attitude towards difficulties in life essay

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Strategies for dealing with life’s difficulties.

Regardless of your fame, fortune, or abilities, life is filled with difficulties. You get to choose how you will react to those difficulties though. Learning to deal with them in healthy, productive ways results in personal growth and peace of mind. This fact sheet outlines four healthy, effective approaches to coping with the challenges of life: eliminating overthinking, working from your strengths, taking time for self-care, and finding meaning in your experiences

Eliminate Overthinking

When problems arise in our lives, it is natural to focus inward as a way to try to find solutions to relieve the discomfort and unhappiness the problems bring. However, the more you mull over a problem or situation, the unhappier and more stressed you will feel, and you likely will not have found a solution. In addition, overthinking has been found to interfere with your ability to solve problems, sap your motivation, and sustain or worsen feelings of sadness (Lyubomirsky, 2007).

Stopping overthinking is a lot easier said than done. Here are five strategies (Lyubomirsky, 2007) to try the next time you are stuck in an overthinking mode and want to free yourself from it:

Stop the overthinking

There are several ways to stop yourself from overthinking:

Distract yourself – When you realize that you are overthinking, find something fun (and safe) to do to completely divert your attention away from overthinking. You could go for a run, clean the kitchen, watch a movie, or hang out with friends. Sometimes getting up and going into a different room is all that is needed.
Switch your thinking – Think, say, or shout to yourself “STOP!” when you find yourself overthinking. Then find something else to think about that will not cause you stress.
Schedule time – Set aside 15-30 minutes each day to do nothing but overthink. Knowing that there will be a specific time for overthinking will help you to stop doing so the rest of the day. Right before going to bed or when you are anxious or sad is probably not the best time to designate as overthinking time though.
Talk to a friend – Find a sympathetic and trusted friend with whom you can share your thoughts and troubles. Sometimes simply voicing your thoughts is all it takes to clear your mind. Be willing to nonjudgmentally listen to your friend’s thoughts and troubles in return.
Write it out – Write out your thoughts so you can organize and make sense of them. Overthinking complicates your thinking, but writing down your thoughts allows the dust to settle so you can see what the real concerns are.

Replace worrisome thoughts

True freedom comes in learning to replace obsessive, negative thoughts with either neutral or positive thoughts. Remember that hard things in your life do not determine your identity. Especially when you are in a negative mood, do not look for the cracks. Overthinking uses up your mental resources, making it difficult to concentrate on other things.

Solve what can be solved

Take a step—even if it is very small—toward solving the problems that were causing your overthinking. If you need to, you could write a list of every possible solution to the problem. Then think of someone that you highly respect and ask yourself which solution they would choose. Take action instead of waiting for something to happen. This will help you feel better.

Figure out your triggers

Figure out what situations or people trigger your overthinking, and avoid them or alter the circumstances so they no longer trigger overthinking.

Look at the wider perspective

Try to get a wider perspective of the situation by asking yourself if what you are ruminating about will matter in a year. If what you are overthinking about really is significant, think about what this experience can teach you.

Freeing yourself from the habit of overthinking will take some time and practice, so be patient with yourself. As you put forth consistent effort to overcome your overthinking, you will little by little start to see progress in your own well-being and also in your relationships with others.

Work from Your Strengths

With very little effort, you could probably list your weaknesses and shortcomings. However, focusing on these imperfections does not yield positive outcomes. Instead, you should focus on your unique, individual strengths. Being able to identify these strengths and use them in appropriate situations can help you to feel good about yourself and with life. In addition, research has found that acting on your strengths increases happiness and decreases depression (Greater Good, 2017b).

Consider the following steps (Greater Good, 2017b) for taking advantage of your strengths:

Identify your strengths – Spend some time contemplating and making a list of your strengths. You could do so all by yourself, by asking a close friend or family member to help you identify them, or by taking the free VIA Signature Strengths test (www.authentichappiness.org). Regardless of which approach you take, create a list of your top strengths, as recognizing them is the first step in being able to take advantage of them.
Reflect – Think about how you could use your strengths to overcome the challenges in your life. Also consider how you can use your strengths in new and different ways than you have in the past.
Set goals – Pick one of your strengths and create a plan to use it as frequently as possible. You could focus on a different strength each day or spend the whole week focusing on one strength.
Assess – After executing your plan, take some time to assess your experience focusing on your strengths. Write about your experience, including what you learned and how you felt. Set more goals to continue working from your strengths. If something did not work so well, figure out how to change it so that it is helpful.

While it is important to work on improving your weaknesses, focusing on using your strengths can increase your confidence. As you focus on using your strengths, you will become stronger and better equipped to face the challenges of life (Greater Good, 2017b).

Take Time for Self-Care

When challenges arise, especially when they involve other people, taking care of yourself can get pushed aside in favor of what seem to be more pressing and important demands on your time and energy. Especially when close friends and family members need help, it may seem selfish to take time for yourself. However, you will be better able to care for others and to face your own personal challenges when you have already taken time to care for your own needs (HRMET, 2013).

In order to best prepare yourself to take on the challenges of life and to help others face their challenges, make sure that you take care of your physical needs. Adequate sleep, good nutrition, and physical activity are all important elements. Caring for your emotional needs is also essential. Neglecting to care for your emotional needs can leave you feeling burned out. Regular self-care can prevent you from reaching this stage.

Try to incorporate the following two suggestions into your life in order to better care for yourself:

Think of hobbies or activities that you enjoy doing, either by yourself or with others, that make you feel good and rejuvenated. Consider what it is about these activities that makes you feel so good (HRMET, 2013). Find ways to incorporate these types of activities into your daily life, especially when you start to feel emotionally tired.
Mindfulness – Acknowledge what you are feeling, without judging it as good or bad.
Common humanity – Recognize that everyone around you goes through rough times so suffering does not make you abnormal or not good enough in any way.
Self-kindness – Put your hand over your heart and encourage yourself to be kind, strong, patient, etc.

Although it may seem selfish, taking the time to care for your physical and emotional needs is actually very selfless in that doing so puts you in a better position to care for others and enjoy life with them.

Find Meaning in Your Experiences

Stress and trauma are an inescapable part of life. Regardless of your efforts to effectively deal with the challenges you face, sometimes all that can be done is to seek to find meaning in the experiences as you patiently endure them, as well as come to terms with them after the fact. This process can lead to what Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky (2007) referred to as “a personal growth transformation” (p. 157). This can include a realization of one’s capabilities (especially the ability to endure), improved relationships as stress manifests which relationships can weather the storms of life, greater compassion for others who are suffering, and a greater sense of the meaning of life (Lyubomirsky, 2007).

The meaning of these personal experiences will be unique for each person. Finding meaning in these experiences allows for physical and emotional healing to take place (Lyubomirsky, 2007).

One approach to finding meaning in your experiences is to take some time to reflect on the following ideas (Lyubomirsky, 2007). It may be helpful to write down your thoughts and feelings or to discuss them with a trusted friend, family member, or professional.

Acknowledge the pain, suffering, and discomfort that you have felt as a result of your stressful or traumatic experiences.
Consider what you did during these challenging times that you are proud of.
Ponder how much you have grown as a result of these experiences.
Reflect on how you have changed and how your relationships with others have changed.
Greater mental toughness
Deeper relationships
Increased awareness
New perspectives
A better appreciation for life
A greater sense of meaning
Strengthened priorities

Traumatic and stressful events can threaten your self-worth and your dreams. For this reason, coping may require being able to rethink your assumptions and beliefs about life. As you seek to find meaning in your experiences, intrusive thoughts about the experience will decrease and you will be able to accept what has happened or is currently happening in order to move forward (Lyubomirsky, 2007).

Challenges in life are inevitable. However, as you seek to understand and apply healthy ways of coping, such as eliminating overthinking, working from your strengths, taking time for self-care, and finding meaning in your experiences, you will be more prepared to face these challenges with peace and confidence.

Greater Good in Action. (2017a). Self-compassion break. Retrieved from https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/self_compass ion_break
Greater Good in Action. (2017b). Use your strengths. Retrieved from https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/use_your_str engths
Healthy Relationship & Marriage Education Training [HRMET]. (2013). Take care of yourself. Retrieved from http://www.fcs.uga.edu/docs/01_CFS-T4.pdf
Lyubomirsky, S. (2007). How of happiness. New York: The Penguin Press.

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The Power of Positive Thinking

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

attitude towards difficulties in life essay

Carly Snyder, MD is a reproductive and perinatal psychiatrist who combines traditional psychiatry with integrative medicine-based treatments.

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What Is Positive Thinking?

Benefits of Positive Thinking

How to Practice Positive Thinking

Potential pitfalls of positive thinking, frequently asked questions.

Do you tend to see the glass as half empty or half full? You have probably heard that question plenty of times. Your answer relates directly to the concept of positive thinking and whether you have a positive or negative outlook on life. Positive thinking plays an important role in positive psychology , a subfield devoted to the study of what makes people happy and fulfilled.

Research has found that positive thinking can aid in stress management and even plays an important role in your overall health and well-being. It can help combat feelings of low self-esteem, improve physical health, and help brighten your overall outlook on life.

This article discusses what positive thinking is and the health benefits of being positive. It also explores some of the strategies you can use to become a more positive thinker.

Positive thinking means approaching life's challenges with a positive outlook. It doesn't mean seeing the world through rose-colored lenses by ignoring or glossing over the negative aspects of life.

Positive thinking does not necessarily mean avoiding difficult situations. Instead, positive thinking means making the most of potential obstacles, trying to see the best in other people, and viewing yourself and your abilities in a positive light.

Some researchers, including positive psychologist Martin Seligman , frame positive thinking in terms of explanatory style. Your explanatory style is how you explain why events happened.

Optimistic explanatory style : People with an optimistic explanatory style tend to give themselves credit when good things happen and typically blame outside forces for bad outcomes. They also tend to see negative events as temporary and atypical.
Pessimistic explanatory style : People with a pessimistic explanatory style often blame themselves when bad things happen, but fail to give themselves adequate credit for successful outcomes. They also have a tendency to view negative events as expected and lasting. As you can imagine, blaming yourself for events outside of your control or viewing these unfortunate events as a persistent part of your life can have a detrimental impact on your state of mind.

Positive thinkers are more apt to use an optimistic explanatory style, but the way in which people attribute events can also vary depending upon the exact situation. For example, a person who is generally a positive thinker might use a more pessimistic explanatory style in particularly challenging situations, such as at work or at school.

While there are many factors that determine whether a person has a positive outlook, the way that they explain the events of their life, known as their explanatory style, plays an important role.

Positive Psychology vs. Positive Thinking

While the terms "positive thinking" and "positive psychology" are sometimes used interchangeably, it is important to understand that they are not the same thing. Positive thinking is about looking at things from a positive point of view. It is a type of thinking that focuses on maintaining a positive, optimistic attitude. Positive psychology is a branch of psychology that studies the effects of optimism, what causes it, and when it is best utilized.

Health Benefits of Positive Thinking

In recent years, the so-called "power of positive thinking" has gained a great deal of attention thanks to self-help books such as "The Secret." While these pop-psychology books often tout positive thinking or philosophies like the law of attraction as a sort of psychological panacea, empirical research has found that there are many very real health benefits linked to positive thinking and optimistic attitudes.

Positive thinking is linked to a wide range of health benefits, including:

Better stress management and coping skills
Enhanced psychological health
Greater resistance to the common cold
Increased physical well-being
Longer life span
Lower rates of depression
Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease-related death

One study of 1,558 older adults found that positive thinking could also reduce frailty during old age.

A 2018 study published in the Journal of Aging Research found that having a positive mental attitude was linked to decreased mortality over a 35-year period. People who had a more positive outlook were also more likely to get regular physical exercise, avoid smoking, eat a healthier diet, and get more quality sleep.

Clearly, there are many benefits of positive thinking . But why, exactly, does positive thinking have such a strong impact on physical and mental health ?

One theory is that people who think positively tend to be less affected by stress. Research suggests that having more positive automatic thoughts helps people become more resilient in the face of life's stressful events. People who had high levels of positive thinking were more likely to walk away from stressful life events with a higher sense of the meaningfulness of life.

Another possibility is that people who think positively tend to live healthier lives in general; they may exercise more, follow a more nutritious diet, and avoid unhealthy behaviors.

While you might be more prone to negative thinking, there are strategies that you can use to become a more positive thinker. Practicing these strategies regularly can help you get in the habit of maintaining a more positive outlook on life.

Notice your thoughts : Start paying attention to the type of thoughts you have each day. If you notice that many of them are negative, make a conscious effort to reframe how you are thinking in a more positive way.
Write in a gratitude journal : Practicing gratitude can have a range of positive benefits and it can help you learn to develop a better outlook. Experiencing grateful thoughts helps people to feel more optimistic.
Use positive self-talk : How you talk to yourself can play an important role in shaping your outlook. Studies have shown that shifting to more positive self-talk can have a positive impact on your emotions and how you respond to stress.

While there are many benefits to thinking positively, there are actually times when more realistic thinking is more advantageous. For example, in some situations, negative thinking can actually lead to more accurate decisions and outcomes.

Some research has found that negative thinking and moods can actually help people make better, more accurate judgments.

However, research suggests that realistic optimism might be the ideal. The results of a 2020 study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin revealed that people who have mistaken expectations, whether those expectations are optimistic or pessimistic, tend to fare worse in terms of mental health when compared to realists.

The authors of the study suggest that the disappointment that optimists experience when their high hopes are not realized can have a negative impact on well-being. This doesn't mean that people should strive to be pessimistic thinkers. since studies indicate that people with a negative outlook tend to fare the worst. Instead, having a generally positive outlook that is focused on realistic expectations may be the best approach.

In some cases, inappropriately applied positive thinking can cross the line into what is known as toxic positivity . This involves insisting on maintaining a positive mindset no matter how upsetting, dire, or damaging a situation might be. This type of excessive positivity can impede authentic communication and cause people to experience feelings of shame or guilt if they struggle to maintain such an overly positive outlook.

Positive thinking can have pitfalls at times. While it is important to have an overall positive outlook, unrealistically high expectations can lead to disappointment. Being unable to accept any negative emotions, known as toxic positivity, can also have a negative effect on mental well-being.

A Word From Verywell

Even if you are not a natural-born optimist, there are things you can do to learn how to think more positively and become a positive thinker . One of the first steps is to focus on your own inner monologue and to pay attention to your self-talk.

Strategies that can improve your positive thinking include noticing your thoughts and making a conscious effort to shift from negative thoughts to more positive one. Practicing positive self-talk and practicing gratitude can also be helpful ways to start having a more positive outlook.

Positive thinking is important because it can have a beneficial impact on both physical and mental well-being. People who maintain a more positive outlook on life cope better with stress, have better immunity, and have a lower risk of premature death. Positive thinking also helps promote greater feelings of happiness and overall satisfaction with life.

Positive thinking has been shown to help people live healthier, happier lives. When they have a positive outlook, they are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors such as exercising, eating healthy, and getting plenty of rest. Downsides of positive thinking include the risk of forming overly high expectations that result in disappointment and being affected by toxic positivity.

Practicing mindfulness can be a way to build self-awareness and become more conscious of how your negative thoughts affect your moods and behaviors. As you become better at identifying negative thought patterns, you can then take steps to shift into a more positive mindset. Actively replacing negative thoughts with positive ones can help you eventually learn to become a more positive thinker.

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Paganini-Hill A, Kawas CH, Corrada MM. Positive mental attitude associated with lower 35-year mortality: The Leisure World Cohort Study . J Aging Res . 2018;2018:2126368. doi:10.1155/2018/2126368

Boyraz G, Lightsey OR Jr. Can positive thinking help? Positive automatic thoughts as moderators of the stress-meaning relationship . Am J Orthopsychiatry . 2012;82(2):267-77. doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.2012.01150.x

Kross E, Bruehlman-Senecal E, Park J, et al. Self-talk as a regulatory mechanism: how you do it matters . J Pers Soc Psychol . 2014;106(2):304-24. doi:10.1037/a0035173

Forgas JP. Don’t worry, be sad! On the cognitive, motivational, and interpersonal benefits of negative mood . Curr Dir Psychol Sci . 2013;22(3):225-232. doi:10.1177/0963721412474458

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By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

7 Strategies to Face Life's Challenges

Wisdom from the couch..

Posted December 17, 2014 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch

In our personal lives, and on a global scale, we face challenges that test our emotional mettle — injury, illness, unemployment, grief , divorce , death, or even a new venture with an unknown future. Here are seven strategies to help carry us through:

1. Turn Toward Reality

So often we turn away from life rather than toward it. We are masters of avoidance! But if we want to be present—to enjoy life and be more effective in it—we must orient ourselves toward facing reality. When we are guided by the reality principle, we develop a deeper capacity to deal with life more effectively. What once was difficult is now easier. What once frightened us now feels familiar. Life becomes more manageable. And there’s something even deeper that we gain: Because we can see that we have grown stronger, we have greater confidence that we can grow even stronger still. This is the basis of feeling capable, which is the wellspring of a satisfying life.

2. Embrace Your Life as It Is Rather Than as You Wish It to Be

The Buddha taught that the secret to life is to want what you have and to not want what you don’t have. Being present means being present to the life that you have right here, right now. There is freedom in taking life as it comes to us—the good with the bad, the wonderful with the tragic, the love with the loss, and the life with the death. When we embrace it all, then we have a real chance to enjoy life, to value our experiences, and to mine the treasures that are there for the taking. When we surrender to the reality of who we are, we give ourselves a chance to do what we can do.

3. Take Your Time

As the story of the tortoise and the hare tells us, slow and steady wins the race. By being in a hurry, we actually thwart our own success. We get ahead of ourselves. We make more mistakes. We cut corners and pay for them later. We may learn the easy way but not necessarily the best way. As an old adage puts it: The slower you go, the sooner you get there. Slow, disciplined, incremental growth is the kind of approach that leads to lasting change.

4. Practice Gratitude

It is easy to count our troubles rather than our blessings, but such an attitude undermines our ability to draw from the good that we have been given and to see our lives fundamentally as a gift. A change in perspective can make all the difference. Recognizing the good and receiving it with gratitude is a recipe for emotional health and well-being. This attitude enlarges the possibility that we can make use of the good we have been given and even use it to cope with the difficulties that we inevitably inherit.

5. Stay Close to Your Feelings, Even the Painful Ones

Often we find our feelings scary, heavy, and confusing, so we try to keep them at a distance. But we need our feelings in order to find satisfaction, meaning, and pleasure in life. Getting rid of feelings not only backfires but it also drains us of the psychological energy that makes life worth living. Feelings are the gas in the engine of our personalities. They are the source of motivation . They are the energy, the vitality, the juice of life. Without them, our lives wouldn’t have any personality , dimension, or color. There wouldn’t be any joy, creativity , or fun. There wouldn’t be you. There wouldn’t be me. Without our feelings, nothing would really matter.

6. Accept Success and Failure as Part of Life’s Journey

We are all learning: No one gets it right every time. A more compassionate attitude toward ourselves only helps us to stay in the game. The dynamic process of life—trying, succeeding, failing, and trying again—is the only way to develop lasting confidence in ourselves. We learn through experience that we can both succeed and recover from failure. We also learn to be humble and so to develop a view of ourselves as limited creatures that will always need the help and support of others. No matter how mature or successful we become, the child within always will need mentors and friends who’ll see us through.

7. Tend to Your Loving Relationships

It is easy to neglect what matters most: our relationships with those we love. These relationships don’t just happen magically; they grow and are sustained through attentive care and hard work. Mature love—in marriage , family, or friendships—is a dynamic, living experience. It is something you choose every day. It is something that is earned every day. It requires commitment to keep it working. It involves a daily process of overcoming the distance and honoring the separateness between us. It accepts the reality that we will hurt one another and be hurt by one another. It is the nature of being human. These pains cannot be avoided. We can only devote ourselves to do what we can do to weather them and to mend them. Love, then, is essentially repair work. We tend to the hurts. We try to heal them. We express our concern. We take responsibility for our mistakes; we learn to say we’re sorry. We try to make amends. We learn to forgive; we accept the forgiveness of another. As the monks do every day, we fall down and get up, fall down and get up again.

This post is drawn from an article featured in A Woman's Health .

Follow me on twitter @ CouchWisdom

Jennifer Kunst, Ph.D ., is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst, working with adults and couples in her private practice in Pasadena, CA.

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Struggling? Stressed?: Adopting a positive attitude to challenges

By nurlaila jamil on July 12, 2018 |Tagged with: health , Skills for life

Photo: Tookapic @ Pexels.com

Students at UBC are often well-versed with the myriad of resources available on campus. Throw one of us a problem and we can often quickly spit out a resource that we know our peers and ourselves can access:

“Feeling sick?” “Go to the doctor?”

“Not getting the grade you want in classes?” “Get a tutor.”

“Can’t decide on your major?” “Go to Academic Advising.”

“Experiencing emotional and mental distress?” “Go to the Counselling office.”

I’m sure you have repeatedly heard these suggestions, but do you ever feel as though you are still not find yourself in a position where you want to be in life, or at least heading there? We all know that there are resources out the for us to rely on but why is it hard to for us to sometime take the first step in seeking help? Why do we often avoid addressing our problems until they grow bigger, and lead ourselves onto the path of self-destruction?

I am guilty of this. Throughout my university career, I have been fully aware that I have a fear of speaking up in a room full of people. I often have ideas that I would like to share and verbalize but the fear of being judged and ridiculed by the people in the room has often held me back from speaking up. I have over-thought and assumed that I should only speak up when my ideas are earth-shattering, ground-breaking and revolution-inducing. In other words, if I can’t solve the Somali refugee crisis in Kenya in one breath during the discussions for my politics class, then I probably shouldn’t say anything.

Source: Meo @ Pexels.com

As a history student, participation in class discussions and seminars are crucial for they typically account for a quarter of the final grade. I know that I am not the only student struggling with speaking up in classes and that this is a common problem among students that most professors are aware of. I remember flipping through the syllabi for my courses and noticing that there were disclaimers being included where professors mentioned that they were open to helping students improve their speaking skills. There were moments when I thought that this might be a good opportunity to work on my weaknesses but oftentimes, I just let them pass by. I saw this opportunities for four years straight and now, at the completion of my undergraduate studies, I wonder if I will ever come across such opportunities again.

My missed opportunity to address my fear of speaking in classes has definitely cost me a lot, and I am sure this is one of the many opportunities where I have – intentionally or not – missed. We see an example of this pattern in many other aspect of our lives. A bad lifestyle choice that leads to deteriorating health. A lack of engagement in classes that lead to a decline in academic performance. A personal problem that overwhelms us which ultimately exploded into a full-blown crisis.

So why do we often ignore our problems and not take any action on them? Why do we allow great opportunities to slip us by?

Not seeing the opportunity – and the result it entails

Our brain has a negative bias, meaning that we are much more inclined to think of negative thoughts by scanning and spotting them. Luckily, we can train our brain to do the reverse with some mindfulness practice. In the book The Happiness Advantage , positive psychologist Shawn Achor theorized the “ Positive Tetris Effect” which is a psychological approach where we can train our brain to make use of the opportunities around us by seeing more possibilities with the power of positive thinking. I did not see how reaching out to my professors in this case will benefit me greatly and serve me well beyond my academic career. Had I done so, I can only imagine the academic and professional progress I would have undergone since then.

To maximize our growth, we should always take a step back and assess the opportunities we see around us – even if they may seem miniscule.

Source: Pixabay @ Pexels.com

The need for quick fixes

A single visit to the doctor will not immediately cure you – you’ll have to attend follow up appointments, incorporate some lifestyle changes and monitor your health for an extended period of time. Nor will a single tutoring session, a counselling appointment or an advising meeting solve any problems or challenges that you face. It is important to recognize that while the first step to seeking help will not immediately solve your problems, the actions that you take thereafter will determine if you can overcome them. I know that a single session in office hours with one of my professors will not automatically make me a confident speaker. It will take a lot practice, and probably some very public failures, for me to be highly comfortable in speaking in class discussions. As such, we should see the first step in seeking support as a direction that we work towards to and a habit that we must consciously maintain.

Source: Tim Guow @ Pexels

A lack of growth mindset

Our brains function on two basic channels: fixed and growth mindsets . A fixed mindset is a way of thinking where one believes that their talent is innate and predetermined. A growth mindset, on the other hand, affirms that one can improve their skills and capabilities. Adopting a fixed mindset is dangerous as it discourages us from growing by seeking opportunities and taking on new challenges – an important mechanism that that allows us to fully embrace the “Positive Tetris Effect.” I frequently saw the participation component of my history classes as another “disadvantage” that I have to curb. Rather than approaching it with a healthy attitude where I could experience growth, I felt like it was an experience that I just had to “tough it through” because that was the only way to go about it. Similar to positive thinking, adopting a growth mindset is a work ethic/habit that needs to be developed and consistently worked for . But with taking smalls steps as you work towards your goal, it is habit that will serve you well in the long run when developed.

I may have finished my undergraduate journey but I am sure there are many other opportunities for me to improve my public speaking skills. Co-hosting a podcast as part of my summer position at the Chapman Learning Commons has been a good step first for me to practice my speaking skills in an “official”context. Whenever you are faced with a challenge, remember to take a moment to reorient your thinking and attitude to the issue. Just a bit of pivoting, and a constant effort to stay in the right direction, will make a BIG difference!

Essays About Attitude: Top 5 Examples Plus Prompts

Your attitude and demeanor affect all aspects of your life. We have found an inspiring list of essays about attitude to help you choose your own angle.

Attitude refers to a person’s way of thinking about something that affects their behavior. One can say that the proper attitude is vital to leading a fruitful life, whatever that might be for specific individuals. A “good” attitude and a positive outlook can better ascertain success, while a “bad” attitude predisposes a person to fail.

One’s attitude is founded upon knowledge, beliefs, and feelings and reflected in behavior. However, it is also shaped by your experiences.

If you want to write an essay about attitude, here are 5 essay examples and 5 prompts we have prepared to make the process easier for you.

For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers .

1. Attitude changes everything – it can change your life by Kate Darbyshire Evans

2. 6 ways to banish negative thoughts by emily co, 3. our life is a reflection of our attitude. by iqra shehzadi, 4. watch your attitude: your students are counting on you by amber chandler, 5. how to develop a positive attitude in the workplace by jennifer post, 5 writing prompts on essays about attitude, 1. why is a good attitude so important, 2. how can you change your attitude for the better, 3. is a bad attitude really as detrimental as it is said to be, 4. how has your attitude affected your life, 5. does attitude reflect character.

“Attitude changes everything. Change your attitude, and you can change your life. You cannot always control what happens to you in life but you can always control how you respond to the challenges or difficult situations you encounter. The attitude you approach anything with is entirely your choice. The way you choose to respond mirrors your attitude and so by changing your attitude you can change your perspective and change your life.”

Evans talks about how genuinely present one’s attitude is in the different aspects of their life. It can, quite literally, “change your life.” Regardless of your challenges, Evans believes that a positive attitude can help you steady your course and maintain a good life. She also gives readers tips on developing a good attitude and a more positive outlook on life, including being more grateful, not taking life too seriously, and stepping out of your comfort zone.

“It’s easy to become jaded when life gets tough, but don’t get caught up in negative thoughts because it may hinder your progress. Seeing the world as a glass half empty may lead you to give up easier and not try as hard because you may think that it’s pointless to even make an attempt.”

In this short essay, Co lists down a few ways in which we can maintain a positive attitude by keeping negative thoughts out of our minds. These include keeping a gratitude journal, keeping good company, being around animals, and looking for new hobbies. Co believes these activities help promote positivity so that we are not as affected when life gets challenging. You might also be interested in these essays about discipline .

“Our mind has sufficient bandwidth to focus on one thought at a time. All you must do is keep it attentive on inspiring thoughts until you achieve your goal or establish a new habit. After adopting a positive attitude, I have noticed amazing changes all around. I also have noticed a major boost in my confidence and I feel more capable of taking on new projects and challenges which might have formerly been outside my comfort zone.”

Shehzadi reflects on the importance of a positive attitude. She briefly goes over its benefits, like increased confidence and reduced stress. To develop a better attitude, surround yourself with positive people. From there, you can practice kindness, patience, and tolerance. As our attitude reflects itself in how we live, a positive attitude leads to a more productive life. Training your mind to be positive is an excellent investment for your well-being, both mentally and physically.

“It’s human nature to express ourselves, sure, but I think adults underestimate the impact our ‘attitudes’ have on our own children and students. As we deal with the new variants, head back to school and face another uncertain school year, our attitudes are going to shape the experiences of our students. Why not make a concerted, intentional effort to be the one place where your students can let their guard down and take a break from the attitudes that are everywhere?”

Chandler, an educator, discusses the importance of the right attitude in an environment with kids and the importance of setting a good example. She believes that an authentic, positive attitude helps students thrive, but she also stresses the importance of empathy. To her, the ideal attitude is positive, practical, humble, and empathetic. She wants adults to be more mindful of their attitude, especially in front of kids- they may have certain mannerisms or habits that children will quickly pick up on.

“Not everyone is going to be positive all the time. That’s an unrealistic idea. But even when people are down and at their most negative, there are things one can do to deal with those emotions and actions around the office to keep them from impacting others. Even if it’s just one co-worker causing an issue, take matters into your own hands for your own happiness at work.”

Post’s essay elaborates on the importance of having an attitude suited to your work. Like in Co’s essay, Post discusses certain things we can do to improve our attitude and make us more productive in the workplace. Most significantly, she says that simply saying “yes” more can help develop a better attitude. Even if we cannot always be positive, Post wants us to maximize the positivity in every situation, to look at it from a “glass half full” perspective.

Everyone talks about how the proper attitude helps you go far in life, but how does this work? In your essay, you can explore what makes attitude so vital. You can find examples where people have improved their attitude and attribute it to real-life benefits such as happiness or success. You can also check out these essays about character .

Many people often talk about fixing their attitude and getting out of bad habits. You can use the sample essays to decide which methods you can adopt to improve your attitude. Keep your selection short, simple, and meaningful. Do you think they could be successfully applied to anyone?

Would you say that a good attitude is as important as people say it is? And does a bad attitude indeed dictates one’s fortune or misfortune? Based on research and your own beliefs, decide on your position and provide evidence to support your argument.

Write about something as simple as the effects of your attitude on your life. How does your outlook on life affect you? Do you feel that your attitude is helping you live your life well? Do you think there is anything that you can change to optimize your daily life? Try and provide examples of when a different attitude may have produced a different outcome in a scenario.

Essays about attitude: Does attitude reflect character?

Often people are told they have a bad attitude and are misjudged for it. However, is their attitude a true reflection of their character or simply masking a hidden agenda? Think of examples when people may be misjudged by their attitude, or perhaps their behavior was misconstrued, and discuss how difficult it is to remedy this after the event. There are numerous examples of this in literature that you can reference. If you cannot think of a real-life example pick one from an appropriate piece and discuss the character’s attitude, and others’ perceptions of them.

Tip: If writing an essay sounds like a lot of work, simplify it. Write a simple 5 paragraph essay instead.

Martin is an avid writer specializing in editing and proofreading. He also enjoys literary analysis and writing about food and travel.

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Attitude changes everything – it can change your life

Attitude changes everything. Change your attitude and you can change your life. You cannot always control what happens to you in life but you can always control how you respond to the challenges or difficult situations you encounter. The attitude you approach anything with is entirely your choice. The way you choose to respond mirrors your attitude and so by changing your attitude you can change your perspective and change your life. Your attitude reflects the way you see the world and how you live in it. It affects every aspect of your life, your happiness, relationships, health, wellbeing and success. Developing a positive attitude that you apply with action can change the way you live your life regardless of the challenges or adversity you face. In this post I want to share with you some of the ways attitude can change the way you live your life. “It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” Dieter F. Uchtdorf

The attitude you choose will determine the outcome

Select the most useful attitude that will help you with the challenges you face. The attitude you choose will determine how successful you will manage the challenge or situation. Consider how that attitude will determine what you say, your behaviour and action and what will be the outcome.

Always take action with a purpose

Before you take any action, decide how it will serve your greater goals. Act with thought and consideration when choosing an attitude that will help you take the actions that will manage the challenges you face.

Move out of your comfort zone

If you stay stuck in your comfort zone, it may seem safe and familiar but if you don’t challenge yourself nothing will ever change. If you don’t stretch yourself every day, you will never find out what you are truly capable of. Have a go, take a risk and transition from your comfort zone into your growth zone where you will gain purpose, live your dreams, set goals and overcome the obstacles that have been holding you back.

Take action without expecting success

Change happens and confidence grows from taking action. It’s where you learn most about yourself and build resilience. Of course you have to make decisions and plan your actions to achieve the results you want, but it’s a big mistake to expect those results and then be upset or downhearted when you don’t get them. Take the best action you can but don’t fixate about the result.

Use setbacks or disappointments to learn from and to build resilience

Rather than feeling bad if you fail, reflect on your actions and see what you can do to better or learn what to do next. Growth comes from failing and learning, again and again. Seek out those who share your positive attitude. It’s a known fact that your brain automatically copies the behaviours of the people around you. Therefore, it makes sense to surround yourself with people who have a positive and proactive attitude and move away those who are unduly negative or drain your energy.

Practice gratitude more frequently

Achieving an “attitude of gratitude” entails more than simply recognising what’s wonderful in your own life. Take action by thanking other people for their gifts or kindness to you, even if that gift is something as simple as a smile or an acknowledgement. Don’t take yourself too seriously. If you want to be happier nurture the ability to laugh at yourself. It will help to balance your drive and purpose with a dash of gentle humour and fun.

If you are facing a challenge or difficulty today what attitude will you choose to help yourself?

What action will you take as a result?

If this post has been helpful please share it with other women who may benefit from reading it.

Connect with me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-darbyshire-evans

and go to www.finerthinking.com and you can sign up on the homepage for a COMPLEMENTARY BREAKTHROUGH SESSION to discover how you can learn to change your attitude and change your life so you can thrive not just survive and be fulfilled and enjoy the industry you love.

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How to Improve Your Attitude Toward Life and Self

Last Updated: June 12, 2021 Approved

This article was co-authored by Trudi Griffin, LPC, MS . Trudi Griffin is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Wisconsin specializing in Addictions and Mental Health. She provides therapy to people who struggle with addictions, mental health, and trauma in community health settings and private practice. She received her MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Marquette University in 2011. There are 17 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 92% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 101,940 times.

Having a negative attitude is harmful to you and to the people around you. The longer you have a negative outlook on life and yourself, the harder it may be to change that attitude. But if you are willing to change the way that you view the world and yourself, then there are several things that you can do. You can start by examining your attitude about the world and about yourself, then start looking for little ways to improve your outlook, and then work to correct some of the major problems that you have with the world and with yourself.

Examining Your Attitude

Also remember that beliefs tend to be quite subjective and there are multiple ways of looking at the same thing. So, try to look for evidence that runs contrary to the belief that you hold.
For example, if you believe the world is a bad place, you might spend a couple hours researching all the ways in which people help each other in times of need.

Step 2 Examine your ideas about the world.

An example of a self-fulfilling prophecy is if you think that the world is a cold, mean place and so you are cold and mean to people. As a result, people may be cold and mean to you in return. You might then interpret their actions as being in line with your view of the world, which reinforces your attitude. [2] X Research source

Step 3 Take responsibility for your attitude.

Remember that although you may not be able to change your circumstances sometimes, you can still change how you react to them by adopting one kind of attitude over another.

For example, if you do not much enjoy your job, you might think with a bad attitude "This really sucks and is pointless."
However, you could also take a more positive attitude toward the exact same situation and think "It is pretty amazing that I can do a task and get money to feed myself and my family. Imagine living in a time when people had to forage for food and no meal was guaranteed."

For example, one study found that if you focus people's attention on the number of religious activities they have participated in before, they tend to report more favorable attitudes towards religion.
So, if you want to improve your attitude about life and yourself, you can partly get there by behaving like you want your attitude to be. This "faking it until you make it" can be an effective way to improve your attitude.

Making Small Changes

Rather than setting goals such as "I'm going to get all As in school this semester", try setting goals such as "I'm going to try my best to do well in my classes"; or, instead of setting the goal of becoming a famous musician, you might set the goal of practicing music regularly.

Step 2 See failure as an opportunity to learn.

By seeing failures as opportunities to learn and grow, you will be less likely to become pessimistic in the face of any defeats that come your way.
For example, if you perform badly on a paper at school, rather than beating yourself up about it and calling yourself dumb, you might tell yourself "I really didn't do as well as I wanted to on this paper but I can talk to my teacher and find out how to improve my work for next time."

If you want help smiling, try sticking a pencil between your teeth so that the eraser is towards one corner of your mouth and the tip is toward the other corner; holding a pencil between your teeth in this way will cause you to smile.

When you find someone with an attitude toward life and self that you are particularly impressed by, try to adopt the aspects of her attitude that you like best.

For example, if you ruin your favorite shirt doing laundry, ask yourself whether you will still upset by this a week or month from now. Chances are you won't be because, in the bigger picture, it doesn't matter all that much.

Step 6 Monitor and expel negative self-talk.

For example, if you're telling yourself that you're worthless because you should have finished your college degree by now, ask yourself some questions about this, such as:
Why does the fact that you didn't finish college exactly when most of your peers did make you worthless? Why should college define your self-worth? Was what you went through while not in college a learning experience? Did it help to shape who you are today?
Instead, use positive language to re-frame things. Try this even if you don't feel like being positive. Rather than saying things like "I'm never going to succeed" re-frame your thoughts to be more positive by saying things such as "I will try my best" or "I will give it my all." [11] X Research source

Working on Big Issues

Everyone makes mistakes from time to time, including yourself. Try to remember the last time you did something like what was done to you. This will make it easier to take the perspective of the individual who wronged you and facilitate your forgiving him.
Treat forgiveness as something for you, and not as a gift for the person you are trying to forgive. This is something that will bring you peace, and so is beneficial for you.
Look for hidden benefits in the transgression. Although this is somewhat of a controversial point, trying to find the silver lining, that is, searching for possible ways being hurt may actually benefit you (e.g., by making you more resilient in the future) can be an effective way to forgive someone.
Remember that forgiveness will take time; it isn't something that will happen instantly.

Step 2 Don't ruminate on the problems of life.

Instead, try to focus on positive things in your life or on changing for the better.
You can also fight against rumination by letting go of things you have identified that are out of your control, or by thinking about what the worst case scenario is and asking yourself whether you could survive it (most likely the answer is yes, which will help you stop ruminating over it).
For example, imagine that you dislike something about yourself that you can't change, such as how tall you are. You might let go of this by reminding yourself: "since I can't really change my height, there's not much point in thinking about it, so I may as well turn my attention to things in my life that I can change, such as how confident I act or my sense of humor."

Try to remind yourself that whatever great opportunities you missed in the past are not as important as the potential opportunities that lie ahead.
Also, remember that the past is something that you can't change, whereas you can change your future. Doesn't it make more sense to spend more time thinking about what you can change over what you cannot?

Keep a journal and write down a few things each day that you are thankful for.
Write and send a letter of gratitude to someone.
Focus on the intentions of others' actions and not necessarily just the outcomes that are brought about.

Pay close attention to your surrounding environment.
Listen closely to your breathing.
Focus intently on your sensations, the sights, smells, sounds, etc., you are experiencing.
Accept your thoughts and feelings but do not judge them; you can do this by acknowledging that they are real, and then moving on to other sensations, thoughts, feelings.

Look online or in your local newspaper for ways to become involved in your community.

Stop dieting and eat normally. By dieting, you are telling yourself through your behavior that there is something wrong with you that needs fixing. Instead of dieting, work on eating normally, eating only when you are hungry, having balanced meals, and getting exercise and being healthy.
Focus on yourself in your entirety, not just how you look. Remember that you are a unique individual who is so much more than just a body; you have a personality, a mind, a unique history, and a way of looking at the world (your attitude!).
Respect how others look; if you find yourself judging others negatively for how they look, you may be more likely to judge yourself, too. Try to accept people as unique individuals and remember that looks can have an automatic but dubious impact on your impressions of others. [21] X Research source

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Home — Essay Samples — Psychology — Positive Attitude — The Power Of Having A Positive Attitude

The Power of Having a Positive Attitude

Categories: Attitude Positive Attitude

About this sample

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Published: Jun 7, 2021

Words: 1677 | Pages: 4 | 9 min read

“Your attitude determines your altitude”

Attitude is a matter of choice

“Weakness of attitude becomes a weakness of character “ Elbert Einstein

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Social and Behavioral Predictors of Adolescents’ Positive Attitude towards Life and Self

Marta malinowska-cieślik.

1 Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Medical College, 20 Grzegorzecka Str., 31-531 Krakow, Poland

Joanna Mazur

2 Collegium Medicum, University of Zielona Gora, 26 Zyty Str., 65-046 Zielona Gora, Poland

3 Department of Child and Adolescent Health, Institute of Mother and Child, 17A Kasprzaka Str., 01-211 Warsaw, Poland

Hanna Nałęcz

Agnieszka małkowska-szkutnik.

4 Faculty of Education, University of Warsaw, 16/20 Mokotowska Str., 00-561 Warsaw, Poland

Associated Data

Positive attitude is an important cognitive component of optimism. Although optimism has been widely studied in adolescents’ health, there is limited knowledge about social and behavioral determinants of their positive attitude. The aim of this study was to identify the main predictors of a positive attitude towards life and self in adolescence. Data were collected in 2010 from 2562 Polish adolescents, aged 15 to 17 years old, within the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children survey. A positive attitude was measured using the 4-item Positive Attitude Scale (PAS). Univariate analysis of variance was conducted and then hierarchical linear regression models adjusted for gender, age and family affluence were estimated. The mean PAS score was 13.25 (SD = 3.74), on the scale ranged 0–20. Eight out of 18 variables were included in the final model, which explained 25.1% of PAS variability. Communication in the family and with peers, as well as neighborhood social capital showed the strongest impact on positive attitude in adolescents. Physical activity, eating breakfast and school performance were also found to be important predictors. The results of the study highlight the need to include the development of interpersonal competences, promoting physical activity and supporting school performance, in adolescents’ mental health promotion programs, particularly in girls.

1. Introduction

Adolescence is an exceptionally plastic period of life, in which personality traits and interaction with family, peers and the community are considered as significant aspects of development. Studies of adolescent health and well-being pay high attention to positive development and the enhancement of individual traits and home, school and community environments [ 1 , 2 ]. These studies analyzed personal assets such as resilience, self-esteem, self-efficacy, sense of coherence, and internal locus of control as influencing mental health and subjective well-being in adolescents. Adolescents’ psychological well-being is defined in relation to youth positive development and includes self-acceptance, positive intrapersonal relationships, autonomy and life satisfaction [ 3 ]. In regard to adolescents’ mental health, the longitudinal study of Chen and Harris [ 4 ] showed that positive family relationships are associated with better mental health and reduced depressive symptoms among females and males from early adolescence to midlife. Studies among Spanish young adolescents found a relationship between family socioeconomic status and physical and social well-being [ 5 ]. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.” [ 6 ]. Therefore, monitoring and surveillance of the population’s mental health should include positive indicators of mental health. In many countries, national mental health promotion strategies consider such positive measures. For example, Canada’s strategy for mental health contains determinants organized in four domains at the individual, family and interpersonal, community, and societal levels [ 7 ]. The individual-level includes personality traits such as self-esteem, sense of mastery, sense of coherence, optimism and emotional intelligence. A positive attitude towards oneself and life is related to optimism, which in turn is associated with a sense of self-confidence, better coping with stress and stronger resilience [ 8 , 9 ]. Optimism protects and enhances mental health and health-related lifestyle changes [ 10 , 11 ]. This study investigates associations and the influence of social relations and health behaviors with adolescents’ positive attitude, which is related to optimism. Optimism is defined as a global expectation that more good, desirable things, rather than bad, undesirable things will happen in the future. Optimism has implications for physical and psychological well-being and a number of positive health-related outcomes [ 12 ]. The Life Orientation Test (LOT and LOT-Revised), a tool to assess dispositional optimism, developed by Scheier and Carver [ 13 , 14 ], has been used in many studies on health impacts. Many studies, including meta-analytic reviews, showed that optimism is associated with taking proactive steps to protect one’s health and has an impact on physical and psychological well-being, and is a significant predictor of positive physical health outcomes in adults [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. In adolescents, optimism is also the stronger predictor of their mental health in comparison with health behaviors [ 18 ]. Other studies of youth health show that positive attributes and optimism are positively correlated with physical health and reduce metabolic and cardiometabolic risk in young people [ 19 , 20 ]. In regard to social support, dispositional optimism mediates adolescents’ perceived support from parents, peers, and teachers to psychological well-being [ 21 ]. In Japanese college students, optimism was positively correlated with perceived social support [ 22 ]. Oberle et al. [ 23 ] found that adolescents’ optimism predicted peers’ acceptance, in a gender-specific manner. Girls’ acceptance of peers was significantly predicted by higher levels of optimism.

In regard to school performance, the literature review by Suldo et al. [ 24 ] showed a bidirectional relationship between mental health and academic functioning and suggested that changes in one domain can predict changes in the other. Boman and Yates [ 25 ] showed that adolescents’ optimism was significantly related to their classroom involvement and to students’ self-reported adjustment and attitudes towards their school. Moor et al. [ 26 ] showed that the relationship between educational inequalities and life satisfaction is mediated by health-related behaviors among both genders, but to a greater extent in girls.

Regarding the above-mentioned studies describing the relationship between social relations, health behaviors, school performance, and adolescents’ optimism, it seems to be important to incorporate an analysis of social and behavioral determinants of a positive attitude, which contribute to the development of dispositional optimism. We assume that communication in the family, relations with peers, neighborhood social capital, health-enhancing, and health risk behaviors, academic achievements and school-related stress influence adolescents’ positive attitude. However, we should consider the reverse associations, which were proven in the above-mentioned studies [ 10 , 15 , 16 , 22 , 23 , 25 ].

We sought answers to the following questions:

Are there significant relationships between health behaviors with adolescents’ positive attitudes towards themselves and their life?
Do these associations persist, considering the influence of social factors and school performance?
Which of the health-related behaviors impact adolescents’ positive attitude?
Are positive associations with selected factors gender specific?

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. study design and participants.

The presented study is based on data from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children survey, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe collaborative cross-national survey (HBSC) conducted in 2010 in Poland. The sample selection and organization of the school-based survey was done according to the international research protocol [ 27 ]. In Poland, the HBSC national survey cluster sampling of school classes were carried out. The primary sampling unit was schools, and a single class was chosen to be included in the sample. All pupils within the selected classes were included in the sample [ 28 ]. The approval of the study was granted by the Bioethical Committee operating at the Institute of Mother and Child, Warsaw, Poland, decision no: 16/2009 dated 16 October 2009. Standardized information with agreements to participate in the study was provided to parents and students. Anonymous, standard questionnaires were administered to 15- and 17-year-old pupils in a nationally representative sample of adolescents. Data consisted of 1551 responses from 15-year-old students (mean age 15.73; SD = 0.30) and 1411 from 17-year-old students (mean age 17.74; SD = 0.31). The response rate was 89.3% [ 28 ]. Residents of large cities, small towns, and villages constituted respectively 34.6%, 26.5%, and 38.9% of all respondents. According to family affluence, 24.9%, 43.6%, and 31.5% of respondents belonged to relatively poor, average, and rather well-off families.

2.2. Instruments

The Positive Attitude Scale (PAS), developed by Mazur et al. [ 29 ] on the basis of review and pilot testing of four instruments measuring resilience, was the main outcome measure. It allows a single factor to be identified, which can be interpreted as a positive attitude towards oneself and life. Similar items could be found in the Wagnild and Young Resilience Scale [ 30 ]. Polish adaption of the full 14-item Wagnild and Young Scale has been recently developed and published by Surzykiewicz et al. [ 31 ].

The following positively worded items are included in the PAS:

- I am proud of my achievements.
- I always find a reason to be happy.
- My belief in myself gets me through difficult times in my life.
- My life has meaning.

The respondents were asked to assess whether the given statement describes them accurately or not, using six categories of responses, without a neutral category, from 0—it describes me very inaccurately—to 5—it describes me very well. Based on these four questions, a crude (0–20) and a standardized z-score index were developed (mean = 0; SD = 1). The first one was used in descriptive analyses, while the second one in the regression model. Higher scores are interpreted as a positive result. Missing values constituted 1.4% and were replaced by the conditional mean estimated for individuals who responded identically to the remaining PAS questions. In the study sample, the positive psychometric properties of the PAS were confirmed. The reliability of the PAS, evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha, was 0.815.

A total of 17 potential positive attitude predictors, grouped into categories, were analyzed: sociodemographic variables, health-related behaviors, school performance, and social relations. The characteristics of the sample in terms of these variables is shown in Table 1 and Table 2 .

Mean crude Positive Attitude Scale (PAS) scores according to health-related behaviors by gender.

Mean crude Positive Attitude Scale (PAS) scores according to school performance and social relations by gender.

Family affluence was measured using the Family Affluence Scale (FAS), which included four questions about the number of computers and cars in the family, the student’s own room, and holiday trips with the family outside the place of residence in the preceding year. The FAS is treated as a quasi-continuous scale (0–7 points); it is a standard tool in the HBSC survey, used in analyzing social inequalities in health [ 32 ].

It was assumed that the student’s functioning at school was related to the performance of developmental tasks, and it is generally a source of stress. A single question on school achievements was included (0—below average—to 3 – very good) along with the scale of perceived school-related stress. The students used a five-point scale to identify how much they agree with four statements, e.g., I find studying difficult (0—strongly disagree—to 4—strongly agree). The reliability of that scale was good in the examined sample (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.742).

Social relations were examined based on two communication scales relating to family and peers and the assessment of the social capital of the neighborhood. The scale of clarity of family communication derives from a larger research tool: Family Dynamics Measure II (FDM II) by Barnhill [ 33 ]. The responses (indicating the extent to which respondents agree) were encoded to 0‒5 points respectively, and a higher score indicated a positive state. Cronbach’s alpha for this scale was 0.874. The peer communication scale was taken from the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) questionnaire [ 34 ]. It consists of 5 statements, which should be assessed in terms of truthfulness. The reliability of that scale in the examined sample was satisfactory (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.890). The scale of neighborhood social capital comprised of four statements on social relations in the neighborhood, i.e., social bonds and security; the responses were encoded to 0‒4 points. Cronbach’s alpha for this scale was 0.750. This scale, developed for the 2001/2002 HBSC study protocol by the Social Inequalities Focus Group, based on studies by Kawachi et al. [ 35 ], was tested in many countries, including Poland.

Among health-related behaviors, selected health-risk and pro-health behaviors were identified. Physical activity was examined using the MVPA (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) indicator taken from Prochaska’s screening test [ 36 ]. It indicates the number of days in the preceding week when the respondent exercised with moderate intensity for a total of at least 60 minutes a week. The recommended level in the population of school youth was 7 days a week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The MPVA scores were treated as a continuous scale.

Among eating habits, breakfast regularity and consumption of fruits and vegetables, as well as not recommended food items (sweets and sweetened beverages) were identified. Eating habits as variables were re-coded to 0–1 variable, where “1” indicated having breakfast every day, consuming fruits and vegetables every day, eating sweets and drinking sweetened beverages no more than once a week.

Assessment of health risk behaviors in the preceding 30 days included questions about tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, getting drunk, and marijuana smoking. These questions were adapted for the HBSC protocol from the questionnaire of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs [ 37 ]. The respondents indicated the frequency of identified behaviors on a seven-point scale (1–7), which was categorized in three groups of responses: never, 1‒2 times, and more often than 2 times in the last 30 days.

2.3. Statistical Analysis

The first step consisted of comparing crude mean PAS indexes in sub-groups of adolescents’ gender, age, and family affluence. The significance of differences between various sub-samples was examined with ANOVA. For the purposes of mean PAS index comparisons, continuous scales representing independent variables were categorized into three levels, and the average level was set based on about 50% of average cases. The calculation of correlations of variables among continuous scales was also part of the simple univariate analysis. The second step included an estimation of three linear regression models, in which the standardized PAS index was the dependent variable.

To explore the potential impact of behavioral factors adjusted for socio-demographic factors in subsequent models (steps), it was checked whether there is any more important predictor than behavioral and whether health behaviors remain significant. The factors were entered into the model in the following order: (1) the impact of health-related behaviors adjusted for demographic and socioeconomic variables, (2) school performance variables, (3) social relations variables. The general model was compared with models created for boys and girls. Standardized beta regression coefficients and the R 2 determination coefficient were calculated to check how close the data were to the fitted regression equation. The statistical software IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, v. 21.0. (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) was used for analysis.

The raw PAS index had a range of 0–20 points. The mean score was 13.25 (SD = 3.74), which accounts for 66.3% of the maximum score. The mean score was 13.55 (SD = 3.62) for boys and 12.98 (SD = 3.81) for girls ( p < 0.001). The mean PAS index was 13.36 (SD = 3.79) for 15-year-olds and 13.12 (SD = 3.67) for 17-year-olds ( p = 0.073). Family affluence measured using the FAS correlated (although weakly) with the PAS; r = 0.077 ( p < 0.001). The correlations between the variables are shown in Table S1 in Supplementary data . Moreover, we found that gender-dependent differences were higher in older adolescents from cities and more affluent families.

Table 1 shows a comparison of the PAS indexes in groups differing in health-related behaviors and substance use.

Physically active adolescents who ate fruits and vegetables and breakfast every day demonstrated a more positive attitude than other peers. Consumption of sweets and soft drinks did not have a significant relationship with the PAS index level. Regarding all four variables relating to substance use, it was found that a clear link with the PAS exists. Adolescents who did not drink alcohol in the preceding 30 days scored higher. The weakest relationship was with cannabis use. The differences in the PAS scores regarding tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking were stronger in girls. In the case of incidents of getting drunk in the last 30 days, the difference was significant only in girls. In simple correlation analysis, the relation between PAS and substance use was statistically significant in all groups, and the results are shown in the Supplementary data in Table S1 . Pearson’s coefficients were negative and relatively low: tobacco smoking r = −0.092, alcohol drinking r = −0.082, being drunk r = −0.070, cannabis smoking r = −0.050.

Table 2 shows a similar comparison of the PAS indexes in adolescents with regard to school performance and social factors.

The school performance factors included academic achievements and school stress. Social factors consisted of communication in the family and with peers and social capital in the neighborhood. Significant associations were noted in both genders ( Table S1 in Supplementary data ). School stress negatively correlated with the PAS at a relatively high level ( r = −0.249), and academic achievements were positively correlated ( r = 0.278). Social relations variables were correlated with the PAS. Communication in the family at a high level was positively correlated ( r = 0.366). For relation with peers, the correlation coefficient was r = 0.194, and the correlation coefficient for the social capital of the neighborhood was relatively high too ( r = 0.232). The results of correlations also provided an opportunity to analyze the relationship between the positive attitude predictors. For example, attention was drawn to the relationship between school achievements and psychoactive substance use. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were significantly negative: tobacco smoking r = −0.250, alcohol consumption r = −0.205, being drunk r = −0.188, and cannabis use r = −0.135. Socio-demographic factors such as age, gender and FAS correlated with some other independent variable and were considered as confounders. Boys reported a significantly higher PAS score than girls, while the relationship with age and FAS was close to being significant ( p = 0.07). It was concluded that the assumption for confounding was met.

Table 3 shows the results of the estimates of multiple linear regression models.

Estimation of linear regression models—standardized beta values; dependent variable—standardized Positive Attitude Score (PAS).

Significant results are bolded

The first simple model with sociodemographic variables, health-related behaviors, and substance use explains only 5.7% of the PAS variability. It indicates a stronger influence of pro-healthy behaviors than harmful ones. Two variables referring to school performance significantly enhanced the quality of the adjustment of the second model (R 2 = 0.128). After they were added, differences between boys and girls became apparent. The influence of physical activity and eating habits remained significant, though standardized regression coefficients were reduced. Given that the associations with substance abuse are not significant and that academic achievements and substance use were strongly correlated, it may be that the impact of risk behaviors on a positive attitude may be indirect. The relationship between alcohol drinking and the PAS level was close to the significance threshold ( p = 0.053); after the additional explanatory variables had been added, it became insignificant.

The final model, encompassing communication in the family, relations with peers, and the neighborhood social capital, explains 25.1% of the PAS variability. Following the introduction of the new variables, the impact on family affluence loses its predictive power. However, it should be pointed out that the quality of communication in family correlated with family affluence ( r = 0.172). Neighborhood social capital remained in the final model, despite the correlation with communication in the family ( r = 0.252). Correlations are shown in Supplementary data in Table S1 .

The findings indicate that substance use did not have a strong association with the PAS variability, but pro-health behaviors, such as physical activity and regular breakfasts, had a significant relationship. This is in contrast to the inverse correlation found between substance abuse, though this link appeared in simple comparisons of the mean indexes. Attention should be drawn to gender as a modifying factor for the examined associations. If models similar to those shown in Table 3 were estimated separately for girls and boys, then in girls, getting drunk remained the “positive attitude reducing” factor. Gender-specific models are shown in Table 4 , where significant variables were included, which were listed in the order in which they were introduced to the model (stepwise method). Table 4 presents variables significant in at least one gender. In the final model for the total group, the relationship with eating breakfast was weak, and this predictor did not qualify, for either the boys nor the girls’ model. Gender turned out to be a factor triggering a relationship with the place of residence.

Estimation gender-specific regression models with stepwise selection; dependent variable—standardized Positive Attitude Score (PAS).

* In girls, “Being drunk” entered the final model before “Physical activity”.

Changes in the R 2 coefficient were identified following the introduction of each variable. In girls, the impact of the place of residence was visible—girls from rural areas scored higher in the PAS. The female-specific model explained PAS variability slightly better; the number of predictors was greater than for boys. Physical activity had less impact on the PAS variability in girls compared to boys. It was introduced to the model following the variable of being drunk. The influence of communication in the family was stronger in girls, but the impact of communication with peers and school stress was weaker in girls than in boys.

4. Discussion

The objective of this study was to identify social and behavioral determinants of adolescents’ positive attitudes towards themselves and their life. The short, validated Positive Attitude Scale (PAS), which is a 4-item scale, was applied. Similar attempts to develop positive thinking skills scales were undertaken by other researchers [ 38 ].

Our study showed that a moderate level of the possitive attitude was reported by Polish adolescents in the age group of 15–17 years. The mean score was 13.25 (SD = 3.74), which accounts for 66.3% of the maximum PAS score in a range of 0–20 points.

A positive attitude was associated with pro-health behaviors, mainly physical activity and eating breakfast while avoiding psychoactive substance use was not significant. Social factors such as communication in the family, relations with peers, and neighborhood social capital had an important role too. Moreover, good academic achievements and controlled levels of school stress were related to adolescents’ positive attitude.

With regard to social factors, communication in the family and relations with peers as well as the social capital of the neighborhood appeared to be strong predictors of a positive attitude. The extent of the contribution of these factors was different in boys and girls. The findings of the current study are in line with previous studies that demonstrated that positive self-concept, low depressive symptoms, and high perceived parental support and school connectedness were most strongly associated with adolescents’ optimism [ 39 ]. In addition, the study of Orejudo et al. [ 40 ] showed the important role of relations in the family and with peers in positive attitude development and differences regarding gender. For boys, having positive relations with peers was more strongly related to optimism than in girls, and for girls, family communication seemed to be a stronger predictor. The association of family factors with a positive attitude was examined in Polish adolescents, and communication in the family was proved to be the main predictor of adolescents’ optimism and subjective health [ 41 ].

Complex analysis of the influence of neighborhood environment on mental health with regard to optimism has been shown by Ruiz et al. [ 42 ]. They have proved that the association of neighborhood characteristics with optimism was significant, including observed social resources, as well as the perception of it. It is difficult to assume that individuals with a positive attitude towards themselves and the world better assess their neighborhood regardless of observed indicators. This implies that there is a relationship between observed neighborhood resources and residents’ perceptions. The observational studies suggest that neighborhood factors are associated with individuals’ overall self-rated subjective well-being [ 43 ]. In the study of Kleszczowska et al. [ 44 ], it was demonstrated that perception of the surrounding neighborhood proved to be a significant predictor of adolescents’ psychological well-being. Moreover, the protective impact of physical activity appeared to be stronger in less-supportive and low social capital neighborhoods.

School performance also had a strong influence on adolescents’ positive attitude. With regard to the four questions contained in the PAS, it may be noted that two of them referred to achievements and to coping skills of an individual (I am proud of my achievements; My belief in myself gets me through hard times in my life). The scale may be considered to measure satisfaction with performing developmental tasks, which are appropriate for the respondents’ age, such as school performance. The results showed a strong correlation between the self-assessment of school achievements and positive attitude. Adolescents who assessed their academic achievements higher had better results on the PAS, which leads one to believe that satisfaction with school performance is a starting point for positive self-perception of individual psychological resources. Such positive effects were shown in another study by Vanno et al. [ 45 ]. School-related stress had a negative impact on the positive attitude of both genders. A study by Huan et al. [ 46 ] also showed a negative relationship between adolescents’ optimism and perceived academic stress, but gender was not significant.

In the model describing adolescents’ positive attitude determinants, the influence of health risk behaviors was much weaker compared to health-enhancing behaviors. However, in a simple analysis of means of substance use, higher PAS indexes were obtained in those who practiced abstinence. In the multivariate analysis, alcohol abstinence remained in the group of independent predictors of positive attitude only in girls. However, attention should be drawn to the clear negative correlations between school achievements and psychoactive substance use, which is in line with the results of other studies [ 47 ]. The findings of this study showed a relatively weak but significant negative correlation between substance abuse and a positive attitude. Since school achievements came second in the final model it may be considered as an indirect effect of substance abuse on a positive attitude through school achievements.

Among pro-health behaviors, physical activity was one of the stronger factors enhancing adolescents’ positive attitude. In a monograph on the psychology of physical activity, Biddle and Mutrie [ 48 ] quoted the results of numerous studies confirming the relationship between physical activity and mental health. They proved that physical activity had a positive impact on mood; it affected psychological well-being and strengthened self-esteem, and it also had a positive effect on personality, self-regulation development, and general mental health [ 49 ]. The complex nature of the relationship between physical activity, self-esteem, and mental health was explained by the authors using sport enjoyment models [ 50 ] as well as Sonstroem’s model [ 51 ]. In the first case, sport enjoyment was analyzed in two intersecting continua: intrinsic vs. extrinsic group and achievements vs. non-achievements. The positive assessment of achievements confirm this study’s results, i.e., enhancement of positive attitude through physical activity. The intrinsic-achievement group showed a more positive internal assessment of their competences and successes owing to their physical activity. Conversely, a feeling of pride can be additionally intensified by social approval in the extrinsic-achievement group. Sontroem’s model comprises of two strands: the skills development hypothesis and the motivational approach. Optimism-related traits such as self-esteem, a feeling of success, competences to cope, and self-acceptance are assumed to be shaped and enhanced by physical activity. Conversely, positive self-esteem and optimism increase the motivation for further engagement in physical activity.

The recent HBSC survey conducted in 2017/18 in Polish adolescents show the complex relationships between behavioral and social factors and their impact on the variability of psychological well-being among adolescents [ 44 ]. Physical activity and perception of the surrounding social environment proved to be a significant predictor of youths’ mental health. The mental health-protective effect of physical activity appeared to be stronger and of more advantage in less supportive neighborhoods.

The limitations of this study come from the cross-sectional nature of this research, which does not allow causal factors to be identified. The same factors that have been identified as determinants of adolescents’ positive attitude could be stronger in optimistic people. Therefore, we should consider the reverse associations, which were proven in other studies [ 10 , 15 , 16 , 20 , 23 , 25 ]. However, the results of this study can be regarded as identification of factors that are associated with adolescents’ positive attitude, which in turn is related to optimism, an important indicator of mental health. Because of the time passed, the use of data from the HBSC survey conducted in 2010 could be considered as a limitation of this analysis. However, it seems that analyzed relationships and associations are universal. In the planning of large population surveys, it would be worthwhile to incorporate the PAS as a useful and short tool to assess positive attitude, which plays an important role in the development of adolescent optimism, by referring to individual factors considered in the Canadian model cited in the Introduction [ 7 ].

5. Conclusions

Adolescent optimism is associated with a wide variety of well-being and positive health outcomes, including mental and physical health, motivation to health-related lifestyle change, perception of social support, and school performance. Positive attitude towards life and self, in general, is an important cognitive component of optimism. Knowledge about the relationship between positive attitude and health behaviors, such as physical activity, social relations with family, peers, and neighbors, and school performance should be taken into consideration while designing health promotion programs for adolescents. Optimism is an important individual trait related to young people’s health and well-being, and a positive attitude, as its cognitive component, may be modified and developed in adolescence. Physical activity is an important factor influencing a positive attitude, along with positive social relations with family, peers, and neighbors, and school achievements. Based on the findings of this study, the increase in adolescents’ positive attitude could be expected after combining initiatives to promote physical activity and interpersonal communication competences development in pupils’ friendly school and supportive neighborhood environments.

Supplementary Materials

The following are available online at https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/22/4404/s1 , Table S1: Correlations between the variables in the study group.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, M.M.-C., J.M.; methodology, M.M.-C., J.M.; validation, M.M.-C., H.N., A.M-S.; formal analysis, M.M.-C, J.M.; investigation, J.M., H.N., A.M.-S., data curation, M.M.-C., J.M.; writing original draft preparation, M.M-C; writing—review and editing, M.M-C, J.M., H.N., A.M.-S.; supervision, M.M.-C. All authors have contributed substantially to the work reported.

This research received no external funding.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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