Hey.

Welcome back to your daily mindfulness.

Today, we're going to discuss how

to become more of an optimist.

Now, I'm not one to push the idea

of always look on the bright side.

I think it's very important to give

ourselves permission to feel what

we're feeling, even if that sometimes

includes anger and negativity.

But, this doesn't mean we can't condition

our mind in a particular way to lead to

things that we know create more wellbeing.

When it comes to optimism and pessimism,

there are a lot of research-based

benefits supporting the improved wellbeing

that comes with an optimistic outlook.

So, I'm going to name some of those.

Just have a listen and see

what it's like to hear this.

Those who are more optimistic, have

fewer symptoms of depression, lower

levels of stress, better cardiovascular

health, lower risk of Alzheimer's,

more resilience, greater productivity,

they're more kind and compassionate,

and they have better sleep and

they also have longer life span.

So, I think most humans can get on board

with wanting more of those benefits.

But what do we do if we're

a little more pessimistic?

Is it fixed, or are we doomed?

Fortunately, that answer is no.

Optimism is something we can develop,

no matter what stage we're at, and no

matter how pessimistic we might be.

According to the famous psychologist, Dr.

Martin Seligman, who wrote the

book Learned Optimism, there are

three specific things that separate

an optimist from a pessimist.

He calls them the three P's.

When we're more pessimistic,

we view things as permanent,

personal and pervasive.

So what does this look like?

Well, imagine a negative

event you recently went

through or are going through.

If you were to view this event

as permanent, there would be a

sense that this will last forever.

If you were to view it as personal,

it might feel like this is my

fault, or this has to do with me.

This is something about me.

If you were to view it as pervasive, there

would be this feeling like, my life always

goes like this or things never go my way.

Permanent, personal and pervasive.

Can you see how that might lead to

extra anxiety, sadness and depression?

So, if a pessimist views things

as permanent, personal and

pervasive, what does an optimist do?

Well, an optimist, instead of viewing

an experience permanent, they see it

as temporary, instead of viewing it as

personal, they are able to see that,

there are a lot of variables at play

that could lead to this thing happening.

And instead of viewing it as pervasive,

they see this as being situational and

not a representation of their entire life.

So, in today's meditation, we're going to

practice specifically working with these

three P's, so that you can cultivate more

of an optimistic orientation toward the

difficult things in your life or something

that you're going through right now.

And you'll be able to experience

the improved life benefits that

come with greater optimism.

Thank you for your practice

and we'll talk to you shortly.

Take care.