Give up pessimism.
Become an optimist.
When life is giving you a hard time find the bright side of things. A positive outlook of difficult situations will keep you healthier and energize you with enough motivation to keep going during bad times.
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Your reaction to bad events can affect you much more than just your state of mind. Martin Seligman, researcher and director of clinical training at the University of Pennsylvania and author of "Learned Optimism" has found after studying the subject for more than 25 years, that optimists are more resistant to infectious illness and are better at fending off chronic diseases of middle age.
"Patients feel better when they are glad an optimistic. Anxiety, depression and bad moods increase pain and lead you to health problems such as migraines, ulcers, stress and even more serious complications, like high pressure, heart attack and stroke," affirms doctor Seligman in his book.
On a simpler level, pessimistic thinking puts you at risk for health problems but also can affect your job performance and ruin relationships. Yes, that's right! it's not an exaggeration. Pessimists believe that bad situations are their fault and their attitude ends up blocking their potential and ability to socialize and behave.
Pessimists often have low self steam and behave like losers. They believe they are inferior, unintelligent and incompetent. They also view the future with hopelessness and little motivation or encouragement to achieve goals.
Although, life is not always a bed of roses it is a fact that setbacks and problems shouldn't control your life and make it miserable. So if you are one of those who think that life begins with delusions and ends with bitterness. Don't panic.. there is light at the end of the tunnel.
According to Seligman, pessimism is identifiable and can be changed, so that some people might get therapy to change their thinking about bad events and thereby improve their health. " You can scape Pessimism, by learning a new set of cognitive skills that will enable you to take charge, resist depression, and make yourself feel better and accomplish more".
Dr seligman recommends to do something pleasurable when you are going through bad times because it will distract you from your trouble. " I recommend fun distractions because studies show, if you think about problems in a negative frame of mind, you come up with fewer solutions. And you are likely to spiral into deeper depression".
Robert Thayer, a professor of psychology at California State University and author of " The Origin of Everyday moods" believes that optimism and pessimism tend to come and go..like moods.
Thayer affirms in his
book that feeling stress and exhausted turns us into pessimists, whereas
feeling calm and full of energy keep us optimistic.
" So called born pessimists
may be genetically predisposed to a bleaker outlook but even these people
can buck up by becoming aware of their energy state and managing it. Exercise
can help you a lot . A short 10 minutes walk can enormously boost optimism".
But not only exercise and fun distractions can help you to overcome pessimism. The trick is based on thinking optimistically and learning to love yourself. Avoid extreme statements like : " I'm not good enough"; "I'm disappointed of myself"; "I can't"; " I never do anything right".
Saying things like that will only reinforce the negativity you are feeling. Spoilt yourself instead! reserve a few minutes daily to do something that makes you happy. Whatever it means to you. You will reduce stress and feel more energetic.
Laugh, be happy. Laughter can improve quality of life. It releases the tensions from mind and body. See the funny side of life that, will keep you happy and healthy.
And finally don't blame yourself for bad events that happen to you, Analyse the situation and try to understand that everyone has to cope with bad situations from time to time. It may help you to grow and learn from your own experience and mistakes.
The year two thousand is practically finished so make a serious commitment to star a new year with a more optimistic attitude and full yourself with positive energy and remember a optimistic outlook of life is your health insurance for the future and with practice you will see how your life will turn around; success, happiness and health will flood your life for good.
Pessimism is the worst kind of
negativity, because it does not allow any positive thoughts to intrude
into de mind. The glass is always half empty, never half full.
If you feel that you cannot be happy and have nothing to live for, then
stir yourself and make something happen. Misery is the first thing
that turns other people away.
-Betty Shine-
Clear your mind- a little book of life