Pessimism is an attitude that makes someone tend to think about the worst of a thing. People with a pessimistic point of view see more of the world from the negative side or what most people actually perceive as reality.
Pessimism is the opposite of optimism. People who are pessimistic, often think of themselves as failures and are suspicious when things are going well.
Conversely, people who are optimistic always hope for the best from what they do and are more able to take lessons when things don't go as expected.
Pessimism is behavior with these traits
Are you a pessimistic person? The following are characteristics that often appear in people who have this trait.
- Not pursuing something you want because you feel you will fail
- Always think something will go wrong in every situation
- Feel shocked when something is done goes smoothly without a hitch
- Always think the risks outweigh the benefits
- Feeling more comfortable in the monotonous life than challenging yourself to change for the sake of getting better
- Focus too much on your shortcomings rather than your own strengths
- Humble oneself and experience imposter syndrome
- Feel annoyed with an optimistic attitude other people
- Often suggest negative things to yourself
- Assuming that all good things will end, so one cannot really enjoy the moment
You don't need to have all of the above traits to be called a pessimist. However, if most of your time is spent doing the things above, then you may have a pessimistic nature.
The Disadvantage of being a pessimist
Occasionally view life with pessimism is a natural thing. Every human being must have a period that makes it difficult to see the good side of life.
However, if this point of view persists, there are various downsides that you can feel, such as:
1. Life feels darker
Being a pessimistic person will make life more difficult. You will give yourself more negative suggestions, find it very difficult to feel happy or happy, and constantly find fault with yourself.
2. Easier to depression
Some of the characteristics of pessimism such as excessive anxiety, saying badly to yourself, and always thinking about the worst scenario of something is depression triggers.
3. Decreased physical health
People who are pessimistic have a higher risk of developing various diseases, including heart disease. In addition, people who have this trait have a lower life expectancy.
4. Increasingly prone to stress
With all the negative things that surround their mind, pessimistic people get stressed more easily. They fail to see the wonderful things that have and can happen in life. A pessimistic person is usually always dissatisfied with his life because he always sees things from the negative side.
Being pessimistic also has its advantages
Although generally speaking pessimism is considered something negative, this attitude also has advantages, such as:
• Make someone a good leader
To some extent, being a pessimist can make you a better leader. Because, this trait will make skeptics, making it easier to recognize propaganda and lies that can destroy a team.
• Become more receptive to results
Pessimists do not expect much of the results they will get when doing something. On the other hand, people with this attitude will also be more total at work because they think negative things will happen more easily.
• Make yourself more alert
A little pessimism that comes to you can also make you more alert. Because this behavior will make you more realistic in seeing the world.
A controlled amount of pessimism will allow you to become aware of the problems that are going on in your life and then trigger them to fix them.
How to get rid of excessive pessimism
If your pessimism starts to hold back things in your life, then it's time you tried to reduce it. Here are some tips.
• Changing perspective
Pessimists tend to be more realistic. But if it's too much, this attitude will usually keep people away from reality.
Thinking that you can't possibly complete a job that's very easy or think that no one understands even though friends and partners are always there, is an example of unrealistic thinking that can pop into the minds of pessimists.
They are too focused on fear or negative things. Therefore, to get rid of it, try again to think about the realistic level of the fear you feel.
• Make a list of strengths and weaknesses
Almost everything in life has its advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes, we find it difficult to see these advantages.
By writing down the strengths and weaknesses of something, you will be able to compare them and change your mind that not everything has to go or end up negative.
• Looking for optimistic friends
Gathering with optimistic friends will provide a new perspective on life. They will also help you get opportunities that were previously eliminated due to your pessimistic nature.
• Learn from the experience
Try to remember the past again. Of course, with everything you do, some have happy ends. This means that the pessimistic thinking that has existed so far is not always proven.
