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Optimism is good for your health
It has been three days since you left a voicemail message asking your friend to call you, and you haven't heard a word. You reject the notion that she doesn't like you any more, and choose to believe she must be really busy with important and exciting things.
Congratulations! You chose optimism over pessimism, and will probably live longer for it.
Optimism has been shown to improve the quality of life (your own and the lives of those around you), and several studies have linked optimism with longevity. In fact, a recently concluded 10-year study showed that pessimistic men were twice as likely to experience angina and heart attack as optimistic men. And that's independent of all other health-related factors.
Optimists often have more friends. Think about it. Would you rather hang out with a doom-and-gloomer, or with someone who always sees the opportunity and potential in life's circumstances? While some people seem to naturally view the glass as half-full, optimism turns out to be a learned behaviour.
Optimism isn't just about being happy. We can choose an optimistic response to the events that come our way.
As Abraham Lincoln said "Most people are about as happy as they make up their mind to be." It's not so much what happens to us in life that determines our happiness but rather the way we react or choose to respond to what happens to us and those around us. Sarah for example, on being told she has been made redundant, may decide to end it all. Her sister Lucy, under the same circumstances, might decide that she now has the perfect opportunity to try something new, perhaps something she's always wanted to do. Given the same situation, one rejoices whilst another despairs! One sees disaster and the other opportunity. The sisters' respective decisions illustrate that we have choices about how we respond to events, even at times when happiness can seem like the greatest challenge.
Optimism demonstrates maturity as we take responsibility for our own happiness and concentrate on what we do have in our lives, rather than focus on what we don't have. It can sometimes be hard work, rather like maintaining a nice home - you've got to hang on to your treasures and throw out the rubbish, despite your attachments to it.
Is optimism also about positive affirmations? Does it help to say things like "I will be happy, I will be happy, I will be happy!"? Well, the short answer is yes. But it isn't about saying these sentences with a grumpy expression on your face and groaning through the words. If you express them with enthusiasm from all parts of your face and body and really get a sense of what the words are telling you and mean for you, then you are much more likely to have a positive result. Despite your initial negativity, if you continue with the affirmation, the thought that you are becoming happier will take root in your subconscious and you will indeed start to feel better. We tend to get what we think about. The bodily changes you initiate will also produce muscular changes, making smiling, for instance, easier.
Optimism is also captured in an attitude of gratitude. If we believe that we have in our lives what we think about, and that we tend to get what we subconsciously expect, it follows that in order to continue to enjoy good fortune and optimism, we need to believe and act as though we are fortunate. Those people with beautiful friendships, for example, are those who value them very highly. Those who lead active and fulfilling lives are the people who are consistently rejoicing in what life gives them. An attitude of gratitude ensures that we focus on what we want and on the gifts we have in our lives.
Optimism can also be described as "movement" or "momentum". It's easy to feel optimistic if things are moving in the right direction for us, and in order to shift in any direction we have to have movement. Those who play contact sport know that the player who gets hurt is often the one standing still. It's the same in business: stand still for too long and you're finished. Ships last longer when they go to sea than when they stay in the harbour. To keep optimistic it's important to stay "in service".
I encourage you to look at how optimistic you really are. Increasing your optimism could turn out to be an important investment in yourself, a step towards improving the quality of your life.
Kathy Catton
© 2007 Kathy Catton
Select and contact a Mentor if you'd like to discuss these ideas or want support to make progress with your own issues.
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