01. Optimism

Publication 1.

Optimism.

I suppose that in your own life too, a friend, relative or mere acquaintance, has told you to "be optimistic". Perhaps this phrase is one of those that are easy to say and difficult to do in practice. Being optimistic is often considered a positive characteristic in one's personality. At least that seems to be a socially accepted belief. However, what is optimism? Is it just another personal characteristic or is it an attitude that can be cultivated? Is it possible that some form of optimism which is not based on realistic facts could cause harm? Where does being optimistic help and how can you cultivate it? 🌱

To begin with, everything has to do with the way we perceive the failures and misfortunes that happen to us. Sure, it is not pleasant at all when something bad and undesirable turns out to us or to those we care about. But optimism can act as a protective wall against the despair that life's difficulties engender. 

Our levels of optimism affect our attitude towards the way we are influenced by negative situations. As illustrated in the figure below, when a negative event occurs it can either hit a "wall" or overwhelm us. The outcome depends on our attitudes. If we have built positive and optimistic energy then a protective wall goes up and stands between the negative event and us, protecting us. If we have not cultivated positivity and optimism, then it is more likely that the unintended event will let us down and cause feelings of fear and uncertainty. 

Therefore, cultivating positive energy and optimism within will lead us to face misfortunes with greater serenity and remain mentally strong. 

Optimism is also related to our goals and motivation. 📌

For example, optimistic people put in more effort, while pessimists withdraw. Our expectations for the future reflect the degree of optimism. Optimism itself has roots in all personal and social areas surrounding us. Moreover, optimism is positively related to our mental and physical health. Optimistic people also manage their relationships better than pessimists, as they put more effort into them (they act with more energy and faith).

There are some situations in which optimism fails to deliver benefits. 👀

However, these cases are relatively rare compared to the advantages of optimism. This can happen when there is stillness in the face of a negative situation. For example, when in a relationship there is no mutual respect, care, or identification as to the quality and the future of the relationship, it would probably be harmful to one to have an 'optimistic' thought that their partner will change and expect this change, in order things to get better. In this case, over-inactive optimism prevents us from seeing a situation realistically and consequently the situation becomes stationary or even toxic. In such cases we may be unable to learn from our experiences and move on. However, these situations are a latent, shall we say, version of optimism. This is because, beneficial optimism needs to be based on elements of realism.

Often, less optimistic, or pessimistic people may criticize an optimistic person. This may happen because they don't believe in the reasons why they should be optimistic and probably consider them to be irrational. Many times, when someone describes a difficult period in their life, the responses they receive can be: "but how did you endure", "I wouldn't have lasted if I were you" and "how do you stay optimistic, it doesn't make sense". Therefore, I would like to bring back the element of realism. It does indeed often sound unreasonable to remain optimistic when everything around seems black. However, what would be the result of accepting the inevitable disaster? To feel alone and terrified. Realism can help us to maintain a healthy balance and optimism can be a motivating force in achieving our goals even when something doesn't seem completely "realistic" at first. There are two things that move us in the direction of optimism and by cultivating them we can become more optimistic.

❕First, it is worth realizing the power of setting goals. Our goals motivate us to move forward, to overcome difficult situations and to stay calm and focused. Apart from external goals which may be professional, emotional, family etc. which are motivating goals, the central goal may very simply be the health of ourselves (mental and physical). 

Once you set your mental balance as a core and fundamental goal you can't help but be optimistic.

❕Second, it is important to see things and situations that we experience empirically. At the time when unpleasant events unfold before us, we may lose our courage and feel that everything is in vain, but as days pass, we can regain our courage and discover how much stronger we are to come out of an inconvenient situation.

In conclusion, optimism is linked to goal setting and personal perception of what happens to us in life. By setting a goal for our mental health and treating difficulties as experiences or lessons, we can cultivate optimism within ourselves.

A few more tips to be optimistic:

Marry realism with hope. 🔎

In short, we can practice ourselves to enjoy and appreciate what we have accomplished, what we have gained, the people we have in our lives. One exercise is to write down what makes us happy in our day, who is good for us, what we have accomplished and what is reassuring us. Seeing all these things written down on paper makes us realize their value as they cease to be abstract concepts in our minds but unfold in words in front of us.

Absorb and emit positive energy. 😁

Positivity is identified with optimism. It's amazing how different our day can be when we are around positive and pleasant people. So why shouldn't we be giving, positive, kind, and pleasant too?

Be positive and kind, it is good for you. 

Smile, say thank you and please.

Let's embrace our imperfections. 💁

Everything we like and don't like about us is what makes us complete people. Let's see ourselves as a totality, with positives and negatives, we should start loving all parts.

Let's preserve the positives, let's work through those that trouble us.

Create a plan with your daily tasks. 📅

Making a routine plan helps us see our life in order. These simple goals, such as cleaning, tidying up, or finishing a project, will make us feel double satisfied. Because we experience the joy of completing the tasks and we get the satisfaction of accomplishing the goals as we prepare for the next one.

Let's put fitness into our lives. 🏃

The study of optimism is initiated in health contexts, finding positive relationships between optimism and better psychological and physical health. It has been shown that good physical fitness is associated with levels of well-being and optimism. We can set small goals for better physical health by doing simple fitness programmes. Even choosing to walk and climb stairs is a big step and can be a goal!

Maastricht, 2021 (photo by: Vasilis Apostolidis) Optimism grows roots and beatifies our lives. It gives us strength and hope.

Conversano, C., Rotondo, A., Lensi, E., Della Vista, O., Arpone, F., & Reda, M. A. (2010). Optimism and its impact on mental and physical well-being. Clinical practice and epidemiology in mental health: CP & EMH, 6, 25.

Poursardar, N., Poursardar, F., Panahandeh, A., Sangari, A., & ABDI, Z. S. (2013). Effect of optimism on mental health and life satisfaction: A psychological model of well-being.