Positive Thinking

OPTIMISM
“Man is disturbed not by things, but the views he takes of them”. This piece of ancient Greek wisdom is important to keep in mind during today’s trying times. Personal and global events may have significant impact our emotional state, however, the intensity and duration of this impact is greatly determined by the way we think about a particular event. Recent research has concluded that individuals who adopt an “optimistic” way of viewing the world and related events are happier and more successful than their “pessimistic” counterparts. Pessimists see primarily the negative or worst aspects of things and expect only bad or unpleasant things to happen. Pessimists tend to be problem focused. This often creates self fulfilling prophecies which produces the outcome they fear or worse. The optimist on the other hand is the person who expects the best possible outcome or looks for the most hopeful aspects of a situation. Optimists tend to be far better problem solvers because they tend to look for solutions and opportunities for success.Optimism should not be confused w/ being a “Polly Anna” or living in a state of denial during difficult times. Rather, it is the skill of altering thoughts that block happiness and sabotage an individual’s ability to cope with and move beyond difficult times with grace and dignity. Even in the most difficult of times there are individuals who achieve success. Having a personal outlook that promotes growth and well being enhances yo ur chances of personal and professional fulfillment in any time.

Written by: Jeffrey Jabick, LMHC (PTC)
Resource: Book- Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman, Ph.D.

Create Work/Life Balance

Establishing an effective work/life balance is one of the most important keys to having a healthy and productive life. An inability to establish and maintain a healthy balance can lead to significant emotional and physical distress. One of the biggest barriers to creating this balance is that most people don’t know how to make the transition from work to home. However, with a little effort, planning and practice, this transition can become smooth and seamless. The following are some tips you can try to facilitate this transition:

*Improve time management and assertiveness skills

*Enhance relationships w/ co-workers and managers to improve teamwork. This will allow you to be more effective and efficient while at work.

*If possible, devote the final minutes of your day to less pressured tasks.

*Empty your mind of unfinished business by “putting pen to paper”. Then place what you have written in one of two places; a folder labeled “For Tomorrow” or the trash can.

*Embrace the commute home. Use the alone time to de-stress.

*When at home focus your attention on family and issues you enjoy.

*Pre-arrange w/ your family some “me time”.

Healthy work/life balance is not easy and requires practice. We at PTC have counselors that can provide you with further coaching and counseling to help manage the demands of work and home more effectively.