Celebrate Optimism!

Wednesday March 4, 2009

_{During October, otherwise known as Emotional Intelligence Month, I pledged to bring to your awareness the numerous, more-obscure-but-still-important holidays and observances that relate to stress management. (You can read more about it here.) March is Optimism Month.}

If you've been reading this blog for more than a few weeks, you probably know that I'm a big fan of optimism, as it has such effective stress relief properties:

Optimists enjoy better health.
Optimists find more success.
Optimists feel less stressed during stressful times.
Optimists tend to have more supportive networks and resources.
Optimists enjoy life more.

Who wouldn't want that?

Well, if you've been meaning to work on your ability to be optimistic, or have wondered about the benefits of optimism, where you stand on the optimism-pessimism spectrum, or have had any other questions about optimism (or even if this is all new to you), this is your month to turn things around! There is no better time than Optimism Month (in a year when the economy is tanking and stress seems to be all around us in full force) to become more educated about optimism, what it can do for you, and how to develop this habitual pattern of thinking (it can be done)!

And the best part is, this wonderful stress relief tool is also FREE!

Optimism Resources from Elizabeth Scott:

Benefits of Optimism

Differences Between Optimists and Pessimists

Quiz: Are You An Optimist or a Pessimist?

Develop Positive Self Talk

Raising an Optimistic Child

What's your best trick for staying optimistic? What made you realize that perhaps a change was in order? Share your thoughts on optimism in the comments section, or start a thread in the Stress Management Forum.

_{Image from iStockPhoto.com}

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