What is optimism and why does it benefit your Mind?
Optimism is a tendency to see the positives; a glass half full vs half empty mentality. This is important because how we perceive the world and events around us has a significant impact on our mental health and quality of life.
How can I become more optimistic?
Optimism levels are not fixed. We can train our brains to look for the good and not the bad. We may be having a bad day, walking down the street in a terrible mood, thinking of all the things that make us annoyed.
A simple task anybody can do to get out of this negative cycle is to set yourself the challenge of noticing three positives as you walk e.g. noticing a beautiful tree. The result of setting positive intentions, is that you should shift your attentional lens to look for other positives, creating an upwards positive cycle.
Turning this action into a habit and listing three positives from the day, every day, is a great way to help shift our attentional lens to focus on the good and experience more positive emotions. A simple way to make every day better.
Top tips for success
- Think of a habit you already do everyday.
- Decide on an attentional shift technique you wish to start using e.g. to think of three things I am grateful for or to think of three positives from today.
- Attach the new attention shift technique to the pre-existing habit. Example When I brush my teeth before bed, I will think of three positives from today e.g. had a nice chat with my housemate, the sun was shining at lunch time, heard a great song on the radio.
External resources for more information
Action for happiness: https://actionforhappiness.org/10-keys/emotions
References:
1.Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1988). Illusion and well-being: a social psychological perspective on mental health. Psychological bulletin, 103(2), 193.
2. Wadlinger, H. A., & Isaacowitz, D. M. (2011). Fixing our focus: Training attention to regulate emotion. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 15(1), 75-102.
3. Fredrickson, B. L. (2003). The value of positive emotions. American Scientist, 91, 330-335.
4.Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American psychologist, 54(7), 493.