Regularly using the skill of Realistic Optimism is a key resilience skill.
Research studies show that optimism has real benefits. People who remain hopeful even when things are hard, tend to be happier and healthier than those who don’t. They tend to heal faster after illness or surgery and recover more quickly from difficult life events.
Being optimistic though does not mean seeing the world through rose coloured glasses or blindly thinking positive however. Optimism means acknowledging that something is difficult, and looking for a way forward at the same time.
The good news is, it seems we are built to use optimism.
Listen to Gina Grimeshaw, Senior Lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington, on National radio with Kim Hill discuss how our optimistic bias works and the likely mechanisms behind it.