How to reduce Pessimism in Life: According to the well-known psychiatrist David Burns, many persons who suffer from depression are deluded pessimists who believe they are better than they really are.
Because of their gloomy attitude on life, they have the ability to turn potential victories into failures and setbacks. Pessimists fill their minds with negative thoughts that distort their perception of the world, turning it into something dark and gloomy, leading them to believe that there is no hope in life at all.
As Dr. Burns points out, before we can learn to manage our negative thinking, we must first identify the mental errors that cause us to feel pessimistic or even depressed. If you are a pessimistic person who is reading this essay, you will most likely identify all, or at least the majority, of the identifiers presented in the next section that will reveal how to reduce pessimism in life.
How to reduce Pessimism in Life?
1. You must make every effort to avoid being an extremist
How to reduce pessimism in life: Rule-1
This is the style of thinking of someone who sees himself as either a hero or a loser in the eyes of others. Any tiny slip makes him feel like a failure, and this way of thinking might lead him to perfectionism, which will prevent him from progressing toward success.
This is because when we are extremely demanding of ourselves, any fall will knock us to the ground, and it is tough to get back up.
Also Read: How to Undergo Self-Transformation? 5 Easy and Effective Steps!
2. Avoid making broad generalisations based on past experience
How to reduce pessimism in life: Rule-2
In the case of a bad outcome, or if someone you admire refuses to support you or rejects what you said or did, you may conclude that other people will reject you as well, preventing you from feeling confident in yourself and your vehicle. Fear of rejection will have a negative impact on one’s self-esteem.
3. Select the appropriate mental filter
How to reduce pessimism in life: Rule–3
When you ignore the positive aspects of your life and just focus on unpleasant situations, you are editing the script of your life movie in the wrong way, since you are removing all of the great aspects that would otherwise bring you happiness from your life.
You are denying yourself happiness and peace of mind, and you are letting only emotional garbage to enter, which will lead you to think in a self-destructive manner.
4. Always find Positivity in Everything
How to reduce pessimism in life: Rule-4
When you think in this manner, you have a tendency to twist good information in order to make them appear negative. For example, if you receive an award and instead of enjoying it, you resent yourself for not having earned something more deserving, you will never be pleased with your own accomplishments.
It is impossible to enjoy success if you obtain a raise and then question why you did not receive a promotion to a leadership position after receiving it.
5. Don’t jump to conclusions too quickly
How to reduce pessimism in life: Rule-5
The pessimist is more likely to take on the role of psychic or fortune teller than the optimist. A pessimist would conclude that an acquaintance will no longer pay you if they do not repay the money, you loaned them on the day you promised.
If your spouse is late for your date because he or she has experienced a setback, you will quickly conclude that your partner does not love you or is not interested in the relationship.
6. Never exaggerate the severity of a problem
How to reduce pessimism in life: Rule-6
You must get rid of your emotional binoculars, which causes you to see situations in exaggerated and colossal proportions since you are viewing them through a magnifying lens.
As long as you maintain a mistaken frame of view about life, you will be unable to attain your objectives because emotional binoculars will prevent you from seeing obstacles for the size that they truly are.
Also Read: How to do self-assessment – 5 valuable tips!
7. Never try to reason with your emotions
How to reduce pessimism in life: Rule-7
You will attempt to examine your life from the perspective of your current state of mind if you identify as a pessimistic person. According to your self-esteem, which has been built up according to your emotional reasoning, you would feel like an inconsequential person.
If you are asking why, you should use logical reasoning and not consider how you feel emotionally. Always keep in mind that our emotions might mislead us and cause us to act on whim. Small disagreements, divorces, and even the most horrific murders occur as a result of people becoming carried away by their emotions and abandoning reason.
8. Do not hold grudges against yourself or be ashamed of your history
How to reduce pessimism in life: Rule-8
Don’t hold it against yourself for things you should have done but didn’t because of circumstances. In this case, you are suffering yourself on purpose and inviting bad feelings to your consciousness.
Stop acting in a masochistic manner toward others. Even if you regret what you did or did not do in the past, there is nothing you can do to change the past now. Don’t allow guilt to take root in your head. Shame and guilt can only lead to feelings of dissatisfaction and anger in the long run.
9. Don’t label yourself with bad connotations in your thoughts
How to reduce pessimism in life: Rule-9
The worst of the judges who may possibly pass judgement on your individuality will be those who are negative about your future. The smallest mistake you make will be labelled as “dumb,” “idiot,” “asshole,” “loser,” “failure,” and other derogatory terms that you will attempt to permanently imprint on your mind with a permanent marker.
If you place these labels on others, you will wind up attracting hostility, and no one will want to spend time with you because of it. It is practically impossible to remove these labels without causing some form of psychological damage to yourself because they tend to adhere to your head with emotional “crazy glue.”
The Bottom Line
How to reduce pessimism in life: In the event that you are convincing yourself that you are in a poor mood, write down the thoughts that are causing you to feel that way and consider possible solutions. If you are telling yourself that your romantic relationship is over, put your energy into finding solutions to save it.
if you are telling yourself that you are about to go bankrupt, think of ideas that could prevent your financial collapse and put your energy into finding those answers. Keep in mind that the only problem that cannot be solved is the fear of dying when it is your turn.