[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.
you come to reachout when you're feeling pessimistic too! that's positive. we can always find something good 🙂
@FootyFan26 i rekon the word "pessimistic" has a really negative connotation on it. don't know how it got that way.... but as i said - if you're never pessimistic, how can you ever be optimistic?
gotta have both for either to exist.
~~~~yeah thats me getting deep
Example: I have an assignment due on Friday:
Pos: I have heaps of time to do it.
Neg: If I don't get it in I'll get a detention and a zero on my report.
I find the negative perspective more motivating than saying I have heaps of time.
Neg: I have heaps of time to do it.
Pos: If I don't get it in I'll get a detention and a zero on my report.
@Sveto so would I not be a very good human being becasue I'm pessimistic. What if I struggle to see the positives?
I'm not entirely miserable either.
I think pessimism kills the joy.
i vote you get a hugeeeeee high 5 for those bullet points @FootyFan26
and @AllyJane loved yours too!
SOOOOO.... Even if you aren't really the optimistic type...
3. What do you think would be some of the benefits of practicing optimism??
@bessie94 thats such a great way of looking at it! You should be super proud of yourself that you know it's okay to feel a little pessimistic sometimes.
@lanejane @AllyJane I like the point about being a mixed bag... Realistically speaking, my days fluctuate depending on whats going on. Sometimes I'm all spent and just retreat to my home pad, hide away and do lots of mindful self nurturing or lie back and zone out whilst listening to music . I dont particularly feel optimistic at that point.
At best of times, I am pretty chill, and accepting of all. When i worry over sthing its good to make sense of it by talking through the negative thoughts- and when all is offloaded, optimism becomes the dominant lens again. Thanks X
@SanguineSally talking about stuff definitley helps. that's something i'm working on at the moment too 🙂
Love the answers! Got me thinking..
a case in point - optimism is seeing potential whether you are in the dark or in clarity.
to me it is hand in hand with resiliency - ie. Never giving up!
@FootyFan26 smashed that response. i think you could say being optimistic is any or all of those things!
Hi lanejane, nice topic!
For me, optimistic and pesimistic is the quality of our thoughts. Things are neither positive nor negative as such, only our attitude towards them has this polarity.
(I don't know why my first post got so big font, I hope it is not my ego)
Optimism to me is always maintaining a sense of hope, no matter what the situation, and be able to find some small joy in every day, no matter how difficult it may be. It can be tricky at times though!
welcome @Cheeselover85 & @Sveto
i don't think i have met you guys so i am EVEN MORE PUMPED that you are with us tonight for this chat.
YAY
Hey all!!! Going on the glass half full-half empty analogy...Optimism to me, sometimes means just being chuffed you HAVE a glass!!! 🙂
happy to be here..
