Pessimism In Our Life - Protection Or Harm? - Self-development

2023 Author: Oswald Adamson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 20:18

Looking at the world with a negative vector, a tendency towards negative thinking, a challenge to a positive attitude - it's all about him. Pessimism forces you to focus exclusively on negative aspects. Any life situation is viewed through the prism of its possible negative consequences (often fictitious)

At the same time, pessimists are convinced that they have extremely critical thinking and this helps them in life. Is it so? What is truth - rose-colored glasses and the hope of optimists or eternal cloudiness and the possible absence of disappointments for pessimists?

Pessimism attacks

It should be recognized that the systematic situation in the world provides all the opportunities for a pessimistic perception of the surrounding reality. The problem is that pessimists often feel completely helpless and unprepared for external influences. And not only during this or that cataclysm.

Having lived their whole lives as outside observers, pessimists are sure that success does not depend on them in any way, it is only the merit of external circumstances

It is now important to understand that a cognitive disorder such as "negative bias" often leads to the development of pessimism. This is what most of us are currently experiencing in the moment. Negative bias is the tendency to pay more attention to negative news and experience it much more than the positive news available. When horror pours out on us from the media every day in a wave (remember, the screaming headlines and stuffing), our body comes to a state of alert and is going to "survive". That is why we isolate only what can be dangerous. Positive events do not pose a threat to us, so we simply ignore them.

You tend to be pessimistic if:

1. Don't be surprised when things don't go according to plan. Favorite phrase "I knew it." However, you do not see any positive aspects. It's about negative bias.
2. Sincerely, even with a share of superiority, call yourself a realist. A bit wrong. Realism is about hopes for a successful outcome, taking into account all possible negative scenarios. Pessimism is about "everything will be bad."
3. Locus of external control, externality. You are convinced that success is influenced by external factors, not your actions.
4. Stop helping your neighbors. At some point, you began to believe that you would receive nothing in return and that everyone around you was just taking advantage of you.
5. You have forgotten how to forgive. You groom and nurture your grievances, do not let go of the situation, replaying it over and over again. There is a secondary benefit here - in this way, you control others.
6. You always have your own, "sober" view of things. The fact that you sound dull or aggressive at the same time does not bother you.
7. You are closed, alienated.

Pessimism, as a character trait, has various reasons.

The most striking preconditions for pessimism:

• Genetics is the most common source of pessimism, but it can be corrected. Aspects such as the environment of communication and education can change a lot.
• Stress. Injuries, losses, chronic fatigue. All this, accumulating, gives a feeling of the hopelessness of the future.
• Education. The reason is related to childhood trauma. If a child was endlessly compared with someone not in his favor, did not hear him, constantly criticized him, did not support him - there is little chance that he will be able to grow up self-sufficient and self-confident.
• Age. Everything accumulates here: past stresses, midlife crisis, fear of death, fear of not being in time for anything.

Everything is bad?

If we are not talking about clinical depression, but we are considering situational pessimism, then here you can find positive aspects. Even if pessimists deny it.

1. Tactics of defensive pessimism. Defensive pessimism can bring unexpected benefits. In this strategy of behavior, the situation is played out in advance, taking into account all obstacles without exception. But you need to understand that defensive pessimism is one of the benign varieties of pessimism. It is not associated with low self-esteem and allows for increased control over the situation and self-efficacy.
2. "Suffering is a condition for the activity of genius" (Schopenhauer). Only after a disagreement with the surrounding world, the real productive work of thought begins, and the forces multiply.
3. Controlling anxiety. There is some necessary "grounding" here, which is necessary in case of aggressive influence of the surrounding reality on the psyche. This applies to both global events and daily routine events. For example, in preparation for a difficult public speaking, you can present all possible mistakes, traumatic reactions and develop an action plan. There is no need to expect the grandiose - and then everything will work out.

Unfortunately, persistent pessimistic states can trigger depression and psychosomatic disorders. The chances of cardiac pathology and a tendency to bad habits increase. And this will have to be corrected by more serious methods. Therefore, we must not forget to correctly analyze your feelings and mood.

How to get rid of endless negativity

• Remember every evening all the good things of the past day. Take this ritual as a rule, if you like, call it a "marathon" and keep a journal. It doesn't have to be grandiose at all - the taste of small joys is the most pleasant.
• Do good. This is really important in our life.
• Communicate with positive people more often. It is not necessary to copy their behavior by force. Over time, you will notice that the world is much brighter than it seems.
• While we are alive, it is possible to fix everything. This is one of the simple truths that stimulate action and give hope.
• Soft auto-training. Try not to think "it will be bad." Try to think "let's see." Even the slightest changes in the direction of your thoughts can change the entire vector of mood. The golden mean between optimism and pessimism lies in the adequate perception of all resources, circumstances and external influences. Wild positive thinking in pink glasses is no better than gray dull pessimism. Look for the middle, think and develop. This will help maintain both peace of mind and the necessary pep in all circumstances.