Fill Your New Year With Optimism - Seven Strategies to Attain Optimism—Part 2

Fill Your New Year With Optimism

Seven Strategies to Attain Optimism—Part 2

Our general outlook plays a large role in the manner in which we step into each moment of every day, either leaning toward pessimism or optimism. Various factors influence our leaning, over which many we can have control. 

In my last post, we looked at the first three of the Seven Strategies to Attain Optimism: 1- Let go of the past. 2- Avoid getting hung up on a negative thing or situation. 3- Remember that, for everyone, life has ups and downs. 

Today we’ll consider the next two:

4-  Watch your mouth.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never harm me.” ─NOT SO!

Have you ever been hurt by words? I certainly have.

A psychotherapist may tell us we have control over our feelings and reactions to words spoken to us. There is some truth there, but tell that to the person who has just heard their spouse say, “I don’t love you anymore. I want a divorce.”

Words can uplift or drag down. They can shed light or confuse; bring stability or knock you on your face; fill you with joy or punch you in the gut.

An article in PsychologyToday.com, titled, “The Most Dangerous Word in the World,” says there’s a word that can literally do damage in a person’s brain. During a brain scan doctors can detect stress-producing hormones and neurotransmitters when a certain word is flashed for less than one second. “These chemicals immediately interrupt the normal functioning of your brain, impairing logic, reason, language processing, and communication.” *

What is that word? It’s “no.”

The article further says that negative words can make an anxious or depressed person feel worse and can affect sleep, appetite and one’s “ability to experience long-term happiness and satisfaction.” *

But we don’t need phycology professionals to enlighten us in this area. God’s Word teaches us much the same thing.

“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4 NKJV).

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24).

We must continuously be mindful of our words, whether it be self-talk or directed to others. So much has been taught and written on this subject, we have to wonder why the tongue is still so hard to tame.

James, the brother of Jesus, gives powerful guidance, stating “no man can tame the tongue” and it is “full of deadly poison.” (James 3:1, 12)

We need to ask and rely on the Holy Spirit to help us maintain control over our words on a minute by minute basis. Let’s pray with the psalmist: “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).

“I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise will be in my mouth continuously” (Psalm 34:1 NSV).

Pinterest Photo

Mindfulness in our speech can help attain optimism in ourselves and those with whom we come in contact. When we do so, we honor God and build up ourselves and others.

*  https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/words-can-change-your-brain/201208/the-most-dangerous-word-in-the-world

    5-  Practice Gratitude

“The struggle ends when gratitude begins.” –Neale Douglas Walsh

Let’s chew on that quote for a couple minutes.

photo by Connie Wohlford

Gratitude will cause optimism to rise up in the spirit of a person. Right now, stop and think of five things for which you’re thankful. Did you know that as you meditate on these things, the production of dopamine and serotonin increases and has a positive effect on your brain?  

Scientific studies show that we literally receive a boost in feelings of well-being as a result of gratitude. Many studies have been performed and articles written about this phenomenon.

There’s no lack of things to be thankful for as followers of Christ and the Bible is full of passages reflecting this truth. If you have much experience in Bible reading and church attendance you can probably bring several to mind without much effort.

The psalms especially extol the glories of the Lord and reasons to be thankful to Him. Thankfulness is an important aspect of worship. As we read through Psalms, we see that praise, worship, and thanksgiving are three pillars in acknowledging God and relating to Him.

Psalm 100 is one of my favorites, especially verses 4 and 5: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures forever to all generations” (NKJV).

In addition to being grateful to God, we need to express gratitude to other people. Any expression of thanks is welcomed by most people. Knowing how we feel when someone expresses gratitude to us, we should liberally convey thanks to others whenever possible. This is one way we can encourage optimism in others while receiving benefits ourselves.

Thanksgiving leads to contentment even when circumstances of life are less than desirable. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV).

A contented person is a grateful person                  and a grateful person is a contented person.

So, let’s take heart as we meditate on the above Scripture Passages and these forth and fifth of the Seven Strategies to Attain Optimism. Be assured that God wants us to live joy-filled lives, unhindered by pessimistic thoughts and anxieties.

Please check back in a few days to learn more of the strategies. May God richly bless you in your own pathway to attaining Christ-ordained optimism.

Your comments are welcome.

©Copyright 2018 Connie Wohlford