How optimism helps you deal with stress

There are nights I’m sure I’m asleep before my head hits the pillow. As a working mother, I remember writing my book with my first baby crawling around the floor of our home office. These days, I comanage both our business and home with my husband, while continually striving to be present with our young son and daughter each day. I’m sure many of you relate all too well to the feeling of never having enough time.

So many of us operate at full throttle andyearn for the idea of “work-life balance.” But I think that’s similar to hoping for a magical fairy godmother to show up and clean your house at night while you sleep. (Yes, these are the things I wish for.)

I think there’s no such thing as work-life balance. However, there is an incredibly advantageous mindset we can foster—whether you’re facing a major deadline at work or enjoying a middle-of-the-night, unexpected hangout with your 1-year-old. When you develop an optimistic mindset, you’ll be in a better headspace to manage burnout and depression. You’ll also increase your productive energy and will probably see more success throughout your career.

Optimism is a great tool for decreasing stress and can even give you back as much as five stress-free months a year. Recently, I partnered on a study with Frost Bank and found individuals with more optimism experience 145 fewer days of financial stress each year than pessimists. We surveyed 2,000 adults nationwide and found that optimists are seven times more likely to experience high levels of financial well-being. They feel better about their money, no matter how much they make or have, and they’re significantly more likely to make positive choices about it.

We also found that optimists have met more of their goals—both personally and professionally. Those who are less optimistic, on the other hand, tend to believe that their goals are unachievable. Optimists are nearly twice as likely to meet their primary life goals, on average, and I’m not just talking about financial goals: 96% of optimists have changed careers to follow a passion, or expect to.

The Frost study is just one of a multitude of studies that show optimism is a valuable attribute. For more than a decade, I’ve studied the connection between optimism and success. I’ve been fortunate to work with executives from some of the most forward-thinking companies to help foster an optimistic culture that drives business outcomes.

Together, we’ve seen a national insurance carrier increase gross revenues by 50% and managers improve team productivity by 31% in three weeks. A study I did with Harvard-trained researcher Shawn Achor also found that you’re 40% more likely to receive a promotion over the next year if you’re practicing optimism.

Source: Fastcompany.com

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