the budget deficit curbed; state-owned enterprises (SOEs) reformed; exports revitalised and current account deficit reduced,” he said.

Faisal Mamsa, chief executive of Tresmark, a terminal that tracks live prices in financial markets, echoed others in saying the economy can be brought back on track with basic measures like increasing revenues through the broadening of the tax base, decreasing state expenses, disposing of loss-making entities, and then focusing on exports and building human capital. Source: dawn.com

PSL 8: Shaheen’s Lahore restore pride in 63-run thrashing of Quetta

It was about pride for the Lahore Qalandars. For the defending champions’ persona that represents passion and expression, getting battered by Karachi Kings in a box office HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) fixture was too much to take. The Qalandars walked into the field marshalled by their captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, whose family watched on from the gallery, with the stands at

Karachi’s National Stadium sparsely filled on a breezy Tuesday evening.

The lanky left-armer would go on to terrorise the Quetta batters with his trademark first spell and take three wickets, equalled by Lahore’s fan favourite David Wiese to get their campaign back on track with a 63-run victory, but not before their batsmen’s joint effort of posting a mammoth 198-6 on the board.