STAY EASY : IT’S NOT DIFFICULT AS YOU THINK

It’s going to happen to the best of us. There you are, happily going through your usual day-to-day path, when unexpectedly, from nowhere, a thought pops in your head: “What if I make a major mistake? “And then comes the ripple effect: “I don’t know what I’m doing. Why did I say that to you? Why have I decided to do that? I can’t do that And it goes on often replaying conversations to examine how dumb you may have sounded, or what someone else actually thought.

What follows is a debilitating chain reaction that along with each subsequent negative thinking, sets your mind on a deeper downward spiral into virtual combustion, leaving you frozen in its wake. It’s like you’ve managed to blow the whole universe in an instant—and all within the limits of your own head.

The Inherent Negative Bias of the brain

In addition to this constant threat scan, we are programmed to use negative information far more than positive information to educate our environment. It makes sense when you think about this in the form of evolution. Survival depends more on seeing danger than on enjoying the warmth of a comfortable cave fire.

And it’s not just that we’re gravitational about using that negative information; it’s even more weighty. In our brain processing, negative thoughts are more powerful than positive ones. In reality, researchers suggest that we need more positive messages (at least five) for each negative to keep things on an uplifting track.

The Glitch In Our Operations Framework

It’s become a more maladaptive feature as we have become more technologically evolved and advanced. We can’t deal with things getting better, so our fight-flight mechanisms can make us react badly to each other.It’s like a communal glitch in our collective existence. We lack compassion and see strangers as adversaries rather than kin.

It’s just a vicious circle. Essentially, the brain is conditioned to seek and identify danger early—both internally and externally, leading to greater exposure to and re-enforcement of, negative thoughts, and making them more frequent.

The Effect of Negative Thinking

The effects of this pessimistic thinking cloud may be harmful. It can become such a priority to obsess about negative feelings that it can be difficult to engage with what’s going on in life. “This can lead people to withdraw from who they’re with and what they’re doing.” And to say the least, drive other people away. It can be harder to enjoy things because you’re more tuned to what could go wrong; it can build tension with other people and fuel even more stress.

Some people more susceptible to negative thinking

Having negative experiences both in childhood and adulthood can reinforce, affirm, and/or establish sticky perceptions that the world is a negative place. Such perceptions can come up as negative feelings, which are defences against disappointment and other responses, as well as simply accommodating the way the world really seems to be.

So for example, someone with a negative thought parent will internalise these ways of seeing the world and themselves. However another person in the same situation may be able to respond in an adaptive manner by adopting a more constructive way of evaluating things. From a biological point of view, less resilient people are more likely to stress and get caught in negative thought.

Avoid the Negative Thinking

You should actively work to turn the attitude. And it begins by acknowledging the negative ways of thought.

⦁Imagine actually a stop sign.

This will help to put the brakes on the negative thinking as it strikes. This kind of visualization—literally diversion—may help you shift your mind away from negative thoughts. You may also attempt to distract yourself by listening to music, walking, imagining a good memory, calling a friend.

⦁Be curious and not self-critical.

This is a way to be kind to yourself when you come up with unpleasant feelings. Giving yourself a compassionate pause will serve as a diversion, an interruption, and a way to shift the activities of brain networks.Studies suggest that over time, compassion-based strategies, such as offering yourself a constructive declaration like, “I’m doing the best I can,” or I’m really hard on myself,” can help a lot to improve the way the brain reacts to negativity by minimising self-critical thinking and anxiety.

⦁Pay attention to your own thinking.

Have you ever found that the more you try not to think about something the more you actually think about it? As people try to drive out negative feelings, they unconsciously develop stronger. Studies show that being conscious by respecting and embracing the thinking and attempting to work through it in a positive way will help to address the underlying issues. Practice recognising the thought without rushing to conclusions. Try to understand why this way of thinking is problematic. Say stuff like, “Is this thinking accurate? Is that thought helpful? ” Taking a cognitive viewpoint will help you develop a more accurate and beneficial way of thinking and feeling.

WRITTEN BY : KOMAL GUPTA

FOUNDER OF NIROGYA BY KOMAL GUPTA