May POWerful Word – OPTIMISM – Week 4
We all have a voice inside our heads that tell us how we should think and feel about what we are experiencing. It’s called “self talk.” Let’s repeat that! Sometimes people think mean thoughts about themselves and tell themselves that they aren’t smart enough, tall enough, or other things like that. If you had a friend here in class who would say that “I stink! I’m not good enough!” what would you tell them? When we say those negative things about ourselves, they keep us from feeling hopeful. All those ugly words that come out of our mouths is heard by our own ears! We’ve got to get rid of those thoughts. Let’s imagine a big garbage can and put all those negative thoughts in them. Now let’s fill our mind up with positive thoughts. Name 3 things that you can say to yourself when you are feeling down or frustrated (i.e. I can get better, I’ll keep trying, I have a good life, I am enough)? When we speak positively to ourselves, we feel more hopeful and optimistic.
If you have time: What can you do if you find that you are spending time with a lot of pessimistic people? Who of your friends are optimistic?