Strive For Healthy Thinking In The New Year
Would you like to become more optimistic about life this year? Do you often wonder how some individuals seem to bounce back from misfortune? Let’s look at how thinking patterns can affect one’s outlook on life.
Some people tend to harbor many irrational assumptions and beliefs stemming from messages received from parents, siblings, grandparents, teachers and friends.
For example, they may have been taught by those significant people in their lives that they should always strive for perfection and settle for nothing less than flawlessness in life. Additionally, they should be thoroughly proficient in everything they do and always strive for higher achievement. They may also tend to think that they must be loved by everyone and never displease anyone. Any less-than-perfect outcome is a failure. Hence, they may have developed an all-or-nothing thought pattern.
This all-or-nothing attitude can be a problem for people when, in reality, situations rarely are absolutely good or absolutely bad. Most situations have shades of gray. These problematic thinkers need to be cautious about engaging in polarized thinking and instead recognize alternatives to all-or-nothing outcomes.
Additionally, some people believe that an event that turns out badly portends the future. These pessimists believe that trouble is just around the corner, even when things are going well. They may also believe that the past is all-important and that it shapes the present and future so strongly that nothing can erase a mistake. No one has the ability to see into the future. Life is not simply a series of problems and struggles, and you can’t make predictions based on isolated events.
If you fit this pattern, avoid labeling yourself. You are not a loser if you fail at a single experience. Take time to look at the whole picture instead of concentrating on a single event.
Individuals achieving improved mental health learn that their beliefs and assumptions may not always be rational and correct. By re-examining these beliefs and assumptions, they can begin to change their unhealthy thought patterns.
Depression and anxiety can occur when people chronically misinterpret events around them. For example, they may tend to judge themselves and others harshly because their thoughts and feelings are obscuring the facts. If necessary, these individuals may want to consider getting professional help to enable them to look at things from a different perspective, one that will help correct irrational thinking and belief patterns.
