Some people are optimists and some are pessimists. The optimists have a strong tendency to look on the bright side of their current situation, whereas the pessimistic tends to look at the dark side of the situation. A major component of stress is how we interpret or think about a situation. If we interpret the situation in a very negative way, we will experience greater distress and a host of negative emotions.
Research has shown that having a more positive outlook may provide some protection against health problems. This may be in part related to how thinking more positively reduces a person’s stress level.
Think of the ongoing thought process you have about things in your life as being “self talk.” When we use very negative self-talk, that will cause greater distress and stronger negative emotions. I’m not suggesting that you bury your head in the sand, and just ignore the problems in your life. What I am suggesting is more of an effort to have more positive self-talk, and to make an effort to find something positive in most situations. Sometimes, it is easier just to think about something in a less negative way than before.
Example:
Very negative thought: “This is terrible that I have to work overtime again. I just can’t stand it anymore.”
Less negative thought: “I would have preferred not to work overtime again. This stinks, but I can make it through.”
Positive thought: “I’m glad I get to work overtime. I get to make some more money and I can use that to do something fun.”
Some key words that are very negative and result in a lot of distress: always, never, awful, terrible, horrible, worst ever.
If you find yourself thinking about things with some of these very negative words, you can spend some time working on thinking about it in a more positive or less negative way. Give it a try, and I think you will find that you feel less distressed.