The Art, Science, and Practice of Exceptional Well-Being. In her insightful book “Practical Optimism,” renowned psychiatrist Dr. Sue Varma unveils the transformative power of cultivating a positive mindset. Through a compelling blend of scientific research, real-life examples, and actionable strategies, Varma demonstrates how optimism can profoundly enhance our mental well-being, resilience, and overall success in life.
Discover the life-changing secrets to harnessing the power of optimism and unlock your full potential by diving into this illuminating summary and review of “Practical Optimism.”
Table of Contents
Genres
Psychology, Health, Nutrition, Mindfulness, Happiness, Personal Development, Self-help, Mental health, Positive psychology, Cognitive behavioral therapy, Mindfulness, Well-being, Success
“Practical Optimism” is a thought-provoking exploration of the science and practice of optimism. Dr. Sue Varma draws upon her extensive expertise as a psychiatrist to present a compelling case for the numerous benefits of embracing an optimistic outlook. The book delves into the neurological and psychological underpinnings of optimism, revealing how it can rewire our brains for greater resilience, motivation, and overall well-being.
Varma provides a wealth of practical strategies and exercises to help readers cultivate a more optimistic mindset. She emphasizes the importance of reframing negative thoughts, practicing gratitude, setting achievable goals, and surrounding oneself with positive influences. Through relatable anecdotes and evidence-based insights, Varma demonstrates how optimism can enhance relationships, boost productivity, and lead to greater life satisfaction.
While acknowledging the challenges and setbacks that inevitably arise in life, Varma offers guidance on how to maintain an optimistic outlook even in the face of adversity. She explores the concept of “realistic optimism,” which involves acknowledging difficulties while maintaining a hopeful and proactive approach to problem-solving.
Throughout the book, Varma strikes a balance between scientific rigor and accessibility, making complex concepts easy to understand and apply. Her writing is engaging and empathetic, creating a sense of connection with readers and inspiring them to embrace the power of optimism in their own lives.
Review
“Practical Optimism” is a refreshing and empowering addition to the self-help genre. Dr. Sue Varma’s expertise as a psychiatrist shines through in her well-researched and insightful exploration of optimism. The book stands out for its comprehensive approach, combining scientific evidence with practical strategies that readers can immediately implement in their lives.
Varma’s writing style is warm, relatable, and inspiring, making the book an enjoyable and thought-provoking read. She effectively illustrates abstract concepts with real-life examples, helping readers connect with the material on a personal level. The exercises and prompts scattered throughout the book encourage active engagement and self-reflection, enhancing the overall learning experience.
One of the strengths of “Practical Optimism” is its balanced perspective. Varma acknowledges the challenges and setbacks that inevitably arise in life and provides guidance on how to maintain an optimistic outlook in the face of adversity. This realistic approach sets the book apart from others that may offer oversimplified or unrealistic promises of perpetual happiness.
While the book covers a wide range of topics related to optimism, some readers may find certain sections more relevant or applicable to their personal circumstances than others. However, the overall message of the book remains valuable and universally applicable.
In conclusion, “Practical Optimism” is a highly recommended read for anyone seeking to cultivate a more positive and resilient mindset. Dr. Sue Varma’s expert insights, practical strategies, and engaging writing style make this book a standout in the self-help genre. Whether you are facing personal challenges or simply seeking to enhance your overall well-being, “Practical Optimism” offers a roadmap to unlocking the transformative power of optimism in your life.
Introduction: Discover a new and healthier outlook on life
Practical Optimism (2024) offers actionable strategies for fostering well-being and resilience in everyday life. Through nurturing relationships, forming positive habits, and cultivating self-compassion, individuals can enhance their mental and physical health while thriving amidst life’s challenges.
If you hear the word optimism, you might cringe a little. Optimists are often lumped together with people who are in blissful denial about life’s many challenges and problems.
But this is what makes practical optimism a unique mindset. It doesn’t shy away from reality. In fact, it embraces the challenges we face, while offering a clear-eyed and positive way of dealing with it all.
How we cope with adversity is up to us. We can freeze up, catastrophize, or try to avoid conflict altogether. Or, with the help of practical optimism, we can meet adversity with a graceful, confident, and level-headed approach. In this Blink to Sue Varma’s Practical Optimism, you’ll find out how to do just that by employing a variety of different tools and techniques that you can start using today.
The pillars of practical optimism
Practical optimism, also known as PO, is a transformative mindset that goes beyond merely coping with stress – it’s about cultivating a deep sense of self-worth that empowers us to thrive in every aspect of life.
Sue Varma, came to PO through a personal journey. It started with a health scare that led her to explore the power of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Through this therapy, she not only overcame her physical symptoms but also gained tools to manage her stress effectively.
This experience ignited her quest to understand how to prevent stress from manifesting as physical illness and how to help others do the same. In short, it led her to develop the tools of practical optimism. This approach combines the resilience of traditional optimism with proactive strategies for problem-solving and personal growth.
PO isn’t just about seeing the bright side of things; it’s about taking practical steps to flourish in the face of adversity. Varma outlines eight pillars – or Ps – of PO, each offering actionable strategies for improving well-being: finding your purpose; processing emotions; problem-solving; developing a healthy sense of pride, building confidence and proficiency; being present; connecting with people; and practicing healthy habits. In the sections ahead, we’ll touch on all of these pillars. But let’s first be clear about the fact that PO isn’t a fixed trait, but rather a skill that you can learn and hone. You may have heard of the term “a growth mindset.” This is what PO is all about.
So let’s start with the first of those Ps: purpose. There are common misconceptions about having a purpose, the main one being that it’s a big, important, fixed thing and that it should be tied to your career. PO emphasizes that your purpose can stem from various aspects of your life and may evolve. And, importantly, it doesn’t require outside validation.
If you’re a bit fuzzy about your own purpose, you can gain clarity through a three-step plan: Acknowledge, Identify, Move forward – or AIM, for short.
The first step involves acknowledging and reflecting on your past decisions. Ask yourself, How did I get to where I am now? Do I have any regrets? How can I put these regrets away by learning from my disappointments and using that knowledge?
Next, identify your sources of meaning and joy. Then ask yourself, How can I add more of that into my life?
The final step is to take proactive steps toward a more purposeful life that contains more of that meaning and joy. Ask yourself, Are there mentors I can reach out to?
Take these steps and celebrate when you accomplish them.
PO is more than just an outlook on life. It’s a way of building resilience and keeping your mind focused on things that provide a sense of uplift and purpose. In the next section, you’ll find out how it can help you navigate the challenges in your life more easily.
Processing emotions, solving problems, and fostering healthy pride
There are three ways PO can improve your quality of life: by helping you to manage your emotions, solve problems effectively, and improve your sense of self-worth. All of which can play a big role in overcoming depression and living a flourishing life.
Emotional processing is key to managing your feelings effectively. By acknowledging and labeling your emotions, you can reduce their power over you and gain valuable insights into your inner experiences.
Varma suggests a four-step approach: name it, tame it, claim it, and reframe it. This involves recognizing your emotions as physical sensations, delving into their root causes, employing strategies to manage them, and reframing them from a more positive perspective.
Naming your emotions is also called affect labeling. It’s basically the opposite of suppressing them. For example, if you have fear or anxiety about a goal you’re working toward, don’t try to avoid it. Instead, acknowledge it, name it, and then try to tame it by recognizing the trigger and where this emotion comes from. Doing this will enhance your emotional awareness and give you better control over how you react to life’s challenges.
Likewise, PO can help with effective problem-solving by improving your emotional regulation as well as your rational assessment of situations. Practical optimists are adept at assessing problems accurately and making decisions confidently. They employ strategies like examining distorted thoughts and differentiating between what can and can’t be controlled. Pointedly, a practical optimist can develop a graceful acceptance over what can’t be controlled.
One approach to achieving this is the Five Rs, which combines problem-solving with emotional regulation. The 5 Rs are: reassess, refuel, request input, remind, and reappraise.
By reassessing a problem, you can evaluate the context while looking for ways to modify it. Rather than defaulting to avoidance, you can actively seek ways to reclaim agency and control. It also allows you to determine whether a situation is toxic or abusive. If it’s toxic, then you can choose to disengage. In nontoxic situations, you can build up your confidence to embrace challenges and opportunities for growth.
This leads us to the second R, refueling. Here, you reassess your sleep, nutrition, relaxation, and other self-care practices. By prioritizing self-care, you ensure you’re in the best possible position to handle whatever life throws your way. This process acknowledges the importance of nurturing yourself before extending support to others.
Requesting input is an important step since effective problem-solving requires accurate information. Practical optimists recognize the value of seeking input from trusted sources to gain different perspectives and insights, allowing them to make more informed decisions.
The fourth R, remind, allows you to build up some more confidence. Remind yourself of all the skills you’ve attained, as well as your abilities and past successes. Practical optimists engage in self-reflection to identify strengths and resources they can draw upon to address current challenges. Maybe this isn’t such an insurmountable obstacle after all.
Finally, reappraisal involves reframing situations in a more positive light. Practical optimists recognize that while some circumstances may be beyond their control, they can change their perception and response. Some individuals use humor as a coping mechanism to navigate these difficult situations. By finding humor in adversity, they alleviate stress and gain perspective. Others adopt a resourceful approach, viewing challenges as opportunities for personal and professional development.
Another trait that can help in these situations is known as healthy pride. This involves recognizing your inherent self-worth. It acknowledges strengths, but also imperfections. It’s a way of practicing self-compassion and promoting growth and positive action.
Self-worth is different from self-esteem, because, let’s face it, for some people self-esteem can get out of hand. It can lead to people exaggerating their strengths and overlooking their imperfections. The goal here is to be realistic about both, while at the same time being compassionate about fostering resilience and constructive change.
You can practice self-compassion by using this four-step process: observe, contextualize, normalize, and act.
Observing is essentially a version of the earlier practice of naming your emotions. Be aware of what you’re feeling without being critical.
Contextualizing is about putting things into context. Step back and see what’s going on around you and what’s influencing the situation.
Normalizing is a way of reminding yourself that we’re all human. We all make mistakes. Problems occur. It’s normal.
Finally, act on it by coming up with a plan of accountability and correction. Maybe you need to ask for support or advice. How can you take what you’ve learned and do something with it?
By taking control and embracing a mindset of growth and compassion, you can overcome problems and learn to thrive, rather than becoming immobilized by guilt or shame.
Proficiency and being present
Proficiency might be one of those words that you understand when you hear it, yet can’t really define. Basically, it’s the belief in your ability to achieve goals and overcome obstacles.
That said, it isn’t about overconfidence but rather about having a realistic sense of your capabilities. Research has shown that believing in yourself leads to healthy behavior and performance, including work performance, health outcomes, and academic achievement.
When you dig into it, you can see that proficiency is composed of two active states: self-efficacy expectations and outcome expectations.
Self-efficacy expectations refer to your confidence in your ability to carry out specific behaviors. Outcome expectations, on the other hand, involve confidence in achieving desired results. When you bring these two aspects together, you can see that proficiency is what allows you to approach tasks with enthusiasm rather than dread. On the plus side, this quality can be developed through personal experience, vicarious experience, and constructive feedback.
Psychology plays a big role as well. More specifically, one of the keys to PO is to shift your focus to being present in the moment.
These days, technology challenges people’s ability to be in the present and maintain a strong attention span. Smartphone usage statistics reveal a concerning trend of decreased empathy, cognitive performance, and social skills, particularly among younger generations. On top of that, excessive use of social media can lead to negative consequences, such as decreased face-to-face interaction, exposure to harmful content, and neglect of self-care.
To reclaim your attention and live more intentionally in the present, it’s essential to recognize and avoid the three primary cognitive traps: rumination, worry, and comparison.
Rumination is essentially being trapped in the past, unable to move past your regrets. Worry is being trapped in the future, and being unable to move past what-if questions. Comparison can often be tied to social media, and being stuck in a loop of judging your life against the lives of others.
But there are some practical prescriptions for living in the present. These include creating a designated home space for relaxation, setting boundaries with technology, and exploring hobbies that bring you real joy.
It’s also highly effective to start your mornings with a peaceful period free of technology and social media. Likewise, it’s good to establish some wind-down rituals at the end of the day that involve hobbies or offline reading.
And when you’re with others, see if you can get everyone to put away their phones. Studies have shown that when even one person in the group checks their phone, everyone else tends to check out as well.
Now, let’s move on to the final two Ps.
People and practicing healthy habits
There’s been a lot of talk about loneliness these days, and social isolation can indeed have a big, negative impact on mental well-being. Statistics show that over the past few decades, there’s been a troubling decline in the number of friendships people have.
For example, 30 years ago, 33 percent of Americans could count ten or more people as being close friends. These days, that number has fallen to just 13 percent.
But it’s not the quantity but the quality of social connections that truly matters. Reaching out to friends in times of stress can trigger a positive physiological response, reducing stress levels and promoting overall well-being.
Understanding attachment styles, such as avoidant and anxious, can provide insight into how we relate to others.
The avoidant attachment style is characterized by distrust. You put up walls and tend not to let others in. You’re aloof, self-reliant to a fault, and tend to end relationships prematurely. This style is often the result of a childhood where adults invalidated your emotions and provided you with very little empathy.
The anxious attachment style is characterized by a craving for connection. You’re hyper-aware of every little shift in a relationship and constantly fearful that rejection may be just around the corner.
Practical optimists recognize and challenge these negative patterns. They can strengthen their relationships and foster secure attachments by establishing trust, empathy, and healthy boundaries.
They can also employ effective techniques and communication strategies. When observing your thoughts about relationships, catch yourself when you dip into catastrophic or distorted thinking. Recognize your own tendencies, whether that’s an anxious or avoidant attachment style, and guide yourself toward a more realistic, fact-based, and positive-but-true perspective.
This brings us to the final pillar: practicing healthy habits. Habits are automated decisions that shape your daily routine and identity. By being intentional about your goals and implementing strategies for habit formation, you can bridge the gap between intention and action.
Recognizing your personal strengths and vulnerabilities helps tailor your habits to your needs and preferences. Accountability practices, such as monitoring progress and reframing setbacks with kindness and curiosity, support habit formation and resilience in the face of challenges.
If you take away only one thing from practical optimism, make it the 4 Ms of mental health: mastery, movement, meaningful engagement, and mindfulness. These serve as a roadmap for enhancing well-being and finding fulfillment in life.
Mastery is a dedication to improvement. Adopting a growth mindset and committing yourself to a life of learning and development.
Movement is a dedication to physical health. Your body is built for movement, and through exercise, you can improve your mood while also sharpening and calming your mind.
Meaningful engagement represents a dedication to connecting with others, through your words and actions.
And mindfulness is about guiding your attention toward a deeper compassion with yourself and others, as well as a greater appreciation for life itself.
Ultimately, prioritizing self-care and nurturing relationships are essential components of living a flourishing life. By cultivating positive habits and seeking support when needed, you can enhance your well-being and thrive in all aspects of your life. The journey toward practical optimism begins with small steps and a commitment to self-compassion, growth, and connection.
Conclusion
Practical optimism is a multi-faceted approach that uses the tools of cognitive behavioral therapy to develop a realistic yet positive outlook on life. At its core are the eight pillars – or Ps – purpose, processing emotions, problem-solving, pride, proficiency, present, people, and practicing healthy habits. Within each of these pillars are tools that are designed to increase your self-awareness and catch yourself when negativity comes creeping in.
PO is a holistic approach to well-being, emphasizing the importance of nurturing relationships, forming positive habits, and cultivating self-compassion. Through intentional goal-setting and accountability practices, you can bridge the gap between intention and action, while automating healthy behaviors that support your mental and physical health.
When you embrace practical optimism, you can cultivate resilience, prioritize self-care, and thrive in all aspects of your life – one small step at a time.
Dr. Sue Varma is a board-certified psychiatrist and clinical assistant professor at New York University Langone Health. With expertise in mood disorders, resilience, and mental wellness, she combines her clinical practice with teaching and media appearances to promote mental health awareness. She’s known for her pragmatic approach to optimism and well-being, emphasizing actionable strategies for individuals to lead fulfilling lives.