The way we think greatly impacts the way we live our lives because our thoughts drive our responses to a given situation. They also drive our emotions which in turn, can also affect those same responses.
A concise look at the three 3 modes of thinking tells us:
- Positive thinking is the emotional and mental attitude that focuses on the bright side and the expectation of beneficial outcomes.
- Negative thinking is defined as the pattern of thinking negatively about yourself and your surroundings.
- Realistic thinking means looking at all aspects of a situation (the positive, the negative, and the neutral) before making conclusions.
Positive thinking vs. negative thinking vs. realistic thinking
The proponents of positive thinking will have us focusing only on the bright side of things and expecting positive outcomes always which isn’t bad but the reality that should never escape anyone is when it comes to outcomes, even though there are a ton of reasons why you should get what you want, there may equally be reasons why you won’t. Sometimes the circumstances are just negative and, the nays have it.
Unfortunately “think positive” is also frequently used as an escapist device: when people don’t have the answers to voiced doubts, negative expectations but still feel compelled to at least say something, “think positive” is a common retort.
“Sometimes the circumstances are just negative and, the nays have it.”
Now, we all have negative thoughts sometimes. Only that we should learn to always see them for what they are and never let them get to extremes. Left unchecked they can become irrational and even serious enough to interfere with our functioning as human beings. A situation that could indicate a symptom of a more serious problem requiring professional attention.
Although when you think about it there are certain instances when negative thoughts can bring about beneficial actions and outcomes. For instance, if you have a child playing outside, such thoughts can make check up on him/her a little more frequently than you normally would otherwise. I bet you can’t remember the number of stories in which that extra vigilance has turned out to be the stitch in time.
Balance
Realistic thinking, in other words, means looking at yourself, others, and the world in a balanced way. It is the middle road between always good things that will happen to lead to greater feelings of disappointment and assuming the worst thereby opening yourself open to anxiety and depression.
Realistic thinking entails you do not ignore reality and staying tuned to what is really going on around you.
In comparison with the first two, this mode of thinking is more beneficial for your well-being and will result in the development of better coping skills regardless of the outcomes.
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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
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