Realistic Optimism
Whether you are more of an optimist or more of a pessimist is considered to be a stable personality trait. The aim of the research findings is not to develop unrealistic optimism but instead to attempt to develop more of a balance overall between the two by focusing on what you can change. This is often done in cognitive therapy and has helped many individuals become more optimistic, the reasons this has been helpful are:
- It teaches individuals to recognise the link between thoughts and feelings.
- It encourages individuals to adopt more constructive beliefs when faced with a stressful situation.
- It shows individuals how to evaluate the evidence following a stressful event in order to generate alternative explanations.
- It improves individual’s social problem solving skills.
An Optimistic Perspective
Optimism is associated with lots of positive wellbeing outcomes, so it can be helpful to practice taking an ‘optimistic perspective’ . That’s not just thinking optimistically but learning to focus on the positive aspect of a situation i.e. something that is actually there. This is similar to the idea of ‘finding a silver lining’ in an unpleasant situation.
The next exercise is designed to help you reflect on times in your life when important doors have closed, and what other doors have opened as a result.
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One door closes another opens (255.62kB)
You might want to make notes at this point. These may help you remember things, work out what you want or see how much you’ve changed if you read them again in a few years’ time.