148: “Realist Optimism: Think Less Negatively”

🎙️ Episode Title:

“The Power of Realist Optimism: How to Think Less Negatively and Stress Less”

In this episode of Think Better Soon, Jason and JP unpack the concept of realist optimism — a mindset that helps you manage stress, avoid emotional hijacking, and train your brain to process life with clarity.

Drawing from the work of Dr. Price Pritchett and backed by neuroscience, they explore how optimists visualize future stress differently, and why the goal isn’t more positivity — it’s less negativity.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

• How realist optimism helps you stay emotionally grounded

• Why neutral thinking is more effective than blind positivity

• What MRIs reveal about how optimists and pessimists process stress

• How to interrupt emotional hijacking and rewire your brain

• The Five C’s of negative thinking:

  • Complaining

  • Criticizing

  • Concern

  • Commiserating

  • Catastrophizing

🔄 Practical Tools:

• The “Notice–Shift–Rewire” method for emotional processing

• A journaling challenge to track and transform negative thoughts

• Mindfulness, prayer, and reframing techniques to calm your nervous system

💬 Sound Bites:

• “Keep our brain processing life neutrally.”

• “Stay away from the negative.”

• “Less emotionally hijacked by things that may happen.”

📚 Takeaways:

• Realist optimism is about understanding how your brain processes stress

• A neutral mindset enhances emotional health and resilience

• Avoiding negativity is more powerful than chasing positivity

• Optimists are less emotionally affected by potential stressors

• Emotional hijacking can be mitigated with intentional thought training

📝 Show Notes: