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You May Be More Negative Than You Think

A negative mentality is profoundly harmful to the the circuitry of the brain.

But no need to respond negatively to that fact. The problem is addressable.

A person who is always sad is like a sad robot. 🤖. They are programmed to be sad all the time. When someone gets used to being negative, the brain normalizes negativity. The conscious brain doesn’t even notice it.

When someone forms a habit, it moves from the part of their brain that is self-aware (the frontal lobes) to deeper parts of their brain that are unconscious and automatic. The more anyone does anything, the less aware they are of it. Thus, negative people are usually not aware of how negative they are.

We have to be very deliberate to become aware of our own negativity. 

The good news is that as we become aware of it, our brains become less negative.

via GIPHY

Neuro-exercise:

Can you can go an hour without a negative thought or feeling?

Give it a shot

This includes worries, doubts, fears, disappointments. When you have a negative thought, write it down. It will help you become more aware.

Don’t be surprised if you have as many as 25 negative thoughts or feelings an hour.

The more you do this exercise, the more you’ll see your negativity drop. 

For even faster progress, enlist your brain’s reward circuitry by promising yourself an indulgence if your negativity substantially drops. This exercise will significantly improve your brain’s performance and enrich your experience of life.

A scuba diver with fish swimming around him, showcasing the mental focus required for this simple yet exhilarating activity.

Dive Deeper

Decentering Mediates the Effect of Ruminative and Experiential Self-Focus on Negative Thinking in Depression
Lo, C.S.L., Ho, S.M.Y., Yu, N.K.K. et al. Cogn Ther Res (2014) 38: 389. doi:10.1007/s10608-014-9603-2

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