Your thoughts say a lot about the kind of person you are.
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People who have a sunny outlook towards life tend to perceive the future as positive and hopeful, and generally think there is a great deal to look forward to are naturally happy people. Due to a host of reasons however, most of us have at some time or another worn “gloomy spectacles” through which we look around and notice what’s wrong over what’s right, focus on problems rather than solutions, and generally end up feeling negative about the future. The good news is that looking at life through rose-colored glasses, so to speak, is all about perspective, and can be learned.
Here are some ways to help you overcome negative ways of thinking, and cultivate optimism in your regular life:
1. Be present. It’s difficult to have a positive outlook on the future if you cannot appreciate what you already have. Research shows that small but consistent action towards achieving a goal or solving a problem on a regular basis, leads to favorable future outcomes.
2. Count your blessings.Being optimistic has little to do with attaining goals or receiving rewards – rather, it is an encouraging outlook of seeing potential and hope in situations, even in instances that seem bleak. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude as optimism is about the means rather than the end.
3. Develop self-efficacy. Believing in your own ability and competence to perform certain tasks actually increases your chances of success at it. This trait of confidence is a characteristic that increases our sense of optimism, helps us learn from our mistakes rather than feel defeated by them, and enables us to deal with unpleasant changes, stressful situations and unavoidable disappointments.
4. Take care. A holistic approach to health – both physical as well as psychological, helps cultivate optimism. This has further substantial health benefits – studies show that optimists have better cardiovascular health than pessimists, more responsive immune systems, and higher resilience to stress.
5. Challenge your negative thoughts.Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) practitioners have identified the problem as being negative thought patterns that we have consciously and unconsciously adopted over the years. The important thing is to unearth and dismantle negative thoughts by disputing them, and replace them with more realistic and helpful thoughts. Therefore, challenging one’s negative core beliefs goes a long way in cultivating optimism.
6. Connect with people. Isolation from people around us and our surroundings, though often unrecognized and unacknowledged, in fact makes us more susceptible to fall victim to negative thought cycles, subsequently making it harder to stay positive. Making an effort to connect with new people and reconnect with existing relations goes a long way not only in developing a brighter view of life but also acts as a protective factor in maintaining it.
7. Let go. Holding on fruitlessly to the undesired outcome and generalizing it to all of one’s attempts is likely to kick-start a negative thought cycle – an unhelpful and unhealthy response. Learning from it and letting it go is a sure-fire way to make the most of the situation, a distinguishing characteristic of a true optimist.
In the end, it is seldom about how positive or negative the situation objectively is, and much more about the perspective you take on it – how you interpret what happens is often far more important than what actually happens. Gloomy days and dark clouds cannot always be avoided, but if you take a moment to look at the bright side, it won’t be long before you can see the silver lining.
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