STAYING POSITIVE

Optimism is a choice and tool for survival

BY Archana Law

 

 

If you think you’re a natural realist (read pessimist), and there’s no way you can turn your mindset around amid disasters, calamities and threats to human life, think again! Research published in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry compared two groups of people to test their thinking patterns.

The first group (which completed a five minute exercise involving thinking positive thoughts about their future) increased its optimism levels significantly over two weeks while the second simply went about their daily lives without making any effort to think optimistically.

What is optimism?

It’s a mental attitude that is characterised by hope and confidence, in success and a positive future. If you expect good things to happen, see the brighter side of things, view hardships as learning experiences or simply temporary setbacks, believe that tomorrow will be better and feel grateful for what you have. Then you’re most likely an optimist!

There are many factors that influence optimism but whether you tend to be more of an optimist or pessimist can often be explained by how you address the events in your life.

STABILITY Can time change circumstances – or do the eventualities in your life stay the same regardless of the passage of years?

Optimists tend to be better able to bounce back after failure or setbacks while pessimists are more likely to see negative events as permanent and unchangeable. This is why they’re often more likely to give up when the going gets tough.

SITUATION Is a situation a reflection of only a part of your event horizon or your life as a whole? When things go wrong, pessimists are more likely to blame themselves for the unfortunate events in their lives and typically assume their future path is going to be riddled with difficulties too.

LOCATION Do you feel that events are caused by you, or an outside force or person?

Pessimists view setbacks as more pervasive and believe that if they fail at one thing, they’ll not succeed at anything. When optimists experience failure in one area, they don’t let it influence their belief about abilities in other areas.

And what is pessimism?

If optimistic people were much healthier and happier than those who aren’t, why do people choose to remain stuck with mentally limiting behaviour and worrisome thought patterns?

As with all behaviour, there must be a perceived benefit, the most common being that it allows people to avoid responsibility for their realities or failures. After all, if the world is fundamentally against you, it’s not your fault that your life is difficult!

So how do you break out of the pattern?

Surround yourself with optimistic people, and positive images and sounds. Pay attention to the pictures you view and music you listen to. Is it uplifting and happy; or about loss, hardship and pain?

Write about your vision for a perfect future and break it down into the next steps that will move you closer to what you want to achieve. Make a collage that depicts all you want to strive for and achieve. Glance at it often as a reminder to stay on track.

Be more mindful; and focus on being engaged, attentive, and present in the here and now. This helps you stay focussed on what matters in the present and avoid worrying about future events that are beyond your control. It also allows you to feel more appreciative of what you have now, and less consumed with regrets and anxieties.

Practise gratitude – because it’s a positive emotion that involves being thankful for and appreciative of something or someone in your life; and respond with feelings of kindness, warmth and generosity. When developing a more optimistic attitude, set aside a few minutes each day to jot down some of the things for which you are grateful.

Discipline your mind to stay positive. Learning optimism may take time since it’s an ongoing process that requires several repeats. Know that simply because you are optimistic, it doesn’t mean there won’t be challenges or obstacles. But remember that every step is a victory.

Research shows that an optimistic worldview carries certain advantages such as improved health including a 50 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a greater chance of survival when fighting cancer. Optimism also generates more positive synergy and better performance, as well as a level of resilience that leads to greater chances of achieving goals and a balanced healthy approach to coping with stress.

True optimism is obligatory in emergency situations such as the fallout from the pandemic. As well as not passing on germs, we should also avoid spreading dread. Otherwise, we risk sliding into a pit of misery and triggering a collective breakdown.

So here’s to your success and wellbeing in the new year!