"When it rains look for the rainbow, when it's dark look for the stars".
Wondered How To Be More Optimistic? Wouldn’t we all be happier if we lived by this quote, always looking at the silver living rather than focusing on the dark cloud? As a school counselor, whenever I feel overwhelmed this quote reminds me to look at the glass half full.
When I see kids today, I am taken back by how much pressure they seem to be under, by how complicated their lives have become and I want to take them back to a simpler life – where having a cake was enough to make your birthday special. A few years ago, children didn’t need the largesse of today to make a day special. Yesterday’s simplicity is replaced with today’s sophistication, thus making it difficult for today’s generation to face dejections.
One of the learners at JBCN International School, Oshiwara used the dissatisfaction of today’s youth as her project topic for the Innovators Convention. She researched foods that inspire positivity in students; her idea was so relevant and really got the school management thinking. So taking her idea forward the school decided to conduct optimism class once a week. At JBCN Oshiwara we believe that positivity can lead to happiness, mindfulness and much more in all our learners. We approach the optimism session as a way to equip our learners with lifelong resilience and qualities that will enable them to face the challenges of today.
The need for optimism:
The ability to view life (either positively or negatively) is learnt at a very young age. There is no surprise that people who have a positive view are less likely to get depressed, get fewer illnesses, and live longer. During difficult times, a conviction that things will work out in the end is an anchor to resilience. Learning How To Be More Optimistic is crucial. As alluring as the term “optimism” may sound, it is truly an art to imbibe it in the face of a rally.Optimism helps you rally:
We have therefore mapped this important life skill as a part of our teaching teaching curriculum. Students across all grades will learn to develop the belief that adversities can be defeated. The survival instinct to pull oneself together and keep going will be instilled from the formative years. Our learners will be provided with channels to express their worries in addition to being taught techniques to alleviate the same. In this mission to eradicate the helplessness and despair that our children feel when faced with trivial issues, we urge our parent fraternity to partner with us in the journey.
Show Your Children How To Be More Optimistic!
Pay close attention to how your child thinks about life events:
When something bad happens, does he/she think that the misfortune is permanent, does he/she have a “why does this always happen to me?” kind of a perception. Such pessimism needs to be confronted for its rationality.Teach lessons of Optimism:
Help him/her choose to perceive setbacks as temporary, impersonal, and within his/her power to fix. Teach them How To Be More Optimistic. Although at times a setback could be personal, i.e. he/she may have brought the failure onto themselves. Such an instance still doesn't define the person they are, it only explains the choice made by him/her. For example a child may have failed the test due to unpreparedness but that doesn't necessarily prove that he/she always did and always will fail tests. Children can be helped to cultivate Optimistic Thinking by altering the following 3 thought processes:How To Be More Optimistic: (The Process)
| Instead of... | Can think... |
|---|---|
| "Things are always against me" | "There are actions I can take to change the situation" |
| "Everything always goes wrong" | "There are specific reasons something happened" |
| "The world is just out to get me" | "Some factors lead to a cause and effect relationship. At times I can control those factors but at times I can’t, which may not be my fault" |
Model Optimism:
If you often find yourself saying things like, “It is impossible to expect a free parking space in this mall”, “Your scores at school can never get better”, then may God save our children and us! It is important to note that as a parent if you fail to “model” optimism, all of the above learning will be futile. If we want optimism to grow and flourish in our children, we need to plant it and nurture it within ourselves first. We must learn How To Be More Optimistic.Author: Ms. SheetalRacherlaShetty, School Counselor
JBCN International School Oshiwara
