By DMA Senior Adrienne Esterling

Junior year, when I was deciding which classes to take for my senior year, Optimistic Mindset was one of the first classes Mrs. T offered me. I’m not going to lie, at first I was a little skeptical of it, but some of my friends who were taking that class at the time were saying nothing but great things, not just about the class, but the teacher as well. I figured I would give it a shot and see how it goes. The first day I was in the class we meditated which I had never done before. I never thought that doing something that simple could have such a strong impact on me, mentally and physically. Optimistic Mindset is just a healthy class in general. It is a judge-free safe zone. Speaking on behalf of my class, I know we all feel pretty comfortable with each other which takes a lot of stress off right from the start. 

This class was interesting at first because it wasn’t just strictly a senior class. We have all grades from freshman to seniors here which I enjoy  because you can see the maturity levels in each person, and how certain situations are handled. Regardless of our ages in the room, all of our opinions are heard, every voice matters, and nobody’s feelings are minimized. I learned that it is okay to have different opinions from people, but that shouldn’t change how you act or present yourself towards that person. It is okay to disagree which is something I’ve always had a hard time accepting. Just the simple things such as getting exercise, getting good sleep, being kind to others – it all sounds cliche but these are all life skills which are important to practice. It caught my attention that these lessons were taught in this class. The Random Acts of Kindness Requirement encouraged me to actually do something kind each day. I learned that the simple things in life are the best things, and even the littlest things can go the longest way. 

This class has also brought great attention to the mental health of teenagers and even just people in general. Social media is a huge factor in teens’ mental health. Basing your happiness off of how many likes you get, how many followers you have, and who viewed your posts takes a huge toll on people and it’s becoming easily recognizable. Optimistic Mindset offers many solutions to fixing this problem including deleting social media, or even just taking a break from it. It’s crucial to not give in to the toxicity of social media, and to know you are worth far more than the amount of likes you get. You have to be able to love yourself before anything. This class has taught me to make the best of life and each situation, and to see the positive in everything because there is always good in every bad. I highly recommend and encourage everyone to take this class. It has great benefits to offer you!