Lovely morning.Negative emotions can be very strong. Perhaps even stronger than those of happy feelings. For example, if you have ten happy things, but you have one bad thing, you might feel dragged down by that feeling. There are many good things about yourself and many things you can do, but if you can’t do just one thing, then instead of trying your best, you start feeling negative about why you can’t do it, and you just can’t move forward. In severe cases, this can even lead to self-denial.
Just as there are two sides to every story, there are both good and bad sides to things. Just how you look at things, from which angle and point of view, can make a big difference to how you feel about yourself. I teach English, and I have seen many times when a single word to a student can turn their attention in the right direction and give them confidence in themselves.
For example, with some students who are depressed because they can’t remember words and think that they are not smart enough, I advise them to try a different method than the one they are doing now and maybe they will be able to remember them. And if they actually try that way with me and are able to remember the words, I give them lots of nice things to say. Students who had been in self-denial about what they couldn’t do and had no positive attitude towards anything, can now do it if they just change their way of thinking a little and try it, and if they hear nice words about it, they will become more confident.
As a result, they can change the way they study other subjects, and their overall performance can improve. I have seen such moments many times, which is why I feel that changing people’s feelings in a positive direction has the potential to change their lives in a positive direction as well.
Of course, there are good things in our lives, but we also encounter hardships, sadness and things we can’t control. But instead of denying it, we should first accept it as it is, and then find the wonderful things we have, find what is really important to us, and use that as a starting point to change our minds so that we can have a positive emotional attitude. Take your thinking in a slightly more positive direction.
Nowadays, when you look at the news, there are many stories of hardship and suffering, and you may tend to feel down at times, but each one of us should think about how we can live within the environment we are in, increase the roles we play and the things we can do, and make the most of what we have and cherish it. I would like to think that if we aim in the right direction while doing so, there is a possibility that the happiness of each individual can lead to greater happiness.