Maintaining Optimism In Uncertain Times

Hey Everyone! It's times like these that we need to be reminded of the importance of optimism. If you are struggling to find your stride with optimism, whether you are a pessimist, a realist, or just find yourself facing challenging times and therefore feeling less hopeful, this episode is for you. And if you want to encourage others, this episode is for you as well. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Prayer can be a powerful source of support.
• Optimism requires intentional effort and practice.
• Cognitive reframing can help shift negative thoughts.
• You can encourage others by demonstrating positivity.
• It's important to feel your feelings but not dwell on negativity.
• Choosing optimism can lead to a more fulfilling life.

Song Mentioned:
Be Optimistic by Sounds of Blackness

Articles Mentioned:
How to Train Your Brain To Become More Optimistic: 9 Expert-Approved Strategies- Women's Health Mag
What Is Cognitive Reframing?- Better Help

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Transcript

Hey Everyone, welcome back to the pod! I hope that all is well. That you and your families are safe and healthy and experiencing positivity. 

For many, January hasn’t gotten off to a great start, and that’s putting it lightly.  Whether you are grieving the loss of a loved one, your home, simply life as you know it,  I want you to know that I am praying and if you would like for me to pray for you by name, send me a dm, or text the pod or send me an email. Just reach out. I am here and open to pray for you. There are times when it feels like what is prayer going to do- this is too big? That’s just an honest, human feeling. And you may not be able to do it for yourself. So allow others to lift you up in prayer. Ask for what you need while you are awaiting your restoration. And don’t discount the power of prayer. Many of us were lifted in prayer by others when we’ve been unable to lift ourselves. So if you need lifting, let me know. 

And so with the heaviness that's been hanging around many people, it seems fitting to talk about optimism today. 

Now as a recovering pessimist who used to pose as a realist to mask my worry and negativity, I know that many of us have to really train ourselves and be very intentional about positive thinking just on a normal day. It can be very challenging. If you are like me, you may have on occasion found yourself wondering why it’s just so hard to be optimistic. 

While it may be hard, particularly in uncertain times, or times of great challenge in life, it’s so important to do our best to channel optimism and so I hope that some of what I share with you today will encourage you to do so even if you find yourself in times that are challenging or uncertain for you. 

Because when we are down- when we are experiencing loss, or challenge, the more that we can lean into optimism and positivity, the better off we will be. That’s pretty obvious, but it’s easier said than done I know. However,  we can’t just wait on our minds to naturally gravitate toward optimistic outcomes. It helps if we try to train ourselves to focus on that which brings hope. That which provides light. That which we may not be able to see. You know Hope and Faith are partners and we all know that Faith is the substance of things hoped for. So you may not be able to see past directly what’s in front of you. But you have to trust and believe that there is definitely something beyond what you see. And that it’s good. 

I was actually just listening to a live by Tai Beauchamp and she shared some words of wisdom her grandmother used to say to her when she was a little girl. And that was to look up and be encouraged.  

When we are in the thick of it, we may find ourselves head down. Entrenched in the muck of it all. Or in the ashes. But it’s so important to just look up because that’s where we will find the light. That’s how we rise. 

So take it day by day. Moment by moment if that’s the space you find yourself in. What’s important is taking the steps. Because taking the steps is evidence that buried underneath everything that you may have going on, you still believe there is hope. Some optimism. And you are choosing to travel toward it with every step that you take.. 

Even when we can’t see a great outcome for a situation at all, we have to tap into our faith and believe that there is some good to be found in the midst of it all. We have to channel optimism. 

So what is optimism?

The Oxford dictionary says that optimism is hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something. 

In many instances like the decimation of a neighborhood by fire, it can be hard to have hopefulness and certainly not confidence about the future. 

And let me just say, if we know that others are struggling to find the hope and find the confidence, we should be standing in the gap until they can find their hope again, as we would want someone to do for us when we find ourselves in a place of optimistic drought. And you don’t have to know them personally. 

According to a women’s health magazine article, 25% of optimism is genetic. The rest is learned behavior acquired during our upbringing. Which means, even if you acquired some optimistic genetics, you’ll still need to work a decent amount in order to boost your optimism meter unless you were born into a family and were able to surround yourself with folks who only look at the glass half full. Some of us have to work a bit harder than others to get to it, but all of us have to work to maintain an optimistic mindset. 

So I want to highlight some of the benefits of optimism:

Optimism increases life expectancy

Optimism can help you handle stress better, so that when dark days come, you will remember to look up.

Optimists have stronger immune systems and decreased risk of illness

They are more successful- they don’t throw in the towel prematurely

And optimism is also a benefit to others- your positivity can lift others without you even having to do another thing but be around people. 

And that’s just a short list. 

So how can we then become more optimistic? 

Practice cognitive reframing,-according to betterhelp, cognitive reframing is the process of shifting your perspective by replacing negative or flawed thought patterns with more realistic and positive ones, which can help with stress management and improve your mood, mental health, and overall well-being. All beneficial This is something that you can practice on your own or could potentially be introduced to through your  therapist.

Plan positively- take a look at your calendar and see where you can stack positive activities that bring you joy. Design your life so that you are staring down the good and not wallowing in the negative. And plan things to look forward to. Could even be a celebration for yourself. You don’t have to wait for others to plan the party that you want to have. Maybe you want to catch a cool art exhibit in town. Whatever it is, plan for it. Don’t pencil it in, but mark it in permanent ink. We aren’t dreaming, we are doing. These types of habits build on our more optimistic view of life. 

Be social! Being around other people can improve your mood. You can receive support if you are going through a common experience  and just being in community with others who may be able to pour into you- well you can’t go wrong there. 

Use your tools. That could be reading scripture that encourages your hope, or  journaling to release your emotions. And music! What are your favorite songs that have encouraging lyrics? 

There’s a song by sounds of blackness from back in the day. It’s called Be Optimistic. If you don’t know what Im talking about go to the show notes- I’ll leave a link. But I want to highlight some of the lyrics here. The song says this: 

"If things around you crumble, no you don’t have to stumble and fall

Keep pushing on and don’t you look back

I know the storm and strife Cloud up your outlook on life

Just think ahead and you’ll be inspired to reach higher and higher

You’ll always do you your best if you learn to never say never

You may be down but you’re not out

As long as you keep your head to the sky- you can win. "

It often seems that we won’t win. That we can’t win. And it’s true. You definitely can’t win if you count yourself out of the game. So keep your head to the sky. Look up and be encouraged. Just because you’re down, don’t count yourself out. Don’t give up. Encourage yourself. And keep the faith. 

Life is full of so many ups and downs . Some downs, we may anticipate even though we don’t know how they’ll make us feel when they come. Others, we can’t imagine in any way, shape, or form and can’t fathom or comprehend th ever happening. But through it all if we choose optimism, we’ll be better for it. 

And Remember that you can allow yourself to feel your feelings. You can be all the things- sad, angry, disappointed. But the key to channeling optimism is to not sit in the negative ones. You gotta let it go. We have to release and press forward. 

My pastor was just saying on Sunday to be forward focused. When you are forward focused you don’t have time to wallow. Your focus is on what’s good, what’s up, what’s next. 

And that’s how we channel optimism. 

So these are some of my thoughts on optimism. May we all be a little more optimistic today. And if you know of someone going through a challenging time- maybe you don’t know them personally, but you know they may be having trouble looking up and being encouraged, do what you can to demonstrate the goodness that is out in the world. And Let your actions demonstrate that there is still hope. 

Thanks so much for listening today. And thank you to those of you who have been sending me texts! I do very much appreciate it. And I’m honored to know that something that I’ve shared here was impactful enough for you to reach out and share your thoughts with me. For those of you who haven’t had the opportunity to yet, please remember to share, review, and rate the podcast if you find that the content shared here is beneficial. I can’t wait to chat with you all again next week- take care until then.