Sunday -long? Try these 7 expert tips for realistic optimism (exclusive)

If you hang too much in certain corners of the Internet, you would never suspect that, after many objective measures, this is the best time that it is ever alive.

Or does that only speak toxic positivity?

In the middle of the ubiquitous reporting on tragedies, accidents, disasters, chaos and confusion-sowing algorithm controlled social media platforms that support the provocative and split content, says expert Bill Burke, there is a real challenge to find and capture realistic optimism.

Fear feels more and more in the world; It is too easy to get annoyed about the “Sunday fears”.

“There has never been a better time to be alive than today, but there has never been a difficult time to be optimistic,” said Burke, manager, writer, podcast moderator and founder of the Optimism Institute.

“If people believe that this country has never been split, they should read about the civil war. You should read about the summer of 1969, “says Burke. If you believe that the protests on College Campus were alarming last year, you should see what happened in this country via Vietnam.”

Burke started the Optimism Institute in 2022 to inspire others with a “hopeful vision of the world and our future”.

He recently shared some of his tips with people.

Context counts

“Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired The magazine said that if you only read the news, you will think that things have never been worse. But when you read history, you can see that things were never better.

“I encourage people to read more history and what we're going through today An unfinished love story: a personal story of the 1960s by Doris Kearn's Goodwin, her first -hand report over the 1960s. My God, things were chaotic back then. The president murdered, then Martin Luther King, the civil rights [Movement]. It makes you pretty quiet in comparison today.

“One thing that could be helpful is to think about all the things in your life that will not change: friends, your family, your pets. You have a house of worship if you want the people you work with – all the things that do not change. My wife and I were in the symphony performance and I thought that couldn't go anywhere.”

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Action about fear

“When something really gets on your nerves, think about what you can do about it. If you are disturbed by the fire in California, write a check, call a friend you know who lives out there.

“Acting can take care. Sitting in your room and God does not help. It doesn't help the problem and it is caustic for yourself. If you want to make yourself happier, make someone happier. I only think that in my core.”

Turn off your algorithm (or break it

“If you are outside of two restaurants and served a junk food and the other healthy food served and you go to junk food, you have the choice. And we do this with social media.

“Take a look at the people you feel terrible every time you read something from you. [content]You will get more of it.

“Just like algorithms you can turn in the dark and downfall, you can turn them to a great place. There are all possible wonderful things on the Internet that are fun and harmless.

“Clean your feed and use social media less.”

Make Mr. Rogers

“I always go back to Mr. Rogers and 'Find the helpers'. See the support of the community in Southern California and the bravery of these firefighters.

“People go to their camps and scream about climate change, which is absolutely worried about it, or the fire brigade of La has a DEI director who earns 300,000 US dollars a year. [they argue] This fire is either 100% due to climate change or 100% because the fire brigade is too awakened.

“Could we at least bring everyone to safety and bring out the fire before we go to our camps? This is not a great place, and I think we really have to work to pull ourselves out.”

To know what they can do and what not

“Stephen Covey (who wrote The 7 habits of highly effective people) talks about a concern and a circle of influence. Circle of Sorge is huge. They are things like climate change that we should worry about. They are things like wars all over the world, which we should worry about – but we don't have much, if at all, influence.

“If you concentrate on your influence with your time and your energy, it will be much more rewarding and frankly more effective. Your family, your friends, your employees, your neighbors are so more effective.

“If you focus more on your energy and improve the lives of these people and improve your situations, it will be better for you.

Consider your messages

“I think your media diet is your food diet. And if you insert bad things, you won't feel good. And if you want to be mentally healthy, give good things to your brain.

“If you consume messages from conventional news or cable news, try to achieve a little taste of the other side. So if you are a fox person, try to see a little MSNBC. When you read The Wall Street Journal Editorial page, reading The New York Times Editorial page.

“There are smart people on both sides and it is helpful to get the entire range.”

Pay attention to the good

“Try to catch people when it is good. I live in New York City and probably have a block walk home. I deliberately do not put AirPods, I don't like my cell phone. I'm looking.

“And when you look around and look for goodness, it is everywhere. Even in a place like New York where people think it's so dangerous [place]There are people who help each other. There are people who stroke dogs from strangers. There are people who cannot find out where Columbus Circle is located, if the person who is a tourist cannot find out how to get there.

“This is the norm. Our brain is wired to catch exceptions and differences, and that's why we react to the negative things because it is the exception. And I think it is really helpful to understand that the good ones are always superior than the evil in terms of numbers, and they always do it. And I think it is really healthy that the good ones are really superior.”