Learned optimism

I was talking to a new client yesterday, someone who has had some major career and mental health challenges who has gone through a recent divorce. I was trying to get her to focus on possibilities going forward and the things she could do for herself when she interjected that she had a difficult time with "false optimism." I had to quickly counter with a rejoinder that what I was offering was not false but learned optimism. Which is mostly about how under conditions of uncertainty -- which is to say human existence -- optimism tends to produce much better results than pessimism. 

It is hard to stay grounded in this belief when one is surrounded by pessimism, but it's true. So one of the first steps is to figure out how to surround yourself with optimists.