Dr. Deepika Chopra<\/a>, psychologist and author of The Power of Real Optimism, says optimism is not a personality trait reserved for naturally positive people. It is a way of thinking that can be practiced.<\/p>\n\u201cOur brains don\u2019t change through intensity. They change through consistency,\u201d Dr. Deepika says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Try to change everything at once, and you may overwhelm your nervous system. When that happens, change can be perceived as a threat to your body. The people who actually transform their thinking tend to engage in a handful of tiny, repeatable habits that compound.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Below, Dr. Deepika explains what real optimism is, why it can be strengthened, and eight ways to practice it.<\/p>\n
What does optimism really mean?<\/p>\n
Optimism and positive thinking are often used interchangeably, but Dr. Deepika draws an important distinction between them.<\/p>\n
\u201cReal optimism has nothing to do with pretending everything is fine,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the ability to stay engaged with reality while remaining open to possibility. Her rule of thumb is that reality without possibility becomes despair, and possibility without reality becomes denial. Optimism lives in the middle. The good news is you don\u2019t have to be born optimistic.<\/p>\n
\u201cResearch suggests that only about 25% of the traits associated with optimism are inherited,\u201d Dr, Deepika explains. \u201cThe rest is shaped by our experiences, environment, and the way we\u2019ve learned to interpret what\u2019s happening around us. Because of neuroplasticity, our brains remain capable of change throughout our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is why Dr. Deepika describes optimism as a muscle.
\u201cEvery time you choose a more adaptive response to a setback, we\u2019re strengthening those pathways,\u201d she tells us. \u201cIt isn\u2019t about becoming unrealistically positive. It\u2019s about becoming more resilient over time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Optimist\u2019s Checklist<\/p>\n
1. Give yourself something to look forward to
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Before you reach for your phone or mentally open the day\u2019s to-do list, say one thing you are genuinely looking forward to out loud. Dr. Deepika says it can be as small as peeling a perfectly ripe tangerine or your morning matcha.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She explains the logic behind it: \u201cOur brains naturally have a negativity bias. They\u2019re constantly scanning for what\u2019s wrong or what might go wrong. This tiny practice gently reminds your brain that there\u2019s also something worth anticipating.\u201d<\/p>\n
You are not trying to convince yourself that the day will be perfect. You are simply giving your brain more than one place to direct its attention.<\/p>\n
2. Check in with your body before you react. <\/p>\n
When something stressful hits, Dr. Deepika pauses and asks herself, \u201cWhat am I noticing in my body right now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tight jaw, tense shoulders, shallow breath?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust bringing awareness to those sensations creates a little space between what happened and how I respond.\u201d<\/p>\n
This brief pause gives you a chance to choose a response rather than handing the decision over to your first reaction.<\/p>\n
3. Play \u201cwhat else can be true?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Deepika calls herself \u201csomeone who is not naturally an optimist\u201d and admits, \u201cI worst-case-scenario plan a lot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her workaround when the worst-case thought shows up? She challenges herself to name the best-case outcome, plus two neutral ones.\u00a0<\/p>\n
An unanswered email could mean someone is upset with you. It could also mean they are busy, have not made a decision, or simply forgot to reply.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if you believe that the worst-case scenario is the one that is most likely, challenging yourself to be flexible and play out other scenarios is cognitive flexibility at its finest.\u201d<\/p>\n
You do not have to talk yourself into believing the best-case scenario. The practice is simply to recognize that the worst one is not the only explanation available.<\/p>\n
4. Ask how a hard situation is expecting you to adapt.<\/p>\n
When life changes the plan, many of us focus on getting back to how things were.<\/p>\n
Dr. Deepika says, \u201cWhenever life throws me something unexpected, I try to ask myself, \u2018What is this situation asking me to become?\u2019 That one question shifts me from resistance into curiosity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPsychological flexibility doesn\u2019t mean liking what\u2019s happening,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt means staying open enough to grow because of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The situation may ask you to become more patient, direct, resourceful, or willing to change course. You may not know the answer immediately. Curiosity alone can loosen the grip of resistance.<\/p>\n
5. Attach the new habit to something you already do. <\/p>\n
Dr. Deepika\u2019s advice for anyone too busy for a new optimism routine: \u201cAnchor a tiny practice to something they\u2019re already doing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Three slow breaths while the coffee brews, unclenching your jaw while washing your hands, asking \u201cHow do I want to show up today\u201d before opening your laptop.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best wellness practices are the ones you\u2019ll actually repeat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Connecting a new behavior to an existing one gives it a built-in reminder. It also removes the pressure to find extra time, create the ideal setting, or wait until life becomes less busy.<\/p>\n
6. Question your thoughts before you believe them. <\/p>\n
Not every thought is a fact. \u201cOur brains generate thousands of thoughts every day, and not all of them are true,\u201d Dr. Deepika says. \u201cMany are simply predictions.\u201d<\/p>\n
When a thought shows up, like \u2018Everything is falling apart,\u2019 the next move is to ask, \u2018Is this a fact, or is this my brain trying to predict the future?\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat tiny pause changes everything,\u201d she says. \u201cIt creates space for curiosity instead of catastrophizing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over time, Dr. Deepika says, this practice can make us less reactive, more emotionally flexible, and better able to navigate uncertainty.<\/p>\n
7. Look for the tiny, repeatable version of wellness, not the elaborate one. <\/p>\n
The most useful version of a habit is rarely the most impressive one. It is the version you can still manage on a rushed morning, during a demanding week, or when your motivation has disappeared.<\/p>\n
Dr. Deepika says, \u201cI think we\u2019ve made wellness feel far more complicated and performative than it needs to be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSmall moments practiced consistently have an incredible way of changing how we experience our days,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
8. Build tolerance for discomfort instead of avoiding it. <\/p>\n
One of the strongest predictors of resilience is psychological flexibility, which Dr. Deepika describes as \u201cour ability to stay open to new information, tolerate discomfort, and adapt when life doesn\u2019t go according to plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Resilience does not mean enjoying hard things or becoming unaffected by them. It means being able to experience discomfort without immediately avoiding it, reacting to it, or deciding it will last forever.<\/p>\n
A real change in outlook rarely arrives with a clear before-and-after.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr. Deepika explains that the goal isn\u2019t believing every day will be easy. It\u2019s about trusting that even on the hard, uncertain, disappointing days, you have the capacity to adapt and find meaning along the way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pick two or three practices from this list, attach them to something you already do, and give them a few weeks. Eventually, optimism begins to feel less like an exercise and more like a muscle. <\/p>\n
The content provided in this article is provided for information purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice and consultation, including professional medical advice and consultation; it is provided with the understanding that Poosh, LLC (\u201cPoosh\u201d) is not engaged in the provision or rendering of medical advice or services. The opinions and content included in the article are the views of the author only, and Poosh does not endorse or recommend any such content or information, or any product or service mentioned in the article. You understand and agree that Poosh shall not be liable for any claim, loss, or damage arising out of the use of, or reliance upon any content or information in the article.<\/p>\n
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