Before, I start examining aspects of these two terms which may turn out to be more confusing than expected, let's get to the bottom of these two words. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, narcissism forces regular people to display a range of conflicting behaviors that require some unrelenting attention from others to mask their own sense of low self- esteem.
On the other hand, pessimistic people behave according to situational factors developing a kind of tendency to overthink things that are bound to happen in a negative way. As a matter of fact, we as humans and fellow college students feel these emotions in a way or another. But wait--which behavioral trait wins out the most in us? Here are some scenarios:
Here is how life can follow the Commands of Pessimism as said by Your DAY TO DAY college student:
1. I'm an upperclassman and didn't enjoy college.
I guess the other people in my college didn't really emphasize the importance of being a Stony Brook Seawolf when I was a first-year university student. I was never quite happy with my college life. So, this leads me to the question, how will the upcoming freshmen feel about their transition to college? I wonder how hard of a time the freshmen will have. But wait, the truth is more in-depth--did I actually make most out of my college experience? No, back then it might have been easier to make judgments about my college based on stereotypes than making an actual effort of getting involved.
2. My life is not going well and I wish I was someone else.
To start off, everyone's life isn't just about rainbows and success. But, why do some college students break down and whine about how life isn't worth the struggle? I honestly find our emotions speaking more wildly than our intelligence. We need to curb that though. Here let us look at an example: If we want to take classes that challenge ourselves and allow us to change our majors, we should continue on doing what we like--something that is not always based on our parent's expectations and the university's prestige.
It might be hard to survive, but you know what? We can survive through it all. Contrary to popular belief, I think that our negative thoughts make us stronger and more prepared for the future. After all, our struggles make us seem more independent and less reliant on outside external validation.
Here is how it feels like to be a Narcissist as told by your DAY TO DAY college student:
3. I honestly want to be like others and not myself.
Do you really want to be the scapegoat who others feed off from? You think being a pushover is the way to feel confident? Here let me tell you a bit about myself: truthfully, I live and breathe for myself. I wake up happy knowing that every part of me is alive and sound. Additionally, I recognize that my feelings are entitled to my own well being. I am proud to be the person I am.
4. I'm a self - independent woman or man but deep down, I loathe myself.
I could act like I walk with my nose up in the air, but it's all a show. I still have a low sense of self-esteem. To be quite honest, many people loathe themselves and this practically goes nowhere. Many college students wish they are offered more opportunities but they aren't always given them. First of all, we all need to establish self-love and the first step of acceptance comes from within us. After that, we should look forward to challenging ourselves and improving our lives to access those hidden gems.
And the winner is... a tie!
Many people feel pessimistic towards their college lives and life in general. When we feel like life isn't heading in the right direction, we should consider it is to feel better about our current situations.
The truth is always opposite of our thoughts. Sometimes, we also choose to be narcissistic by taking great pride in showing ourselves off to others. Why do we do that, you ask? I think it's because we don't want ourselves making us feel bad about what we do mostly and others making up opinions about our vulnerability.