3 Tips to Practice Optimism and Live Longer – From a Harvard Psych Instructor
The way we think has a powerful influence on our health and well-being, potentially adding years to our lives. Research has shown that having optimism - a mix of positive thinking, goal-driven behavior, and confidence – can help achieve exceptional longevity. This stems from a combination of how we explain what happens to us and what we expect to happen in the future.
According to Dr. Natalie Dattilo, we can train ourselves to be optimistic and change our mindset. Here are some simple tips to ‘practice’ optimism now:
When things go wrong, ask yourself three things:
On a scale from 1-10, how likely is it to be like this forever?
On a scale from 1-10, how likely is it to affect everything in my life?
What other factors likely contributed?
By asking these questions, you begin to think like an optimist, who is more likely to believe that when things don’t turn out right, that it is merely a temporary setback limited to just this specific set of circumstances. You can then see that there are probably multiple causes for this event and no need to catastrophize what occurred.
· Remember the “confidence quotient.” Our goal with optimism is to strike the right balance as we strive to assess the likelihood of negative events more realistically AND more accurately assess our ability to handle it.
· Consider “pragmatic optimism.” If we know that thinking in more optimistic and uplifting ways can benefit health and well-being, why not just try it? Challenge yourself to see the silver lining and remind yourself of times you have overcome obstacles in the past. You can train yourself to be more resilient.
· Be encouraging in your self-talk. Anxiety happens when we overestimate the likelihood that something bad will happen and underestimate our confidence and ability to handle it, falling into a pattern of pessimism. Begin to tell yourself, no matter what happens, that you’ve got this and are able to move forward. Because you are!