When news like climate change, war, new viruses, fires, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep popping up everywhere, people can’t help feeling anxious about the future of the human race. Even discounting those major happenings, problems such as never-ending bills, family, and dead-end career are enough to punch an adult into a pessimistic mush.
Is there a way to stay optimistic considering all the negative things that surround us? It turns out that there is.
Some Helpful Ways to Stay Optimistic
#1. Focus on the present
The future still has so much more in store for us. But sometimes focusing on the future all the time makes you lose sight of the present. Remember that we can only live one moment at a time. Just make the best of the present and let the future take care of itself.
#2. Surround yourself with optimistic people
Like it or not, the views of the people you hang around with will rub on you. Hang around with pessimists and you’ll keep worrying about the ugly parts of the world. Hang around with them long enough and you’ll feel that humanity is regressing.
There’s no way around it. You need to keep your distance from those pessimists. Hang around with optimistic people so you can see the silver lining in everything.
#3. Keep everything in perspective
When you’re deep in a situation where nothing seems to go as planned, it’s easy to lose perspective. To prevent things from going downhill, take a step back and see the bigger picture. Ask yourself if the problem is unsolvable or is it something trivial.
If you find it hard to stay calm, just find a place to lie down and breathe. Take your time to wind down. Listen to some relaxing sounds like the sound of rain or whatever it is that soothes your mind.
#4. Slow down
You’ll stumble a lot if you go too fast. Things then fall apart and you feel like it’s no use putting them back together. Despite the seeming hopelessness, deep down, you already know what you must do — you need to slow down.
Moving at a slower pace allows your mind to think things more thoroughly. You can break big problems into smaller, solvable ones. Then, you’ll see that you can change things for the better.
#5. Understand that humans will thrive
When the Black Plague hit Europe and millions perished, many believed it was the end of the world. Without belittling the suffering of the victims, life did go on for the survivors. Europe’s economy surged and innovations spread across the continent
You will also thrive. No matter what the world throws at you, you can fight back and discover the glimmer of hope that things will get better.
