Studies have found that optimism appears to be good for your health and pessimism seems to be bad.
Optimism isn’t about being Pollyannaish. Practicing mindfulness means we acknowledge our feelings as they are without judgment. All feelings are acceptable.
At the same time we can choose to believe in the benevolence of life; the basic goodness in others, the world, and ourselves. At the core we believe that all will be well, even when we can’t see how.
When bad things happen, we remind ourselves that we have the resilience or the where-with-all to survive it.
We trust that whatever happens to us or in our relationships with others, that we can persevere.
Even when we make mistakes, we believe in our inherent self-worth. We can be authentic, accepting ourselves as we are and knowing our value.
Trust means that we take responsibility for our choices and ourselves. We trust that even if we make an unhealthy choice, we will learn from the experience and move forward with more wisdom.
This enables us to maintain an optimistic attitude.
