Wanted to first comment that it's funny that the screen name "pessimizer" is advocating their definition of optimism. That made me crack a smile. I am not sure

Wanted to first comment that it's funny that the screen name "pessimizer" is advocating their definition of optimism. That made me crack a smile. I am not sure where I fall on the above two threads, seemingly strongly felt opinions on both sides. But if I can share what my takeaway from the parent of this reply, infuse it with my own experience, just in case it helps somebody or somebody finds it interesting: It's that in the deepest moments of anxiety and depression, it can feel incredibly exhilarating to think about all the reasons that one is brought to this place of darkness. And to _know_ them to be correct, especially enticing are the global explanations. I notice this most strikingly in my mother, for whom all explanations need to be terrible, omnipresent, and incurable. "The reason that X treatment will never be available freely is because corporations have existed for all time as gatekeepers and sit in delight that they will never ever help an innocent soul who couldn't pay for it, so unless we have a revolution we should probably all just wait around until we die". These are our "conversations" weekly and have been for years. But I notice this in myself. She's not saying it because she's going to start petitioning against the corporations, she's saying it because it feels satisfactory (I have confirmed this by many a time digging into her rationale). And I do the same thing. In my darkest moments, I can talk endlessly about all the reasons. Quite convincingly, at least to myself, which is all that matters in that internal dialogue. When I am most depressed, I very painfully make myself begin to exercise, daily or twice daily, and it's never cured me, but it sure helps. I sometimes wish that I could convince my mom that if she used 10% of the energy she does crafting the perfect mental narrative for why the world is unfixable- so why bother, and directed it towards proven things for long-term health, physically and mentally (restarting therapy, considering experimental therapies, exercising, diet, sleep!) that maybe _her_ world wouldn't seem so unfixable. Maybe even _the_ world. I haven't succeeded yet, but if anyone has any ideas I am all ears.