Our Brains are Wired to Focus on the Negatives
We are only days away from starting a new decade. Join me and many others to make life goals to live happier, eat healthier and feel better in the new decade. Let’s be honest, in the back of our minds, we oftentimes focus on the unpleasant experience we had in the past years, or the times we felt guilty about dropping our exercise routines.
You are not alone! In fact, we are wired that way. Cognitive scientists have known this all along. Clinical psychologist and author of “12 Rules for Life”, Dr. Jordan Peterson, said we are prewired to respond more powerfully to negative emotions. It has served us well for the purpose of evolution to avoid potential dangers. We remember the struggle to stay awake behind the wheel, from going to bed too late, and vow to get more sleep to feel better.
The money we lose affects us more powerfully than the same amount of money we gain, according to research from social psychologist Dr Roy Baumeister.
The trick is to know about this innate mechanism of how past failures can rule us. Rise above it and learn strategies to invite positive thinking. In his new book “The Power of Bad“, Dr. Baumeister offered three tips to build positive energy in our lives.
The Power of Four
Remember the time your fitness trainer told you how well you have come along, but your mind somehow focused on the week you skipped the gym?
Turns out it take four times the amount of positive thinking to overcome negative emotion. So think about at least the four times you make good healthy choices versus the time you felt guilty from bingeing to discomfort. Think about the four times your were recognized by co-workers for a job well done, versus the one time your work was criticized.
Take Time to Focus on Success
Yes, take an active focus on what you are doing well in your life. Perhaps you have been going to the gym more frequently than the year before. Perhaps you have opted to eat breakfast on two extra days in a week than before. You have spent less time on social media and have been taking walks with your children, for example.
Magnify Your Success
Tell other people about your success! Share on Facebook, tell a friend. This is an inexpensive way to magnify your triumphs. Let them be your memory banks of the things you have done well, and who knows, you can be an inspiration for them too. Surround yourselves with positive people who genuinely want the best for you.
If you have been thinking of hiring a nutritionist to help you develop healthy eating skills in the new year, look for a registered dietitian. Most, if not all, registered dietitians are trained in cognitive behavior counselling techniques that are crucial in helping you develop a positive mindset towards achieving your health goals.
Before watching the Times Square ball drop this New Year’s Eve, raise a toast to yourself to reflect on the blessings, and say Yes! to a positive new decade.
What is one thing you are most proud of yourself this past year? Do you have a good tip of turning negative to positive that you would like to share with me? Leave me a comment below, or drop me a note on Instagram or Twitter at @cindyphillipsRD.
