Pessimism and optimism in our latest mental health column, as we consider the idea of a glass half full or empty.
Are you a pessimist, or an optimist? Is your glass of water half-full, or half-empty? Personally, I am a pessimistic person who suspects that the cat is probably the reason half my drink is missing.
It isn’t an outlook I actively seek to have, nor do I enjoy the ever-pervasive ability of only seeing the negative, but it is part of who I am because of my experiences thus far.
That said, I really am trying to take a different approach to things.
It would be an outright lie to pretend that upon hitting a slight bump in the metaphorical road of life that I automatically shrug it off. However, I am trying to take a step back and take a deep breath, and all that usual ‘calm down’ nonsense, as I reassess a situation that would previously have thrown me into instant chaos.
A recent example involves a day spent putting together my new bed. As my Mum and I struggled to put the frame together using only two Allen Keys and an instruction manual that referred to each identical part with a number and an arrow, I will confess to getting very close to just declaring that the floor would be my new bed, instead. I was tired, stressed, and in pain. But after a brief intermission where my Dad stepped in and worked on one of the hardest parts, alone, I found myself still tired, stressed, and in pain… and one step closer to the bed being complete. Fast forward a couple of hours and the bed actually was complete, with a new mattress, new bedding, and just in time for me to fall into it and start snoring.
Aside from the stress of actually working on the bedframe, however, it did occur to me how much of a laugh I’d had that day with my Mum. We often talk a lot when we see each other, but we don’t often giggle and feel silly like we did that day, despite everything that drove us to frustration.
Another thing is that as I live my small and depressing life, I find myself in my little flat around 97% of the time. Yet, I am proud of little changes I have made to my routine that have seen my intake of daily fluids increase, my arts and crafts skills slowly developing, and even the fact I have managed to get out of bed every single day of 2025, so far. Given that my mental and physical health have often had me bedridden for long periods on end, I am thrilled at this new – if temporary – change. It has allowed me to break out of the dreamland I live in, most of the time, and see reality as it is; scary and real, but with a few more possibilities than I initially realised.
The person I was only last year would have looked at both these scenarios with entirely different eyes. She would have seen only the stresses of the bed building, and felt trapped in the same four rooms. But shining a different light on things has allowed a different perspective.
It’s not a simple catch-all solution, but perhaps sometimes what we need is a moment to step back and take a breath.
Is the glass of water half-empty or half-full? Does it even really matter? Just drink what is left in the glass, then grab a refill.
And, in my case, find a lid for the glass to keep the cat from helping herself. She has her own water.
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