-Lika H Yeptho, BA 1st semester, Mass Communication
"If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden." Frances Hodgson Burnett
When it comes to how we see the world, most of us fall into one of two categories: optimists or pessimists. The more we strive to make sense of the world, the more we tend to focus on the negative since our brain is wired more toward a pessimistic outlook on life. According to the National Science Foundation, the average human has 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts every day, with 80% of those being negative. What we are overlooking is that if we continue to repeat these gloomy thoughts, pessimism will dictate our emotions and impact the way we feel, as well as weaken our motivation and affect our daily lives.
Life is a constant fight; hence, it is normal to feel down when things aren't going well because we can't always see the good in everything. But that doesn't mean we stay in a perpetually negative frame of mind. With this grim outlook, we become dubious and anticipate unfavorable results even when things appear to be going well.It is easy to wonder why the world treats us so poorly. However, we frequently fail to acknowledge the positive events that are occurring or have occurred in our immediate surroundings. After all is said and done, we have all become entangled in this "negativity." Does pretending that everything is okay and constantly disregarding our issues constitute positive thinking? Of course not, and attempting to deny reality is not the solution either; rather, it is necessary to embrace reality from a different perspective.
It's okay to concede that bad things happen. In actuality, being realistic can be the key to doing our best. Regardless of the outcome, whether good or bad, we can always remind ourselves that we can do our best and that things can get better. We usually tend to see negative events as unchangeable and permanent, and because of this, we often give up when things get hard. So, if we try to view things more from an optimistic perspective, we get better at bouncing back after failures and disappointments. Letting our self-esteem down by setting unrealistic expectations or impossibly high standards makes us more prone to pessimistic thinking, which has a negative impact on our lives. It might sound unusual, but our constant negative enthusiasm can be contagious and negatively impact the people around us. Many of us go through our days feeding ourselves negative statements like "you're not good enough" or "I wouldn't make it" without realizing how it affects our ability to grow as a person. We mostly become too ignorant to acknowledge our accomplishments or successes, overlook ourselves, and forget to remind ourselves of what we have achieved and what we can achieve. A conscious effort should be made to start reflecting on all the things that can go right.
Having a positive outlook on life is a continuous pursuit, and we can always be more positive by altering our negative perspective and learning to transform our negative thoughts into good ones. Regardless of the negativity, we can always take steps to think constructively by understanding how to deal with different situations and changing the way we view the world. Being optimistic involves more than just hoping for the best or looking on the bright side of things. Possessing a positive attitude on one's own life requires learning to let go of the past and not linger on it. There is no use blaming yourself or others; what matters more is how we handle the aftermath. Even though our outlook is more bleak than others, we are not obligated to always think in a negative way. It's never too late.
It can be challenging to deal with people who have pessimistic attitudes, especially if you want to change your viewpoint on life, so it's good to set healthy boundaries; in fact, it's important to do so with everyone. You can be compassionate and helpful while maintaining a healthy boundary where you have your own time and safe space to review your life and make changes. Valuing one's life and making others happy have long-term effects on one's own life, and the one drive that makes us pursue a better life is to find purpose in one's life or work. Nothing happens overnight, but we can always try to form new habits and be more optimistic in order to live more successful, healthier, and happier lives.
The Degree of Thought Column is a weekly community column initiated by Tetso College in partnership with The Morung Express. The column explored contemporary social, cultural, political, and educational issues and challenges around us. However, the views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the institution. Tetso College is a NAAC-accredited, UCG-recognized Commerce and Arts college. Currently, the Degree of Thought Column is managed by the department of Mass Communication, and the editorial team are Dr Jenny Lalmuanpuii, KC Gabriela and Rinsit Sareo. For feedback or comments, please email: dot@tetsocollege.org.
