
Close your eyes and picture what success will look like. When you have a situation coming that you are feeling uneasy or negative about, take time to visualize it. If optimism doesn't come naturally to you, you can practice it by imagining positive outcomes. The more you begin to label the things that you're accomplishing throughout the day as successes, the more optimistic you may become. These could be big things like finding a new job, or they might be small things like getting everything on your grocery shopping list. Take time at the end of each day to write out a list of the successes that you had for the day. Identifying areas of your life in which you’re excelling can help you feel more confident and, in turn, optimistic. However, looking at a problem from a solution-oriented mindset may help you stay more optimistic. Of course, we can’t gain control over every situation. This can help divert the negative energy you might expend dwelling on the interview toward a direct action that could improve your chances of getting the job.

While you could dwell on the negative aspects of the interview, a more productive approach might be to follow up with the interviewer with an email thanking them for their time, adding points you may not have included in the interview, and reiterating your interest in the job. If you’re concerned about the future, think about ways you can take some measure of control over the situation.Ĭonsider a scenario in which you had a job interview that you feel went poorly.

This can become a self-fulfilling prophecy when it keeps us from doing everything possible to ensure a beneficial outcome. Focus On SolutionsĪ pessimistic mindset often stems from the belief that life is out of our control. When you’re able to identify negative thought patterns in your life, you may be more equipped to reframe them and effectively decrease your pessimism. Labeling – giving yourself a limiting classification.Overgeneralization – applying a negative result from one situation to all subsequent situations.All-Or-Nothing Thinking – only perceiving outcomes in terms of extremes.Personalization – assigning blame to yourself even when other factors were at play.Another cognitive distortion involves using a mental filter that screens out positive information and leaves only the negative. For example, some people tend to catastrophize, which means that they think about the worst possible outcomes of a situation. These patterns, often called cognitive distortions, are mental frameworks that can cause us to unconsciously view a situation in a negative light. Do you have a negative mindset when it comes to school? Does work frequently evoke pessimism? You may find that there are certain facets of life that you feel very positive about and others that could benefit from an optimistic perspective.Īdditionally, negative thoughts often follow certain patterns. When you determine which parts of your life you view in a pessimistic light, you can start to identify negative thoughts as they arise. The following tips can help you practice optimism on a daily basis, shift your perspective, and develop a more hopeful outlook.
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Getty/Halfpoint Images How To Be More Optimisticįostering optimism in your life typically involves more than simply adopting a positive mindset- although that can be a powerful start. There is also evidence that optimism can improve performance in school and even lead to higher earning potential. Additionally, studies have shown that optimism can boost the immune system, increase pain tolerance, and decrease the risk of death from severe illness. Researchers have found a connection between optimism and reduced depression, anxiety, and stress. Science has linked optimism to a variety of positive effects, including improved physical and emotional health. Optimism is generally viewed as the converse of pessimism, which is a negative outlook on the future.
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Develop An Optimistic Mindset In Therapy What Is Optimism?Īccording to an article published in the journal Clinical Psychology Review, optimism is present when individuals “hold generalized favorable expectancies for their future.” It can be described as a person’s ability to see the proverbial glass as half full or look on the bright side of things.
