Pessimism: How to free yourself from the negative spiral

Reading time 6 minutes
Pessimism: How to free yourself from the negative spiral

Once again, the bus drives away from under your nose - and at work, nothing really works out. You seem to attract bad luck. The problem is: With a pessimistic attitude towards life, you notice the negative things more than the positive ones anyway. Pessimism: How do you overcome this outlook and finally find more Satisfaction?

The question is: Do you even want that? After all, pessimists can say: I don't make any false Hopes. In any case, it is worth taking a closer look at the topic of pessimism.

What is pessimism?

Everywhere you see only the bad - these typical view makes you a pessimist. According to the philosophical meaning, pessimistic people think that the negative outweighs the good. Suffering is therefore stronger than Joie de vivre.

And what does pessimism mean in concrete terms? It refers to the general fear that nothing pleasant will happen and the hoped-for results will fail to materialize. In contrast, optimism involves latent anticipation: the desirable things will certainly occur.

There are three concepts in the definition of pessimism. The first is the generalized negative expectation. The second is the negative attribution of causes. These are variable explanations that can also characterize positive events in a bad light. As a third variant, there is pessimism as a negative illusion about oneself. You believethat nothing really works out for you? Here, pessimism leads directly to low self-esteem. This negative attitude can Inferiority complexes trigger. In bad cases, pessimists lose their courage to face life and lose control over their decisions.

The main causes of pessimism

Where does this negative mood come from? In the past, you didn't let it spoil your mood so quickly. One of the typical causes of pessimism is bad experiences. So often, you hopefully made resolutions or started projects. But it just didn't work out. In the sports club you only ended up in the third team, the diet was not successful and your musical talent is not as good as you thought.

Such events are quickly generalized by sensitive people. They then believe that the failures happen in all areas.

Pessimism - so this attitude amplifies the negative energy and affects your whole life.

Low self-esteem

Another reason for pessimism is low self-esteem. Here, negative experiences are not responsible for the pessimistic attitude. Those who suffer from complexes always see the fault in themselves. If you tick yourself like this, you feel weak and guilty. If you do succeed, you believe that it is pure coincidence. You couldn't have done it yourself. Someone helped you or the external influences were favorable.

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Some pessimists think their basic attitude is clever, because it offers some protection against Disappointments. This can also be the reason for the pessimistic attitude. Optimists sometimes appear naive and naïve: They approach their tasks with hope. If they don't succeed, the great frustration comes. In contrast, pessimists do not have great expectations. They anticipate failure and are therefore not as disappointed.

pessimistic attitude towards life

Stop being pessimistic: How to overcome negative thinking

Negative experiences often remain longer in the Memory than positive things. This is apparently typically human. Presumably, this attitude makes it easier for us to recognize crises and minimize dangers.

Pessimistic I Pessimism, how do you get rid of it anyway? Is it easy to get rid of negative thoughts? You want to enjoy life and not always be dragged down. Here you will learn how to get rid of your pessimism. The important thing is to counter the bad things with something good. Lucky charms or a simple, positive motto are somewhat naive methods. It is better to work with the right counterweights. That way, you can find something good in difficult and disappointing situations.

Observe your thoughts carefully

If you recognize the pessimistic cycle of your thoughts, this is already an important first step on the way to a positive future. Accept your attitude and behave mindful. This will keep your stress level at a low level and you can reduce exaggerated negative reactions. Treat your negative beliefs carefully and tame them. This can be achieved through meditation exercises or by pausing occasionally in everyday life. Mindfulness also helps you to look closely at your thoughts without judging or changing them. By accepting your own negative thoughts, you feel less burdened.

But can you train optimism? Learning a positive attitude towards life, this idea sounds a bit strange for convinced pessimists.

Pessimistic I Pessimism, the principle behind it looks like this: If you see the future with a hopeless look, you unconsciously direct your concentration to negative things. But it also works in the other direction: if you think optimistically, events will also develop positively. However, there is no switch you can simply flip to overcome pessimism.

Fight pessimism: 7 practical tips

Before an important exam, you keep thinking: I'll never make it. Before a date, you fear that your potential partner won't like you. In line at the checkout, you sigh: Of course, it takes the longest in this line. One thing is certain: with a negative attitude, you make life difficult for yourself. Envy, anger and sometimes sadness intensify. Some people get really sick of it. Pessimism - how can fight this attitude

The following tips will help you, think more positively and to train your optimistic thoughts.

  • Against the pessimistic attitude helps a daily Gratitude ExerciseThink about the positive things you have experienced today. This way you learn to appreciate the good things. Over time, you will notice more and more small, beautiful experiences.
  • Give the negative thought vortex contra. In exaggerated pessimism hides an extreme view. "Always" "everything" gets on your nerves. Be realistic and ask yourself if it's really that bad.
  • Set counterweights. When the pessimistic thoughts come up, look for the positive elements in them. You didn't get the promotion - that's annoying, but you don't have to limit your free time for that.
  • Sit down and write down which good features you have. At the beginning, you may find this difficult because you only have an eye for the negative things.
  • Many pessimists see themselves in a Victim role and blame other people. You should definitely get out of this self-pitying role. This way you will get rid of your pessimistic thoughts and take more responsibility for your life. You are not a victim - you can do something yourself.
  • We humans are social beings and are under the influence of our environment. Talk more often with optimists and let yourself be infected by their good mood.
  • Try something newto free yourself from the attitude of "pessimism". Creative activities help you to open up. You become more flexible and optimistic. You also get to know new perspectives.

Pessimism: Is this attitude always bad?

If you don't hope for good things, you won't be disappointed - this basic idea seems to be a good explanation for convinced pessimists. In other words, pessimism protects against nasty surprises.

Pessimism, so is there something positive about this attitude? It sounds paradoxical, but there are a surprising number of people who swear by it. If you assume the worst, you won't be so downhearted when it happens. The model boat will definitely sink if you try it out on the lake. True: Exactly what you feared will occur.

If we humans continue like this, marine animals will become extinct and climate change will destroy the earth. However, this negative thought makes many people think and also act. Pessimistic I pessimism, the attitude can therefore trigger something positive. Various precautionary measures and warning systems come into play to prevent the worst or at least postpone it temporarily.

Protection mechanism

So pessimism is actually a kind of protection, because it makes us be careful and recognize dangers at an early stage. If you imagine the worst-case scenario in everyday life as well, you prepare yourself for all kinds of disasters. Even when the sun is shining brightly, you take your umbrella with you, and that can be your salvation in the event of a sudden change in the weather. You only go on vacation with a first-aid kit: not a bad idea.

Pessimistic I However, pessimism can also lead to excessive anxiety and nervousness. Some pessimists even suffer from physical ailments. In addition, the Motivation clearly and you hardly feel like doing anything anymore. In this case, even the small advantages of the pessimistic attitude won't get you anywhere.

Being pessimistic - what really helps

Good, or not good: What can you do about pessimism now? The old familiar, ubiquitous topic of pessimism used to be met with chacka slogans. But naive, glaring positivism is anything but convincing for the real pessimists. Supposedly helpful slogans seem silly and reckless to you. You'd rather stick to the reassuring, negative aphorisms.

Pessimistic I pessimism, but in the long run this attitude also stresses. That is why it makes sense to train optimism. The Personality test from Greator provides information about your basic attitude and your potential. Find out the causes of your pessimism and try to reformulate the negative beliefs.

Circumstances often cannot be changed, but you have the power to change your attitude. In this way you will overcome your pessimism and in the future you will appear more courageous and above all in a much better mood.

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