One of my clients yesterday was a mirror of the weather outside – a real ray of sunshine. Having experienced anxiety due to the uncertainty the pandemic forced upon him, he has moved through various stages of understanding and acceptance to a generally upbeat attitude and one of hope for the future. This optimistic outlook has provided an about-turn on the way he responds to situations that arise and he has become much more resourceful, resilient and creative as a result.

Optimism and pessimism can most simply be described as expecting a positive or negative future. They are generalised modes of thinking that vary from person to person depending on the context. You can be optimistic about one area of your life such as having a successful career but pessimistic in another such as never being able to find a life partner. It is normal to experience happier and deflated days where you see the world differently.

A health warning on over optimism

The last few years has seen a rise in the positive thinking movement which can be really helpful for people in many contexts. But it comes with a health warning. Over focus on positive thinking can lead to excessive optimism, setting unrealistic expectations, being unprepared for failure or down times. It may affect your motivation to consciously look after your health as you believe you will always be well. It can even make you come across as insensitive if you are trying to cheer up someone who is genuinely sad. They may need you to listen and acknowledge their feelings, not chivvy them out of it! So, checking in with yourself regularly to see if you need a hit of realism is no bad strategy.

Turn up the optimism

Simply imagining the possibility of a positive future can help to strengthen the brain circuits involved in optimistic thoughts. It’s like shining light into your dark spaces. You don’t need a deep-seated belief that they will happen, just visualise that possibility. It is possible you will finish the 10k in a sub one-hour time, it is possible you will be invited back for a second interview, it is possible you won’t get overdrawn this month. These thoughts help to regulate the emotional brain, therefore managing the its negative bias. And when you visualise a positive outcome, your rational thinking brain is turned on to communicate with the emotional brain to help keep it under control.

Write it down

The lobes of the left hemisphere are more active with processes, routines and the “rules” we operate by including those for language. Using language tends to boost brain activity on the left side. Writing things down in your journal or saying things out loud can also help to stop negative, pessimistic thoughts, going over and over things in your mind which generates more activity within the right hemisphere. So when it comes to gratitude, visualising that positive outcomes are a possibility or a definite, pausing to notice when you are catastrophising, in an uncertain situation or comparing yourself unnecessarily to others, the benefits of writing down your thoughts, are enormously helpful for changing your neurology – and accessing your whole brain.

Three good things

With my coaching clients, I sometimes use a more structured approach of finding “three good things”. Not necessarily thinking of gratitude specifically (that can come later) but simply identifying three things that went well that day – and why. Over time this can help increase optimism and hope and reframe an initially pessimistic outlook.

Building the habit of looking for things that went well in the day and writing them down in your journal is a useful one for you to consider bringing into your life. It is a beneficial habit that feeds your brain.

Optimism can extend your life

In his fascinating book “Brain Rules for Aging Well”, molecular biologist John Medina discusses that optimism can increase your life span by up to 8 years (1). Optimism reduces stress and helps to reduce depressive tendencies. It also promotes dopamine production, a neurotransmitter essential for memory, motivation, mood and motor skills. Medina provides a useful analogy for dopamine with the ignition system in your car “insert the key into the lock and the car springs to life”.

Increase dopamine

Dopamine declines as we age and Medina’s view is that “optimism exerts megawatt power”. So find some activities that make you happy, that promote dopamine production in your life, that can turn up the volume, even just slightly, on your optimism. Listen to music, exercise, meditate, get outside, embrace the sleep you need – as well as starting that journaling habit.

One client who has been using a journal for years told me he looks forward to looking at his “1095” journal as he now calls it, every new-year’s eve (365 days x 3!). He then discusses his past year’s journey with his family and what he is optimistic about for the year to come. What a positive thing to share.

What are you optimistic about in your life or work?

References

 1: Medina, J. (2017). Brain Rules for Aging Well: 10 Principles for Staying Vital, Happy and Sharp. Seattle WA. Pear Press.