[REDISCOVER YOUR OPTIMISM
REDISCOVER YOUR
Worn out by worrying and dwelling on the
negative.
tican be hard not tolet negativity
seep in to your day. especially
‘ring stressful periods of fe. A
dose of optimism not only makes
‘you feel better but its also good for
‘your physical and emotional health~even
ifinitialy you need to force yourself to
fee] more positive. ‘An optimistic person is
always looking for the best in any situation
and expecting good things tohappen’ says
Kimberly Reed, author of Optimists Aivays
Win (£1095. Health Communications Inc)
“Bven ifsomething negative happens such
astheloss of ajob an optimist sees the
silver lining For example. the chance to
pursue a motefulflling career or hobby,
or takea much-needed break Optimists
believe their actions result in postive
‘outcomes, that they ate responsible for
their own happiness and that they can
‘expect more good thingsin the future”
Ifyoure an optimist you try tolook for
good in every situation “An optimist viewss
adverse events (suchas your car being
broken into redundancy and so on) asa
result of something cutsie of themselves:
explains Kimber ‘But, even ifits something
thathappened asa result of an action they
ee
66
‘WORDS Fk GiZ0WSKA
‘It's time to turn things around
took. an optimist wil always try to see what
they can earn from the experience. They
think of an unfortunate event as a temporary
setback -nota permanent way of life Even i
something avful happens. postive thinker
believes good things will come again”
‘Optimists look on the bright side”
reveals psychologist Dr Sancira Wheatley
(Potentpsychologycom) “They emanate
‘ahopeful posttivity, But being optimistic
doesrit mean you go into denialand
pretend everything is fine when it not
Iisa frame of mind where you hope for
the best but prepare forthe worst”
‘She adds that an optimist can lookcat
situation squarely inthe eye and plan
\hatto doit things go wrong ‘By having a
contingency plan, this makes iteasier totum
things around before theres a huge problem”
Get the optimistic mindset
“Optimists tend to share several
Positive characteristics that can lead to
sreater happiness and promote good
health: says Kimbetiy. An optimist
Thinks about, reflects on and
emphasises the good things in life
oe)
Tries not to waste time and energy
on complaining when something goes
wrong, but focuses on what they do
to change or learn from a situation
Feels that nothing can hold them
hack from achieving success
‘and reaching their goals
Sees challenges and obstacles
as opportunities to learn
Feels gratitude for the good bits
~ even in a negative situation
Has a positive attitude towards
themselves and others
te tenacious and corion on |
when the going gets tough
Doesn't let one bad
experience colour their
‘expectations of the future
cached crt
1s always looking for ways to make
the most of any opportunities
that come their way
‘Theres acommon assumption that
optimism s the same as happiness, but
thats not the case “While optimism can
Jead to greater happiness its actually to
do with how you view the world says Dr
‘Wheatley ‘Optimists experience dicuities>>REDISCOVER YOUR OPTIMISM.
PsycHoLogy Now 07ee
99
and problems like anyone else Tobean
optimist doesnt protect you from feeling
‘negative emotions If something bad
happens you stl fee the pain, upset tet,
betrayal or disappointment Its just that an
optimistic mindset helps you cope better"
Inarecent Indian study* it was
shown that optimists tend to have more
effective coping strategies which helps them
to feel ess stressed Pessimists on the other
hhand havea tendency to dwell on stressful
feelings which can make them feel worse
Sa what makes some people more
optimistic than others? ‘Some peopleare
just born naturally optimistic. its part of their
jgenetic make up” explains Dr Wheatley. But
your upbringing also has an impact. I you
{grew up in an environment where there was
a focus on the postive. the kelinood is that
this would have had an effect on your own
albtude to life” Likewise research shows
thatif you hada parent who was pessimistic
cor depressed, youre far morelikely to have
pessimistic outlook on life asan adult
But, ultimately, optimism isa
choice, and anyone can acquire
‘amore optimistic mindset
68
[REDISCOVER YOUR OPTIMISM
‘that al help you to face Ife’ challenges
‘and fee confident that you can expect
positive things tohappen in the future.
HEALTH
BENEFITS
OF BEING AN
OPTIMIST
Latest research shewvsthat optimist
isastociated with a numberof physical
‘and psychological bones
Its good for your heart
Inarecent US eview of Ssturies
thatlooked a 200.000 peopl was
shown thatoptmistshada35X lower
riskofdeveloping heartaiseaseanda
1breduced incidence of ealy death,
Itlowers your stress hormones
[study at Concordia Univers, Canada asked
parlespantsto measure thei dally stress evels
Optimists vere found iobavelower levels of
stresslhommones uch as corso) Pessimis,
who were shovntogn into Tight or fight mode
more frequently riggeted by negative thinking
thatexacerbated stress had higher stress
hormones When corisolremains constantly
‘elevate, hiscan lead total problems
You'llrecover better from iliness
postive mindset can help youtocope better
‘wth sense and recover beer Inarecent
study’ twasshown that optimistshad ess
Inflammation and vecovered more quickly ater
asokethan those whohada more negative
cutlook Inanother study. pablshed inthe
JournaleyPaycosomatic Research in 204.
‘wasshown thatoptimism associated with
reduced painand symptomsafter hear surgery.
You're more likely to live longer
‘Opaimistsare morelikelytolivealonser ie
ngislonger-arethavea greater chanceot
reaching yearsofage compared tothose who
hhaveamore pessimistic disposition Theseare
the findings ofa study by the Boston University
Schioolof Medicine in 2019 that followed neariy
70000 women and L500 men overa timespan of
101030 years
Itcan help you to manage pain
Accordingtoatecentreview optimists who
expect postive outcomesare beter abetocope
with and manage pain Itseemsthata positive
attude canhelptoreducethe perception
ct pain whereas fooling negative pessimistic
and depressed appears tohavea more adverse
fefect an someone's experince of pain. for
‘example.they finditmore dificult to manage
It'san antidote to depression and
‘makes you more resilient to stress
Another study.intheNatwal Mecice Journal
n2017 shower that people witoare optimistic
‘consider themselvesasinhecently protected
(ot vulnerable) and thinkabout the werdasa
‘geneally good pice They tend tobe happler,
havealower chance offacingdepression,
and managesiress mote effectively. They're
mor likely to practise heathy habits suchas
‘eercising fllowinga heaRhy det and not
smolang And they aremoreliely tosoak
hopifthey neod # manapessimist would @[REDISCOVER YOUR OPTIMISM
7 WAYS TO BE MORE OPTIMISTIC
1. RECOGNISE OPTIMISM IS A CHOICE
YOU CAN MAKE EVERY DAY
“This doesn't mean you feel positive all the time; it’s
having the confidence to know you can cope with
whatever life throws your way” says Dr Wheatley. “It
‘means acknowledging the negative, while making o
conscious effort to think optimistically. For example,
itcan be as simple as choosing to smile when you
feel glum. Its your choice to feel down, or to do
something positive to take your mind ina diferent
direction. You can't control everything, but if there's
tone thing you can control it’s what you think.”
2. BE MINDFUL OF NEGATIVE THINKING
Next time you catch yourself having a
negative thought, swap it for a positive one.
“This might take some practice but after a
while it wll start to feel more natural,” says Dr
Wheatley, “If you've had a bad day, tell yourself,
“Tomorrow will be better’ and plan on what
you can do to make it that way. Or, if you know
you've got a Zoom meeting with a tricky
client, rather than approaching it
with dread, prepare for the challenge and
do your best, but afterwards let it go.”
3. PRACTISE GRATITUDE
‘Gratitude allows you to redirect your focus,”
says Kimberly. “When you feel grateful, your
mind shifts your focus from what you should
have more of, to what's good in your life
right now. Practising gratitude is a process
of trying your best to see and be thankful for
the positives in your life, even in the midst of a
difficult situation.”
4. TURN OFF THE NEWS
How often do you wake up in a perfectly good
mood, only to turn on the news and you end up
feeling angry, disappointed, fed up, feorful or
depressed with everything that’s going on in the
world? “Limit yourself to anything that makes
you feel bad,” says Dr Wheatley. “f that includes
watching the news, then watch something
uplifting instead ond let in th
supports you.
5. BE MINDFUL OF WHO
YOU SPEND TIME WITH
“When you surround yourself with people
who make you feel happy and relaxed, this
automatically makes you feel more positive,”
explains Dr Wheatley. “That doesn’t mean
you can't share problems, or have off days, it's
just that if you've got a good circle of friends,
who uplift and inspire you, its easier to feel
optimistic.” She adds thot negativity often comes
from spending too much time on your own and
overthinking things. “That's why its important
to make time for your friends - even if it's just to
meet for a walk or talk on the phone.”
6. GET ACTIVE
“Rather than complaining, moaning and feeling
sorry for yourself, take a walk, go for a bike
ride, or hit the gym.” says Kimberly. “The idea
is to get your body moving. Physical activity
releases endorphins and you're less likely to feel
pessimistic with these feel-good neurochemicals
circulating in your body. If you don't know where
to start, download a fitness app.
7. REFRAME PAST SETBACKS
IF you find your mind wandering to a past
disappointment, such as a job or relationship
that didn’t work out, think of all the details you
can remember, trying to be as objective as you
can. “in what way would you have wanted the
situation to turn out better? Now reframe the
situation by letting go of what you wanted to
happen and write « paragraph about what good
came out of it,” says Kimberly, Perhaps you got a
better job, or made a new circle of friends.
PsycHoLogy Now
“ra oa nag 2 “a fb an Pi naan Spl he A