I try to see things realistically. If something genuinely upsets me, I let myself realize it. I would never force myself to focus on the positive or the negative. if I feel a certain way toward something, I feel it. If I chose to focus only on the positive or negative, it would be a bit like I was brainwashing myself, preventing myself from seeing things honestly, which I wouldn't want to do. I personally tend to focus on the negative, especially lately as there's a lot of crap in my life right now, but I would not try to force myself to think any other way than my mind naturally wants to. It feels dishonest.

My mind is kind of dividing optimism or just happiness into two types. First, there is optimism based on ignorance. A person who exercises this is likely to tell others to be happy and smile, without actually realizing that there might be something very wrong and that they can't handle the situation like that. I find this type quite annoying. Second, there's optimism that comes through understanding. This is a lot rarer and better, and if I were to force myself to be happy I don't think I'd ever experience it. I experience it sometmes, in the midsts of depression, I'll see the stars and moon or something and feel there is hope, think about life and how we are here, etc. That positivity that comes through understanding is honest and I have no problem with that type.