Is the glass half full or half empty? - One of the common expressions associated with perspective.
How do you look at situations? Do you usually look at things optimistically and positively i.e. half full? Or are you typically more pessimistic, seeing things from a more negative perspective i.e. half empty?
Personally I don't think we can be completely defined as either optimistic or pessimistic.
I feel it just depends on what we are faced with at any given time, how we feel and how we approach different situations.
I am quite a positive person but recently I have felt slightly more pessimistic which is why I decided to write this post. Approaching things pessimistically I find we tend to reflect more, drawing on things that we don't like and this tends to make us feel worse.
But ultimately we are all human, we have our ups and downs however, I have come up with
a few ways we can consciously try to approach things a little more optimistically:
- Try not to dwell on things.
- If a situation is making us feel unhappy then either do what we can to change things for the better or if nothing can be done, try to forget about things and move on.
- Try not to worry about hypothetical situations- Worrying about things that might never happen is quite simply a waste of energy that could be put to better use.
- Try to think more positively where possible. This may be easier said than done but actively try to focus on good things, the more positive aspects of situations/whatever you are feeling pessimistic towards.
- Try to put things into perspective- Is what you are feeling so pessimistic about that big a deal?
To help illustrate a different perspective I thought I would end on a beautiful little quote:
"It doesn't matter if the glass is half empty or half full...
Be grateful that you have a glass and there is something in it."
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I am off now to try and take my own advice and hopefully feel slightly more optimistic.
Feel free to share your thoughts below :)
Kat x
