Are you a positive or a negative thought person

I too am a realist, verging toward the positive rather than the negative.

All my life I have attempted to take any situation that befell me and turn it to my best possible advantage/look on the bright side.

My tire is flat? At least it happened close to home and I’m not stuck on the side of the freeway.
New recipe I tried was a disaster? Ok cool I’ve been wanting to try that restaurant that just opened.
Tripped over the dogs and went down? At least I didn’t break anything, only skinned my hand.
Etc.

After Devin died I lost that completely, and I thought, irrevocably. Anything that happened my thoughts about it were completely negative, which makes sense because my entire life view was dark and forbidding.

Within this last few months I’ve managed to regain some of that positivity, though it slips away very easily, especially on the days I’m really struggling.
 
Imogene said:
Is your glass half full or half empty most of the time? occasionally faltering at half empty gets a pass.

Do you generally try to see the good or do you generally look at things in the negative and continually complain?

I have read several threads on this form, excluding those of people that are very ill, that seem to do nothing but complain. I read the first one or two comments by the posters and then I stop reading because I can’t stand all that negativism.

For all his flaws, my husband on his good days was a good natured easy-going person. Sadly, in his waning days of metastasized prostate cancer, I had to watch his personality, change to the dark side. It was a heartbreaker to watch that kind of darkness cover him and doesn’t count for this thread; these folks are e titled to their dark moments no matter how frequent. I am talking about people who can’t seem to get out from underneath the umbrella of darkness, no matter what good thing is handed to them in life; they could win $1 million lottery ticket and still not be happy.

So it begs the question, if anyone cares to answer this : which are you, someone who tries very hard every day to see the good or a constant whiner.

I don’t think I need to answer my own question, but I will. I am a praying person who is a staunch believer in God. I know there are people on this form that do not believe in God and that is your privilege, but I know that without His help I would not get as far as I have gotten. I am so thankful every day for the help that He gives me and the fact that He lets me wake up every day to get to the barn to feed my horses and to have the money to pay for what I need to care for them and my dogs, and run this house. There are times when I have dark moments, I keep praying and they soon disappear.

My question is not meant to be theocratic. I can barely get around these days, as years of trauma injuries catch up to me. I am merely stating what helps me stay bright, upbeat, and to look at the things around me and be thankful for them.😇😇

even on the stormiest of days, there are no bad days on my farm. It is a big nut to crack, so to speak, but I would rather live here not having a lot of money in my checkbook, then to live in town in a small house surrounded by houses.
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Every now and then we get a thread like this. Someone complaining about the complainers and whining about the whiners.

I don't see these awful "negative" people you see, Imogene. Sure we have threads about our regrets and threads where we vent about the mean receptionist at our doctor's office, but I don't think that makes any of us awful people. We are humans, many of us living alone and while we may have got up this morning thinking what a beautiful day it was we may have become upset about something and want to talk about it for a few minutes.

It's great that you're bright, upbeat and thankful. I think we all are sometimes. I remember one Thanksgiving when I walked into Kroger and saw all the doubled up carts of produce and got tears of gratitude in my eyes for living in a a country where we could all share in such abundance when we had a holiday. Other times I look at the huge increases in prices and get mad.

Like you we lived in the country for a while with the pleasure of big dogs and of horses next door, but now we live close to town with houses all around. we weren't better people when we lived in the country. I kind of like having houses all around, I like my neighbors.

I don't think being a Christian means having to be cheerful every minute, or having to look for a silver lining inside the latest school shooting. Sometimes your despised "negativity," is appropriate.

Senior Forums has dozens of cheerful threads about music and pets and teapots for those who don't want to read anything negative, but I would hate to think that someone felt they couldn't vent their frustration or share their grief when they needed to.
 
Della said:
Every now and then we get a thread like this. Someone complaining about the complainers and whining about the whiners.

I don't see these awful "negative" people you see, Imogene. Sure we have threads about our regrets and threads where we vent about the mean receptionist at our doctor's office, but I don't think that makes any of us awful people. We are humans, many of us living alone and while we may have got up this morning thinking what a beautiful day it was we may have become upset about something and want to talk about it for a few minutes.

It's great that you're bright, upbeat and thankful. I think we all are sometimes. I remember one Thanksgiving when I walked into Kroger and saw all the doubled up carts of produce and got tears of gratitude in my eyes for living in a a country where we could all share in such abundance when we had a holiday. Other times I look at the huge increases in prices and get mad.

Like you we lived in the country for a while with the pleasure of big dogs and of horses next door, but now we live close to town with houses all around. we weren't better people when we lived in the country. I kind of like having houses all around, I like my neighbors.

I don't think being a Christian means having to be cheerful every minute, or having to look for a silver lining inside the latest school shooting. Sometimes your despised "negativity," is appropriate.

Senior Forums has dozens of cheerful threads about music and pets and teapots for those who don't want to read anything negative, but I would hate to think that someone felt they couldn't vent their frustration or share their grief when they needed to.
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I appreciate your input. Let’s agree to disagree 🤠🤠
 
Imogene said:
Is your glass half full or half empty most of the time? occasionally faltering at half empty gets a pass. Do you generally try to see the good or do you generally look at things in the negative and continually complain? I have read several threads on this form, excluding those of people that are very ill, that seem to do nothing but complain. I read the first one or two comments by the posters and then I stop reading because I can’t stand all that negativism...
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There are wide personality and life situation ranges of senior forum members on this board. And for each of us, only a modest range of thread types and subjects will probably have interest enough for a given member to post on. The kinds of posts a given member prefers may be annoying subjects to some, while others may find them entertaining enough that it gives reason for them being here. And that includes those valuing having an outlet to talk to the world about just things they dislike.

And indeed there are some members here with behavioral and personality issues most of us ought somewhat ignore instead of being frank and rather just allow the more gentle and kind members here to respond. Members should not take what is happening on this small community board as being important or influential, like some inputs might be on a vast social media site. Regardless of how some members may emotionally post, especially with political subjects.

Personally, there are plenty of threads and posts I could address negatively or state as boring, but do not, because I don't want to affect those that find value in them. What we don't need with controversial issues are echo chambers, but rather a forum showing the range of voices out there. For instance, I am not a fan of much popular entertainment media and music genres I don't listen to, so could easily write negatively about some from my own perspective. I may just think about what I might write, but let such alone to those who have interests in whatever. Let it Be.

Then there are issues like with science and religion, I do have greater interest in that I'll add inputs for even if they conflict with what others have posted. And if those others respond in kind, I'll engage them at least once again as a way of sharing ideas and perspectives. But will avoid continuing to post, much less debate, even if baited in ways I could easily defend.
 
I'm a realist. I've seen my fair share of good & bad when I worked. I will always try to be positive, but when the bad things happen, depending on what it may be, I'm not always going to be surprised. To help people was what my job was about no matter the section I worked in. It's still in me to help people & will always be.

Like @Imogene, I've noticed some who are always negative & I wonder two things about these individuals: do they realize they are doing it -or- does it make them happy to feel that way like to bring others down with them. I don't know.

My Dad didn't have it easy growing up & with what he experienced in WW2, it should have made him bitter IMO. But he took that bad & decided he wasn't going to live like that & made his life good. We were far from rich, but he would help people if he could by buying them groceries if that was needed or helping them in other ways.

Now my Mom could be negative & to the point of being nasty when it was someone or thing she decided she didn't like ... my oldest brother is like this as well. She sure in the Hades didn't get it from her Mom ... Grandma was someone who years later I came to realize was one of my role models. Mom also had the opposite childhood of Dad.
 
I hear what you're saying, but I see the opposite in that.

The brain is hardwired for a fight or flight response to danger. You react to the danger by responding positively by taking action that would continue your life (physical) or well-being (psychological). That would be the same action to protect someone else be it family-friend-stranger who are in harm's way as well.

If someone is negative, they would react to danger by standing by & do nothing about the situation. A negative person's mindset could be they don't have the power to change the problem, it would happen anyway or other excuses for inaction.
 
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