O is for optimism – to remain hopeful in all circumstances. I am a born optimistic. As my husband says, I look for sunshine in the darkest of places. And I usually find it!
While I am an optimist, I am also a realist. I don’t go bouncing off the walls on a happy pill. I just choose to live my life being hopeful and confident about the future. It is my way of surviving the negativity surrounding the world.
Over the years I have taken concrete steps to fuel my optimism. It is human to fight or flight, so remaining optimistic is a learned skill.
The first one that has helped me is to not to Overthink. I have started forcing my self to stop and ask the question if what I am getting anxious about will matter in say 2 months from now. Almost always, the answer is no and it helps me calm down straight away.
I also don’t read the news all the time. Mostly it is filled with what is going wrong in the world. So by reducing it to once every day, I get impacted less. Same with social media, I don’t obsessively look at it every minute of the day, further adding to my calmness.
Recently, I have also started meditating in the morning. It is only 5 mins but it has really helped me get into the right mindset for the day. Last thing, which has been helpful, is spending a lot of time with my family and friends talking about what is exciting and happy moments. It is food for the soul and keeps me grounded.
I end with a quote that guides me.
Everything will be okay. Trust your journey.
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