You may have heard that positive people live longer. They also tend to experience higher levels of happiness and less stress. But if you tend to see the glass as half empty instead of half full, can you still reap the benefits of positive thinking?

Research suggests the answer is a resounding yes. Here are three simple yet effective ways to start reaping the benefits of positive thinking:

Meditation — Research shows that those who meditate daily display more positive emotions that those who don’t. And we’re not talking about saying ‘om’ for an hour. Even just a few minutes of meditation a day can help you dramatically boost your mood and facilitate positive thinking. The best part? Meditation is a simple thing to do — click here to get started — and doesn’t require any special equipment or a gym membership!

Writing — Keeping a journal is a great way to reflect on pleasant memories and work through not-so-pleasant experiences, all of which can elevate your mood.

Play — All work and no play is boring — not to mention hazardous to your health. When was the last time you intentionally carved out time to have fun? It could be playing with your dog or watching your favorite show with a partner. There is even research that shows people who make time for themselves are much more positive and productive in their jobs!

Friendships aren’t just fun, they’re actually good for us. Here are three reasons why:

Friends make us healthier overall. Four large studies compared a range of biomarkers such as blood pressure and body mass index in a wide range of participants ages 12 to 91. They found people with weaker social ties were less healthy overall. For example, a lack of social connections more than doubled the risk of high blood pressure in older participants.

Friendship fights depression. Studies show that having high-quality social relationships can lower a person’s risk of depression. A study of more than 2,000 high-school students showed that if clinically depressed participants had enough friends with what the study called a “healthy mood,” it doubled their chances of recovering from their depression.

Friends help keep us sharp. Evidence suggests that having strong social ties helps reduce the risk of developing dementia. A 2012 study followed more than 2,000 people ages 65 or older for three years, none of whom had dementia at the beginning of the study. Of those who said they felt lonely at the start, 13.4 percent developed dementia over the three-year study, compared to only 5.7 percent who didn’t feel lonely.

We all get busy and friendships and take work. But it’s important to stay connected. Don’t just rely on social media and texting to keep in touch. Pick up the phone and call. Put a kind card in the mail. And carve out time for face-to-face interaction, such as meeting for coffee and going out to lunch.

Health plans today typically offer a variety of preventive care benefits. However, it’s estimated that only half of all Americans take advantage of preventive healthcare. Many people are simply too busy or don’t realize they have some important health screenings available at no cost to them.

Preventive care includes health services such as screenings and check-ups that are used to prevent health problems or detect them at an early stage when treatment is likely to work best. Most plans offer an array of preventive benefits designed specifically for adults, women and children. Flu shots, for example, are covered by most health plans with no out-of-pocket costs. (Just check before you go — your health plan may require you to get vaccinated by a specific provider or providers.)

It’s estimated that 7 out of 10 deaths among Americans each year are from chronic diseases. Preventive health care in the form of health screenings and early medical attention can lead to dramatically better outcomes. Don’t put off learning about your preventive health care benefits and staying current with recommended health screenings and vaccinations.

We’re happy to help you understand the preventive health benefits of your coverage. And don’t forget — open enrollment for health insurance is just around the corner. It’s a great time to start thinking about whether you need to make some changes in your health insurance coverage for 2018. Questions? We’re here to help you.

When you’re shopping for a health insurance plan, it’s easy to get confused by all the terminology. Here’s a guide to four of the most important health insurance terms that you need to know:

Co-payment. A co-payment is a fixed amount that you are responsible for paying for a medical service. Some health insurance plans require policyholders to reach a health care spending threshold — called a deductible — before they start paying co-payments for various medical services. For example, after meeting your deductible, you may pay only a $30 co-payment for a routine office visit, with the health plan paying the rest of the cost. Many plans have co-payments for prescriptions as well.

Premium. This is the amount you must pay for your health care coverage each month, whether you pay for your health insurance coverage yourself or through a deduction from your paycheck. You also pay your premiums whether or not you use your health insurance plan that month.

Deductible. Here’s where things start to get a bit confusing. A deductible is the amount of money you’re required to pay for your health care before your insurance company begins to pay its share of the cost. Deductibles vary among health plans. In some cases, deductibles do not apply to routine office visits and/or preventative care.

Coinsurance. This is the percentage of the total cost of a medical service that you’re responsible for after you’ve paid your plan’s deductible. Suppose you’ve already paid out your plan’s deductible and your coinsurance is 30 percent. For a $2,000 hospital visit, you would be responsible for $600.

We believe it’s crucial that consumers understand their health insurance plans. If you have any questions about how your plan works, please call us at (303) 663-9991. We are happy to help you.

Have you named someone who could make health care decisions on your behalf if you are unable to? It’s important to name a health care agent —also known as a proxy or surrogate decision-maker — while you are still healthy. A health care agent is someone who you trust to make difficult decisions about your health care based on your wishes should you face a sudden life-threatening illness or injury. Selecting someone who understands your wishes and can make health care decisions on your behalf in the event you are unable to express your preferences about medical treatment yourself is vital. You’ll want someone you can trust who will do what you ask, even if differs from what they would do themselves or if they don’t think it’s the right thing to do.

A medical power of attorney — also called durable power of attorney for health care — is used for documenting your choice of a health care agent. Your health care agent should know your specific preferences when it comes to life-sustaining treatments, your values regarding what makes it worth living, your religious affiliation and preferences (if applicable) and your organ donor status. These are all things you want to include in what is called an advance directive.

Heath care agent … medical power of attorney … advance directive … Not sure where to start? Kaiser Permanente has a great online guide that helps guide you through the steps of selecting someone you can trust, making decisions regarding your care and documenting your decisions.