#HighlySensitivePeople #Introverts:  What if I don’t need more positivity—just real optimism?

For a long time, I thought optimism meant pretending things wouldn’t go wrong.

As a highly sensitive, introverted person, that never felt honest—or safe.
So I called myself “realistic.” Careful. Prepared.

What I didn’t realize then was that I was spending a lot of energy worrying in advance.

Optimism finally made sense to me when I stopped trying to convince myself that things would go right.

Here’s the shift that changed everything:

I didn’t stop worrying by assuming things would go right.
I stopped worrying when I trusted I could handle them if they didn’t.
That’s when optimism finally made sense to me.

That kind of optimism isn’t naïve.
It’s grounded.
It says: Life may be hard sometimes—and I don’t have to exhaust myself rehearsing every possible outcome.

I’ve learned that pessimism often feels like protection for sensitive people.
But optimism, practiced this way, protects something even more important—your energy, your health, and your ability to stay engaged with life instead of bracing against it.

Optimism isn’t about expecting less pain.
It’s about trusting yourself more.

And for me, that made all the difference.

I’m curious—has optimism ever felt unrealistic to you? Does optimism feel risky to you—or relieving?

I’m interested in any thoughts or comments that you have.