SELF IMPROVEMENT
The 4 Must-Follow Rules To Fight Your Brain’s Negative Bias
Be more positive and beat the human tendency to focus on the negative
“What you choose to focus on becomes your reality” — Jen Sincero
Man is the master of his thoughts. At least that’s what most people assume. Unfortunately, this is a misconception, because our brain largely determines how we think — and thus has a significant influence on our actions. The problem is that everyone tends to have negative thought patterns. But the good news is that we are not powerless. Instead, we can change our negative thoughts by understanding how we think now (and the problems that result) and then developing strategies to change them or make them less powerful.
— Facing the disaster-mongering thinking
“Reality is always some sort of fiction that everyone agrees on.” — John Forbes Nash Jr.
Survival is the basic goal that every brain pursues. Nowadays this has increasingly receded into the background because we live in a safe country and in safe times accordingly. However, in our brain, the “program” that was unwound many thousands of years ago is still running. Back then, when people were still confronted with all sorts of dangers in everyday life, the so-called disaster-mongering thinking focused on possible dangers.
Today there are hardly any, but everyone has certain problems or difficulties, and thus these move into the focus of thoughts. It can actually be unimportant things such as unfinished tasks, but also social conflicts, the far too long to-do list, health problems, and much more.
The interesting thing is that even if this scenario never actually occurs, our brain will continue to function in a disaster-mongering mode because the processes that take place in our brain do not differentiate between reality and pure imagination. So you probably also tend to play out certain situations in your head that you are afraid of, that you are uncomfortable with, or that arouse negative feelings in some other way — until the moment comes or you rest assured that this will never happen. Are you familiar with that? Don’t worry, you’re not alone!
— What makes it so difficult to see the positive side of things
Having disaster-mongering thinking leads to negative thought patterns, which is usually true of everything else as well. Our brain automatically focuses on the negative things while ignoring what is going well. After all, it is unimportant for survival. Right? So even if you don’t have any reason to complain, the risk that you still don’t really enjoy your life is high, and can claim to be 100% carefree.
In addition, this way of thinking means that you always live in an imaginary future, but never in the real present. There is one exception to this rule, however, and that is for those people who have learned to trick their disaster-mongering thinking. Luckily you can learn this too.
A positive mindset gives you more self-confidence and motivation. It can help you think more positively, recover better from setbacks and reach your goals faster. You can read more in the article bellow
— Understanding and using the self-fulfilling prophecy
The first thing you need to understand is the principle of the self-fulfilling prophecy. This is because your thoughts shape your reality more than you may believe.
So, if your disaster-mongering thinking makes you expect something negative, chances are it will actually happen.
In other words, you act in such an unconscious way that it meets your expectations. Otherwise, you would have to admit that you were wrong.
In addition, you will always evaluate a situation as you expected it to. So, assuming you don’t like the new colleague, you will automatically focus on those behaviors that you dislike. The fear of failure is also a popular example: If you assume that you will fail, the fear has a paralyzing effect and that is exactly what will happen — guaranteed!
On the other hand, you can use the self-fulfilling prophecy in a targeted manner because it also works in reverse. So if you manage to overcome your disaster-mongering thinking and instead direct your thoughts to the positive, your life will also take a positive direction. Unfortunately, exactly this first step, namely tricking your brain, is not that easy. So how do you break through your negative thought patterns?
— Tricking the disaster-mongering thinking
Your brain is indeed reluctant to think positively. Fortunately, this fascinating marvel learns quickly. This means that with simple actions you can “reprogram” it so that it can let go of its skepticism and anticipation of danger or other negative events and instead focus on the good in your life.
In the article below you can find useful information, about the essence of positive psychology, its strengths, and controversial aspects, and learn some tricks that will help you target your thoughts in a positive direction
As long as you expect good things, the self-fulfilling prophecy will take effect and good things will happen — but above all, you will finally perceive it.
Many things are likely going well in your life that you simply ignore because they are irrelevant to your way of thinking. The following tips will help you reverse this mechanism:
- Keep a journal, but only write down the things that went well today and that made you feel positive. So, consciously hide the negative events and thoughts. Even little things like a “Well done!” from your boss can and should be recorded in this diary. This will train your brain to focus on the good, even on the small things.
- Also, in your professional and private life, keep reminding yourself to ignore the negative and appreciate the positive things (more). Especially when you notice that your mood is sinking and you are angry, sad, or afraid of something, it is time to pause — and to consciously “redirect” your thoughts. With a little practice, it works surprisingly well.
- Additionally, pay attention to what is happening now. Due to your expectations, many negative feelings are triggered when you focus on upcoming appointments, situations, etc. This also triggers fears and other unwanted emotions, even though the situation may never become real. But as you already know, our brain does not distinguish between imagination and reality. So make sure you live in the present. You may also find a strategy like meditation or yoga helpful. But sometimes it is enough to remind yourself again and again and direct your thoughts to the moment; again and again, and again.
- If, on the other hand, you sometimes don’t manage to create a positive mood purely through the power of your thoughts, you can leave the present — but in the opposite direction. Dive into positive memories. You are welcome to use your diary from the first tip. But also photos of a happy holiday, pictures of meeting your partner, reveling in funny memories with your friends, or simply thinking about what has been good and successful in your life so far are examples of strategies that work in many cases and make you break out of your catastrophic brain. Of course, your goal is to find your way back to the moment with this positive mood and expectations.
Self-esteem and confidence cannot be increased overnight, but they can be developed through a long training process. Stepping out of your comfort zone is essential. Below you’ll find some tips you can implement to help you
— Final takeaways
As you can see, you don’t have the power over your thoughts by nature. But you can get it. It’s not that difficult, but it does take a lot of practice. As is well known, practice makes perfect. By repeating these strategies, positive thinking becomes routine for your brain.
New synaptic connections are formed and old ones are eventually severed — and with them your disaster-mongering mindset. So what you have to do is consciously redirect your thoughts again and again until it happens all by itself. You will quickly notice how much more optimistic and happier you feel… and how much more successful you are in life, including at work.
If you found this article helpful, consider subscribing to my email list to get my stories delivered straight to your inbox whenever I publish on Medium!
If you’re new to Medium and wish to support my work, consider being a Medium member through my page and get unlimited access to all current posts from me and hundreds of other writers! Your membership fee directly supports me as I get a portion of your monthly fee at no extra cost to you and it will go a long way in helping me keep on delivering valuable content to you.