5 ways to overcome negative thinking


 

Are you tired of your negative thoughts and limiting beliefs getting in the way when it comes to achieving your goals and desires?

You are not alone, in fact humans are born with a natural, ingrained negativity bias, handed down from our ancestors, from the cave man days. This negativity bias was a form of protection, alerting us to potential threats, which could mean life or death out in the wild!

According to psychologist and happiness researcher Timothy. J. Bono, PHD, who teaches a course on the Science of Happiness at Washington University in St Louis, “We inherited the genes that that predisposed us to give us special attention to those negative aspects of our environments that could be harmful to us.” 
It was a way to keep us safe.
We may not have the same potential threats as our ancestors, but we do have many modern day potential threats and stressors to navigate.

So how do we overcome this natural tendency towards the negative?

Here’s 5 ways to help flip the negative:
  1. Exercise - When you exercise your body releases chemicals that help you feel great, like dopamine. It is an awesome way to de-stress.
  2. Do something kind for someone else - This will help you to stop worrying about you, and gives you someone else to focus on.
  3. Get into nature - Go for a walk on the beach, even some urban green space. You don't need to talk, just surround yourself in nature.
  4. Gratitude - Write in a gratitude journal when you are feeling upset and try and flip your negative thoughts into positive ones. It can be hard at first but you will get better at it the more you practice. Think about all the things that are wonderful in your life.
  5. Breathing - Try diaphragmatic breathing to calm yourself down. Breathe in through your nose deep into your belly so it expands your diaphragm, for a count of 4. Hold for one count and then breathe slowly out through your mouth for 5, 6 or 7 counts. Put your hands on your stomach so you can feel your breath filling your belly. Learning to concentrate on your breath is incredibly impactful. It helps to slow your heart rate, relax your muscles, help you regain focus and take back control of the situation.
If you’re ready to dive deeper into challenging your natural negativity bias, check out AwesoME Inc's range of resilience, mindset and gratitude journals to help you on your way.

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