Would you say you are a positive person or negative?

[lasagne_of_death]

I have heard many different descriptions of my personality. In my old school (so weird to say that, I feel like I still go there), I was a generally quiet person around those I didn't know/talk to often, so they - and even some of the people I did get along well with - described me as a "depressed emo guy", but I don't think? I actually did anything in particular for that to be the case. My music teacher in first year wrote that she was worried about me being depressed on my report card lmao like I'm sorry but I just don't like music class, I have no reason to be excited. I think a lot of people thought that because they confused me being quiet and trying to find my place with being negative/depressed? Idk, I'm not in their minds, thankfully lol

My close friends tell me I'm a realist, neither overly positive or negative. I think that's because I swing between extremes so if you get the mean of the two, you get a well-balanced person :^p

Personally, I would like to think I'm a positive person. Doesn't mean I'm always happy and energetic, nor does it mean I'm never negative and sad, but for the most part, I make an effort to be positive. At least in my head; I don't know how well that translates into everyday actions. Sometimes I probably come across as crazed and way too enthusiastic. I do have periods of time where I'm not in a great headspace, but overall I try to be optimistic, so that's what I'd classify myself as

 

[ZeldaCrossing64]

I am very much a pessimistic person. Of course I was super kind, positive and outgoing as a kid, but I was also naive. By the time I was in high school I started garnering a reputation because of my attitude and outlook on life, usually a snide remark about my RBF and the occasional "quiet kid" joke.

I still have that cynicism but I'm trying to be at least a little more positive, because life is depressing when you only see the bad in everything. I also want to be there for the people I care about and it's a lot harder when you can't believe your own words.

 

[falloutlevi]

i am probably pessimistic, but so often, will i help my friends focus on the positives of something! it's mostly born bc i was raised to be an apathetic arsehole by the men that i called my fathers, so were my siblings and bc i have generalized anxiety and when something stressful happens, i worry too much to a point where i immediately get to the worst-case scenario

 

[Shawna]

The world can be a messy place. Even family dynamics can get pretty ugly for me. However, I do try to remain positive and hopeful. As I have mentioned, I really want to be an author for non-fiction and self-help books. Writing is very cathartic for me. I want to debut with a memoir about my experiences with NF1 and how I have always felt disregarded by certain people (including family members at times, but I will not be mentioning "My family did this-and-that") as someone whose brain works differently.

There is something that brings me comfort and hope about the prospect of saying to the world, "This is who I am" and helping people to be kinder, more considerate, etc.

My family are not bad people by any means. I think they are just stuck in their own ways. I just need to help them understand that I am not going to fit into the same box as they are. Just talking won't do it. But making my thoughts into a book with the intention on passing it on to family members? That will be more effective.

 

[LambdaDelta]

I'm positive that things will get worse before they get better, but they will get better

 

[Twonny Cakes]

I used to be INCREDIBLY negative. I had a chip on my shoulder about everything, and I was pretty antagonistic. Definitely throughout middle school and first half of high school I always had something to get angry about, and I often got into fights in school (or at least huge arguments).

I mellowed out my junior year of high school cuz I fell in love LOL. I try to keep a positive outlook though even to this day.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I’d say I’m more of a realist which is neither negative nor positive in the long run. I just go with the flow and would rather not pretend to feel a certain way if I truly don’t feel that way.

 

[Geoni]

I wouldn't say negative but definitely cynical. You have to try and find the positives in situations but I also think it's healthy to be realistic about what's going on in the world so I couldn't help but vote as a negative. That being said, if I sense someone else is feeling down/anxious/depressed I will try to be neutral, calm, and optimistic for their sake so I'm not further contributing to however they are feeling.

Post automatically merged: Today at 3:20 PM

Anyone familiar with this embarrassment of a thread I posted on this sub-forum a year ago should already be able to tell which of the four options on the poll most accurately describes me.

I should also point out that someone seriously disillusioned with humanity should not be obligated to give a damn how other people might "see" them. In a world of opportunistic grifters profiting from gullible idiots, incompetent world leaders failing to govern their respective citizenry, and people proclaiming themselves as being decent while also doing nothing to actually make things better for targeted, marginalized groups, this cynical attitude seems totally justified, frankly. This is on top of the baggage of annoyances that I go through on a day-to-day basis.

Telling such people like myself to be "positive" is just so unbelievably dismissive of our mental state and the experiences which led us to that point. Basically telling those with a dissenting view of the world to be quiet because it harms your buzz or something. The world is as it is because people generally aren't good and don't want to make it a better place for everyone. That's just a simple fact.

I would rather be a "glass-half-full" person, but I would also need to check whether or not the glass was poisoned.

Those middle two paragraphs describe a lot of what I wrestle with constantly. I will admit I've been going to therapy over it and I know my therapist is 100% when he tells me that a lot of awful stuff is happening but I will stay in a deeper state of depression until I accept that I need to focus on things in my life I have control over vs things in my life that I don't. A lot of it has to do with constantly paying attention to news and observing how people act on social media for too many hours of my day and the days I stay away from it I am genuinely just a tiny bit happier but it's hard because I feel obligated to keep up with the news too. I think for me it's that I struggle to find community where I live now vs where I used to live because it's a ski town with a bunch of ultra wealthy people who have taken up most of the real estate with mansions they visit 3 weeks out of the year while the rest of us are working two jobs to live here. It's beautiful but also lonely, especially in Winter.

Still, if you can find something offline that resembles community, even if it's just a small friend group or club that gets together every once in a while, it can really help. Easier said than done, but it must be done.

 

[Clock]

Both, but I’m trying to be more positive. The problem is that its easier to be negative than being positive imo.