When you are feeling down the last thing you feel like hearing is advice like "look to the bright side"or "count your blessings", however according to various studies and psychologists, realistic optimism is a proven way to improve emotional resilience.
What is realistic optimism?
Realistic optimism is not your conventional the ''glass is half full'' form of optimism but “the choice to see the good in everything while having a realistic view of the world. This means paying attention to all information relevant to the problems that you face without staying focused on the negative”. It never hurts to be well informed and what better way to solve your problems than to carefully analyse and study them. It might sound clichéd but developing a positive attitude can help you remain optimistic and be resilient when confronted with a tough situation.
When you go through life's challenges, you have the choice to either fall apart and become a victim of the circumstances, or you can rise up high and above others.- Mo Seetubtim
How to achieve it?
Be realistic but believe in yourself:
Self-belief is often half the battle. One of the best ways of being resilient is to be realistic in your perception of the world, but believe that you are capable of anything. “If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together. There is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” -Winnie the Pooh
Look for the good:
This advice might again sound clichéd but try thinking about what you could learn from a bad situation that you are experiencing. All of us experience hardships and difficult situations at some point. It is an unavoidable part of life. How we react to these setbacks is what dictates exactly how much and how long we suffer. Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts - Buddha
Surround yourself with positivity:
Negativity is infectious but so is positivity and the best way to remain positive is to surround yourself with positive people. Try spending most of your time with positive people to help develop a more positive attitude. Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow. — Helen Keller.
Acceptance:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference- Reinhold Niebuhr. Life is full of problems but there are some things that you can’t change no matter how hard you try, other people for example. So instead of dwelling on problems that can’t be solved try accepting things the way they are. Time does not heal everything but acceptance will heal everything.- Buddha
What is realistic optimism?
Realistic optimism is not your conventional the ''glass is half full'' form of optimism but “the choice to see the good in everything while having a realistic view of the world. This means paying attention to all information relevant to the problems that you face without staying focused on the negative”. It never hurts to be well informed and what better way to solve your problems than to carefully analyse and study them. It might sound clichéd but developing a positive attitude can help you remain optimistic and be resilient when confronted with a tough situation.
When you go through life's challenges, you have the choice to either fall apart and become a victim of the circumstances, or you can rise up high and above others.- Mo Seetubtim
How to achieve it?
Be realistic but believe in yourself:
Self-belief is often half the battle. One of the best ways of being resilient is to be realistic in your perception of the world, but believe that you are capable of anything. “If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together. There is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” -Winnie the Pooh
Look for the good:
This advice might again sound clichéd but try thinking about what you could learn from a bad situation that you are experiencing. All of us experience hardships and difficult situations at some point. It is an unavoidable part of life. How we react to these setbacks is what dictates exactly how much and how long we suffer. Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts - Buddha
Surround yourself with positivity:
Negativity is infectious but so is positivity and the best way to remain positive is to surround yourself with positive people. Try spending most of your time with positive people to help develop a more positive attitude. Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow. — Helen Keller.
Acceptance:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference- Reinhold Niebuhr. Life is full of problems but there are some things that you can’t change no matter how hard you try, other people for example. So instead of dwelling on problems that can’t be solved try accepting things the way they are. Time does not heal everything but acceptance will heal everything.- Buddha