[CHAT] Spring is Sprung! Spring cleaning for your brain.
Ah September, the beginning of spring. The sunshine is starting to come back, the
weather is warming up, and flowers are in bloom… You know how that sounds to
me? No, not like the beginning of the end for all of us fellow allergy sufferers, it
sounds like a pretty good time for some optimism!
Now most of us know that optimism is about having a generally positive outlook
on life, which when you say it like that sounds like a bit of a no-brainer that we
should all have a bit of it in our lives. Unfortunately, sometimes it can be pretty
difficult to be optimistic about things, maybe because there are bad or stressful
things going on for us or there are people around us who don’t make us feel good
about ourselves. Having moments in life where you feel sad, angry or worried
are totally valid and healthy things to experience, but they can become an issue
when they take over how you view the world.
In a world that in many ways in becoming increasingly cynical, some people even
think that being optimistic is a bad thing! These people say that being optimistic
isn’t realistic and that by trying to look at the positives we ignore the bad things
that are happening in the world. I agree that we can’t walk around happy and
smiling all the time, pretending that the negative things we feel and experience
aren’t there.
A little bit of optimism can go a long way though. Working to change our
thought patterns to be more positive through things like self-talk can be hugely
beneficial, especially for people experiencing mental health issues like
depression and anxiety.
Who's winning in your head, Optimist prime or Negatron? Want to learn a bit more about optimism and how we can have more of it in our everyday lives? Awesome!!!
Come and join us at 8pm AEST on Monday the 14th September where we’ll chat about positive thinking and what it can do for our
mental health.
@SanguineSally i have never heard of or played that game before! but i googled it! sounds interesting.
@FootyFan26 there is nothing wrong with having trouble being optimistic. i know some days i am completely the same as all most of your bullet points! it really helps if you are aware of it though - and it sounds like you are someone who is 100% aware of their personality. it's a really handy thing to have. i wonder if you thought really hard... what is the last thing you were optimistic about? or what was the last good thing that happened to you - is it something you expected or a surprise?
that's awesome @FootyFan26 - as someone who clearly loves footy it's awesome that the sport is recognising you back!
i'm also very glad you woke up! 
What do you think would be some of the benefits of practicing optimism??
- Happier in general
- Become more productive
- Physically and mentally healthier
- Make things a bit lighter
- Reduce your workload
- Rest your brain a bit
- Make the people around you happier
- Help you see the bright side of things and look forward to them more
- being able to forward to what is to come
- get through hard times a little easier cause you can see the positives on the other side
- the people around you can catch on to it and be a little bit happier themselves. Being positive around other people can bring everyone up a little bit, cause you're creating that vibe. I know that if I rocked up to work tomorrow saying that everyone there hates me and work sucks, everyone would probably agree and start to feel that way too. I don't even feel that way but it's an example. So if I went to work and said oh gee it is so nice today it's going to be a great day, I bet most people would agree and act the same sort of way.
- you can get more done with a positive mind - it motivates you because you think oh I can do this and look ahead.
"- you can get more done with a positive mind - it motivates you because you think oh I can do this and look ahead. "
@j95 spot on. totally agree!
@Sveto thats an interesting way of seeing j's response! it's cool that you see things from a different point of view. makes for good discussion
i think j just means that if you're having a bad day, a positive outlook on life can help you achieve your goals 🙂
I rekon this is a good time for our next question considering our current chat..
5. Sometimes it can be pretty difficult to be optimistic, whether it’s because of your own life or looking at the things going on in the world. What are some common things that might hurt our chances at being optimistic?
My response to this question is that if you've been let down in the past when you have been optimistic it can sometimes be hard to get into a positive mind set again. Naturally, you feel let down! And it can be heaps shitty 
For example - like if you try really hard for a job and don't get it. Or if you study like crazy for an exam then dont get the score you want. It can just be hard to get back on track.
@lanejane wrote:
I rekon this is a good time for our next question considering our current chat..
5. Sometimes it can be pretty difficult to be optimistic, whether it’s because of your own life or looking at the things going on in the world. What are some common things that might hurt our chances at being optimistic?
I am impressed with how many people want to change the world. But I think, many of us don't know where their world is.
It is not in the news, on Facebook, newspaper etc. Your world is around you, your world is where the consequences of your acions reach.
The wrong thing going on in the world is fixing it. Everyone on this planet is convinced he is doing the right thing. But we can not agree about what the right thing is.
As of me, bein kind to everyone is the right thing to do.
being kind is definitley a good thing @Sveto and it's cool that you say our world is around us. sometimes i totally forget that!
I don't know why I'm pissed off but I am so I'm gonna leave now.
hey @FootyFan26
i'm sorry you're feeling like that 😞
i have really enjoyed all your responses on the forums tonight and you have bought such a good persepctive to our chat. i agree with so many things you have said and can see heaps of similarities between us.
i hope you will come chat to us on another section of reachout later if you're up to it? it's heaps cool if you need to go have a breather though. it's always a good idea to just do something chill if you can feel yourself getting frustrated.
again thanks so much for being here though. you are awesome.
When you have been knocked down in the past, maybe with the same situation multiple times, you feel like there is no hope. You cannot see the good or things getting better.
@j95 having the same thing happen multiple times is definitley true.
like... imagine if you went to get a coke from a vending machine and a lemonade came out every time. in the end you would not be very optimistic about using vending machines haha
@Sveto i feel like you should write poems or something. your responses are so soulful.
i am optimistic that your poem writing would be a success 😛
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