I want to start this article by saying that I may be biased because UCLA is big on optimism and that can be a big influence on how you perceive your life. In fact, anyone who knows me knows that my love for my college is super high.

Sure, we all have issues but I can say it's because it is my university, not yours.

I am not here to discuss or convince you that being optimistic is going to change your struggles or your position in your life but for some, it makes you feel less alone and less upset which gives you more time to find ways to figure out how to get back up from your failures.

I feel that it is important to take into account that there is a culture of making jokes about how the future is hopeless and I am not saying this is invalid.

In fact, I make these jokes too and they do provide an outlet for the frustration and anger about societal suffocation and the political climate that we are always bound by. They also remind me about how acute some issues are from climate change to LGBT+ representation and the intersections of all in between.

Humor is a strong coping tool.

In those lines, a popular and socially accepted coping tool for mental health is self-depreciating jokes which sound fun and make you feel able to express yourself but ultimately, eventually, you start believing them.

There are a lot of different opinions floating around about if self-depreciating humor is a sign of higher emotional intelligence or is just a coping tool and must be seen as such or are we just reading too much into it?

Is a joke repeated too many times just a hidden truth?

How much does what you say and how you think influence really influence your mindset if you preface it by saying that you are joking?

I lean on the side that says that it is actively harmful.

But interestingly enough, I am not an optimist.

I am not someone that if you come to with a problem will start off by telling you to change your mindset to it so that it can be easier to handle. That kind of perspective maybe one of my last advice points but my first one is usually a whole rundown of logically thinking through why you are in this situation and how to fix it accompanied with a to-do list (yes I am a Type A, if it is not obvious).

But just because I am not an optimist does not mean I do not know the power of optimistic thinking.

I am not a pessimist because I firmly believe that happiness is a choice.

I would classify myself as a realist but a lot of people have different opinions of that word. I define it to literally be realistic about my goals, my aspirations, and my future but also that doesn't mean actively bringing my reach goals down to the ground.

A positive mindset can give you more confidence, improve your mood, and even reduce the likelihood of developing conditions such as hypertension, depression and other stress-related disorders.

As you might imagine, positive thinking offers compounding returns, so the more often you practice it, the greater benefits you'll realize.