Do you see the glass half full or half empty? Optimist or pessimist? “I’m a realist, I see things as they are!” I would always respond. But I was far away from the truth. And it took me a while to admit that I actually have a strong tendency to get stuck in the negative. I mean most of us do, don’t we? But why?
Why does our view of the world tends to tilt toward the negative?
Our brains are wired to keep us from danger, most scientists would agree. But why would we get stuck in these negative thoughts when danger is no longer immediate? In a brilliant TED talk social psychologist Alison Ledgerwood shows on a series of experiments how our minds struggle to switch from one way of thinking to another.
She demonstrates that we literally have to work harder to see the upside of things. We have to train our minds to seek the positive. Luckily there are simple techniques to rewire our brains.
My favorite: every day for 21 days in a row write down 3 positive things. Start a journal, grab a piece of paper or write an email to yourself. Or even better – involve your partner or a close friend/relative to join the initiative.
Why 21 days and how this was a life-changing experience for me? See in the next blog post 🙂
BitterMe or BetterMe? 