Today's Challenge: Play The Optimism Game!
Because of this, I decided to play a little game with myself, and see if I could find a benefit in every seemingly negative thing that happened to me, for just one day. It's actually a pretty fun and creative way to deflect stress and stop dwelling on the unpleasant things that happen in a day, from rude store clerks (who give you the opportunity to practice patience) to a kid coming down with a cold (providing you with a chance to 'baby' them again, if just for a day or two).
I'd love to see you challenge yourself to play the game, too. Just for today, see what benefits you can find in your stressors. (You can share them in the comments, or post about it in the forum.) And if your day is a little less stressful, why not make it two?
Related Resources
- The Benefits of Optimism
- How (And Why) To Develop an Attitude of Gratitude
- Are You An Optimist? Take The Quiz and Find Out!
Source: McCullough ME, Root LM, Cohen AD. Writing about the benefits of an interpersonal transgression facilitates forgiveness. Journal of Consulting Clinical Psychology, October 2006.
Hi, Elizabeth
Try to see the good in the bad. That is a good description. Yesterday I was supposed to meet a friend at 11 am. she did not show up. I first was disappointed, then I started giving her excuses, then I thought I’d better make it up for ME. I ordered my tea and cake and enjoyed talking to the owner and we became friends and possible business.
I love it. It sounds like you had a much better time than you would have had. Good for you!
Elizabeth
We are a holistic wellness enterprise. During our workshops on Stress Management with various organizations we always talk about ‘Forgiveness’, as we sincerely believe that many a times one’s stress level is high due to some deep-rooted anger or frustration towards another person. Through processes like journaling, cathartic writing, counselling, we broach thiss issue of forgiveness for emotional relief.All this benefitting employee attitude and morale on the long run.