Is There Anything to be Happy About These Days?

Training our negatively hardwired brains to focus on the good

It is a well known fact that the human brain is wired to focus on the negative. Why? It is simply an evolutionary mechanism to ensure our survival; the effect of a negative stimulus is strong, in order to ensure we notice and respond accordingly to keep us out of harms way.

However, unlike our ancestors, whose very survival depended upon their skill to detect and avoid danger at a moments notice, our lives are relatively peaceful, yet the bias toward focusing on the negative still persists.

Can you count the number of times you’ve had a negative thought today?

How many negative news stories did you scroll through on your phone or see on your local news channel?

It’s easy to get caught up in the torrent of negativity that floods the media today. It’s available 24/7 and we carry it around in the palm of our hands with the ability to access it at a moments notice.

The same way that the tiger suddenly appearing over the top of the hill, growling and salivating at the sight of your great great great great greater ancestors caused a strong psychological impact on their brains, focusing on all the little bits and pieces of bad news and negative situations that occur in our lives have an equally negative effect.

Depression and suicide are skyrocketing, with figures amongst younger age groups on the rise. I don’t know anyone who has not been affected by this pandemic in some way.

In my own family, closure of schools for 6 months, left my kids feeling isolated and depressed. My small business also suffered from lockdowns and a depressed economy causing much stress and worry. I know families who have been infected by Covid 19, with one mother coming very close to death. Lives have been lost, lives have been changed… two years of this pandemic have had devastating effects, but for all of us still able to write and read on this platform, we are still here and that’s good reason to give thanks.

I live in the space of thankfulness — and for that, I have been rewarded a million times over. I started out giving thanks for small things, and the more and more thankful I became, the more my bounty increased. That’s because — for sure — what you focus on expands. When you focus on the goodness in life, you create more of it.

Oprah Winfrey

Giving Thanks

Even when it seems like the bad outweighs the good, there is always something to be thankful for. After going through a particularly difficult time in 2021, I ended the year with a resolution that in the New Year, I would commit to focusing on the good.

I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.

Martha Washington

Breaking the Habit of Negativity

Like anything, it takes work to change your mindset; if you’re used to focusing on the bad, you’ll do it out of habit. You need to put protocols in place to promote a thankful attitude.

Start a Gratitude Journal

In the spirit of giving thanks, I started a gratitude journal 18 days ago and depending on the research , I’m either 3 days or 48 days away from journal writing becoming a habit. Either way, I’m happy!

People swear by these journals and the ability that the act of acknowledging gratitude has to change your life. In this regard, it is believed that immersing yourself in a state of thankfulness raises your vibration and in attuning to this frequency of gratitude we are able to attract more positive outcomes within our lives.

What do I write about?

Anything and everything. Write about everything — that which gives you joy in your life , all the blessings you have.

For example, today, its’ cold and icy outside and I’m extremely grateful for my warm cozy home that protects me from the Winter elements. I’m also very grateful for the 9 reads my articles got so far today — you see it would be so easy to focus on the other side of this — damn… I only got 9 reads!!

You can start by writing simple statements, but elaborate if you feel inspired. Elaboration is a great tool as it helps to immerse you further into a positive and joyful mindset.

If you come out of the activity with a smile on your face and your spirits lifted, then you’ll know you’ve done the exercise properly. Then go forth with the knowledge that you will be faced with just as many joyful aspects to your day. So in the words of Bobby McFerrin… “Don’t Worry Be Happy.”