Optimism vs. Pessimism

"A pessimist is a well-informed optimist." - Russian proverb

If you asked me the age-long question of whether the cup was half-full or half-empty, I'd share with you that regardless of either, the cup is still beautiful. But nonetheless, to me it is half-empty and those who personally know me are well aware that I am a pessimist. Or an optimistic pessimist: hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

Photo by Walimai @ Flickr.

Optimism and pessimism deal greatly with emotional health. It is how you perceive your thoughts and how your mindset views life.

 

In the May journal of Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health, a published study states "optimism heavily influences physical and mental health" (Haupt). That's understandable, right? "Optimists have a higher quality of life, and they may be more resilient in the way they deal with stress," explains Michael Miller, editor in chief of the Harvard Mental Health Letter. "So if a problem comes along, they're able to handle it better, and they become less symptomatic" (Haupt).

My friends often tell me my negative thinking is not the way to go and often try to change my mindset. But it isn't easy and I am well aware that pessimism is not the best mindset.

So if you're in the same boat as me, Lifehack lists how to find inspiration for optimism:

• Look for the silver lining: I know I know, it is a little cliche but it really is so true. It’s hard when you’re right in the middle of a situation, but take a few minutes to mentally step back from the situations and see if there is just one area that could be seen as positive.
• Positive Friends:  choose to spend time with the most positive people you know. If you don’t know any, time to step up and find some—it will be fun!
• Look for inspiration: there are several ways you can surround yourself with inspiration, such as spending time with smiling babies, or reading inspirational books, affirmations and quotes.
• Be Grateful: there is always something you can be grateful for, so acknowledge it, say it out loud.  My favorite is “thank you for my breath”

It is important to understand that you can choose how and the way you think. It just takes practice to realize when you're thinking of a negative thought and turning that thought in positivity.

 

 

Works Cited

Haupt, Angela. "How Your Personality Affects Your Health." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 22 Sept. 2010. Web. 23 Jan. 2013.

A Look Into Your Personality

“I think and think and think, I've thought myself out of happiness one million times, but never once into it.” - Jonathan Safran Foer

Photo by Erica C.

Have you ever found yourself reflecting on who you are? I'm sure the answer is certainly. But have you ever sought to find the source of your happiness and/or dissatisfaction in relation to your personality?

A look into your personality type can help you understand yourself more and aid in emotional health.

I have always been an introspective person. Whether analyzing interaction with others, reviewing my flaws, or looking into my thoughts, I continue to maintain awareness of my environment and my relation to it.

I knew that I was an introvert, controlled by my left-brain, and naturally a pessimist. But after taking personality tests, I learned more about myself that holds true. In my 9th grade year of high school, I was able to take a personality test that resulted in INTJ (Rational Mastermind). Lo' and behold, four years later it would only slightly change to ISTJ (Guardian Inspector). What exactly do these letters mean? Personality Page details a lot of informative material.

What also holds true, or at least I had always believed, was the topic of astrology. Horoscope astrology and zodiac signs have always been a fascination of mind since I was younger. Whether reading through newspapers or magazines for the horoscope column or browsing through the countless websites on zodiac signs, this phenomenon has become an entertaining part of the Lifestyle outlook.

Astrology first derived thousands of years in Mesopotamia, where the first civilizations tried to find answers through the many stars that lay overhead. Overtime astrology has been used for medicine, predictions, compatibility, and entertainment (Bakich). However, the Western astrology we are so familiar with differs from the rest of the world's astrology. It may seem as though Western astrology is best for entertainment purposes rather than any concrete reliance.

While I have never found horoscopes factual, the mass amount of information on the personality types of each zodiac was very insightful. As a Taurus (or Taurus-Gemini cusp to be more specific), I found reading about zodiac sign captivating because most of the content seemed true about me.

From left to right: Gemini, Scorpio, Pisces,

Aquarius, Aries, Taurus,

Virgo, Leo, Capricorn,

Cancer, Sagitarrius, Libra.

Photo by iStockphoto

Both personality types and zodiac signs are good fun reads however. There are many personality tests and definitely a whole lot of information in regards to astrology online. A simple search on Google will bring about many results. The Keirsey Temperament Sorter is one of the most used personality test. Your source for astrology depends on your preference (mine was Astrology Insight in middle school) but most sites generally carry the same information in regards to each zodiac's personality type.

So why exactly is important to look into your personality? Because, according to Michael Miller, editor in chief of the Harvard Mental Health Letter "everything is related to everything else. How stressed or angry you are, and how you interact with the world, is contingent in large part on your personality style. And that is going to have an enormous impact on your health" (Haupt). By understanding oneself is close to accepting of who you are and finding a better way to deal with life when you comprehend yourself.

It is almost as if you're on the outside looking in. By looking into your personality, you can see who you are as an individual and understand the roots of your thoughts and actions and in turn view the image you portray to others.

As a Taurus, I know I can be stubborn but loyal. Looking into astrology, I learned that my biggest strength can be my "sensible outlook on life" (Taurus) but my biggest weakness is "accepting less than [I] can achieve" (Taurus). Through Keirsey, I learned that Inspectors actually make up "ten percent of the general population" (Keirsey). Through this knowledge, I can be able to see where I need improvements in my life and appreciate my strong points in my personality. For example, instead of constantly being unyielding, I know I should compromise a bit more but still remain sensible.

Your personality ties into your emotional health. Who you are affects how you live and by learning more about yourself, you can learn to better improve your emotional well being.

Works Cited

Bakich M. "Astrology: Fact or FICTION?." Astronomy. 32.12 (2004): 50-56. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.
Haupt, Angela. "How Your Personality Affects Your Health." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 22 Sept. 2010. Web. 23 Jan. 2013.
"Keirsey Temperament Website - Portrait of the Guardian® Inspector (ISTJ)." Keirsey Temperament Website - Portrait of the Guardian® Inspector (ISTJ). N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013.
"Taurus Characteristics & Personality - MyDaily." The Huffington Post. Tarot.com, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013.

Happiness One Step at a Time

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
"It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver."
- Mahatma Gandhi

Photo by Amit Kujur.

Hello world ~ While I am no stranger to the online world nor blogging, it is with difficulty that I find myself writing once again to an audience. It's been many years since I've written anything that is not related to research papers or poetry. However, I hope that this journey that we shall embark will benefit not just myself but others.

As a freshman in college, I did not think I would ever revisit blogging for academic purposes - but here we are. For English composition II, I am to maintain an academic blog on a chosen topic for 15 weeks. This had me thinking.

I find that many other young adults including myself are thrown into the real world and with the expectation that we should have a lot of things (careers, finances, etc) figured out. Along with the weight we carry in our lives and in our hearts, this can be tremendously overwhelming and stressful. Where is the happiness in all of this?

We are all constantly trying to better ourselves and our lives. Whether through pursuing an education to earn a degree to even making the choice of opting for a healthier diet. Our emotional health is very important in our life and I believe that it is definitely tied to happiness.

For my blog, I decided to cover the topic of lifestyle because I've always had interest in the welfare aspects of life. Many of us are tied down to either a 9-5 job or hours sitting away "learning" and living the mundane cycle we all are accustomed to. And so often life weighs heavily down that happiness is forgotten or a facade of the future. So often I have truly wondered what is exactly happiness and while I have yet to find my own answer to this, I have instead found strength and willpower which I hope will project onto others as I cover aspects of emotional health and provide insight and personal stories in relation to happiness.

Emotional health is "overall psychological well-being. It includes the way you feel about yourself, the quality of your relationships, and your ability to manage your feelings and deal with difficulties" (Smith). Often our emotional health is neglected or not reflected upon often enough.

Do you think you are emotionally healthy? Those who are have:

• A sense of contentment.
• A zest for living and the ability to laugh and have fun.
• The ability to deal with stress and bounce back from adversity.
• A sense of meaning and purpose, in both their activities and their relationships.
• The flexibility to learn new things and adapt to change.
• A balance between work and play, rest and activity, etc.
• The ability to build and maintain fulfilling relationships.
• Self-confidence and high self-esteem.

Any checks on this list provided by Helpguide? It may seem impossible to have each and every bullet checked but that is honestly okay if that is not the case. It is certainly commendable even with a few of the above attained. In all honesty, I only have the first one marked on my list. Topics ranging from depression to diet will be covered over these 15 weeks and with any luck, one more bullet can be checked off.

While this blog mainly adheres to the audience of college students, it certainly by no means limits to any certain range of viewers. So as the journey of life continues, here goes with this blog. Cheers~

- T.L.*

Works Cited

Smith, Melinda, Robert Segal, and Jeanne Segal. "Improving Emotional Health."Strategies and Tips for Good Mental Health. Helpguide, Jan. 2013. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.