Maintaining A Positive Mindset
Coping with uncertainty requires a mindset that is selective and active in its approach. This approach looks beyond challenges, and instead establishes trustworthiness, engages proactiveness, uses a holistic perspective, and mitigates risks. Despite the many things beyond our control, our mindset is absolutely crucial in coping with difficult circumstances and facing the unknown. Denying or suppressing our emotions about uncertainty will only increase stress and anxiety and make us more vulnerable to depression (Buheji et al., 2020a).
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Positive vs. Negative Mindset
According to Dr. Helen McGrath, one of the pioneer researchers in the relationship of a positive mindset to our well-being, positivity is defined as an attitude that includes thoughts, words, and images that contribute to growth and development (McGrath, 2004). A negative mindset consists of thoughts, words, and images that lead people to think that things will not go as planned or expect bad outcomes. Negative thinking leads to people not being able to cope with daily stressors, resulting in psychological and physical health problems (Bakioğlu et al., 2020). In contrast, people with a positive mindset believe they can achieve the results they want and continue to strive even if it is a slow or difficult process. People who have a positive mindset tend to be cheerful, enthusiastic, energetic, confident, and alert. People with a low level of positivity tend to exhibit opposite traits. Those who think they cannot achieve what they wish to achieve will give up striving and move away from their goals (Bakioğlu et al., 2020).
Benefits of a Positive Mindset
Barbara Fredrickson (2009), positive psychology researcher, stated that positivity makes us feel good, can change the way the mind works, transform the future, and minimizes thinking negatively. A positive mindset can impact us in multiple beneficial ways. The following are just a few of the empirically-based benefits of increasing your dosage of positive emotions.
Positive emotions or good feelings alter people's mindsets. Experiments have shown that when we engage in positive emotions, we widen our scope of attention, generate more creativity and innovation (Fredrickson and Branigan, 2005).
Good feelings alter people's bodily systems. Experiments have shown that positive emotions speed recovery from the cardiovascular aftereffects of negative emotions and improve immune function (Davidson et al., 2003; Fredrickson et al., 2000).
Positive emotions correlate with increased happiness. Experiments have shown that increasing positive emotions leads to happiness, faster psychological growth, and higher levels of resiliency. It also reduces cortisol levels, inflammatory responses to stress, and stroke (Fredrickson et al., 2003; Steptoe et al., 2005).
Generating more positive emotions gives us the potential to live longer, happier lives! Several longitudinal studies document a clear link between frequent positive emotions and longevity (Danner et al., 2001).
How to Build the “Positivity” Skill
Good things happen to us all the time. And focusing on the good things that occur helps create more "positive grooves" in your brain. The good things don't have to be significant events. Sometimes they can be as simple as a warm hug from someone you love, or the enjoyment of the way the sun hits the leaves on a tree. We are often taught to ignore the small things. So, taking time to notice and appreciate them doesn't always come naturally. Our lives are so busy that we don't often take the time to celebrate the big and small events in our lives. Opportunities come and go and seem to happen so often that we do not appreciate each event's significance. Don't rush on from these things. Take the time to experience the pleasure and sense of accomplishment or the enjoyment of being with others. Take a few moments each day to identify these incredible positive events and begin changing how you look at the world.
The next blog describes a practice you can use to make sure you get enough positivity into your life each day.
References
Bakioğlu, F., Korkmaz, O., & Ercan, H. (2020). Fear of COVID-19 and positivity: mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty, depression, anxiety, and stress. International journal of mental health and addiction, 1-14.
Buheji, M (2020a) Coronavirus as a Global Complex Problem Looking for Resilient Solutions, Business Management and Strategy, Vol. 11, No. 1, 94-109.
Buheji, M., Ahmed, D., & Jahrami, H. (2020b). Living uncertainty in the new normal. International Journal of Applied Psychology, 10(2), 21-31.
Danner, D. D., Snowdon, D. A., &. Friesen, W. V. (2001). Positive emotions in early life and longevity: findings from the nun study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80 (5), 804.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2003). The value of positive emotions: The emerging science of positive psychology is coming to understand why it's good to feel good. American Scientist, 91(4), 330-335.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2004). The broaden–and–build theory of positive emotions. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 359(1449), 1367-1377
Steptoe, A., Wardle, J., & Marmot, M. (2005). Positive affect and health-related neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, and inflammatory processes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 102(18), 6508-6512.