You’re a Negative Nancy But it’s Not Your Fault!

When I started this blog, I decided to focus on using mindfulness to tackle negativity.

Honestly, many people aren’t aware of how negative they really are. The brain is a routine animal; you do many of the same things everyday. You eat, sleep, work, and pretty much glide through your days. When something different or bad happens, your brain flags it as something to pay attention to, something to remember.

Anything from burning your hand on the stove to wrecking your car from texting, these things get flagged and archived in your brain. This is a survival technique that helps us “learn” from our mistakes. The world teaches us every day what can help or hurt us; learning from our experiences is survival 101. But, have you ever had something negative happen to you and you just kept thinking about it over and over again? This is where the brain can actually hinder us. If we stay trapped in a loop of all the bad things that happen to us, we never take full control of ourselves.

Monks call this the “monkey” brain. It will run wild, leaving you feeling lost and confused about life.

I highly recommend the book “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. Tolle is a German author and spiritual teacher that talks about listening to your inner talk. When I started to listen to my inner dialogue, I was surprised at how mean I was to myself. I called myself stupid, ugly, fat, unlovable, etc. I think I was about 25 years old when I read that book. I decided that I needed to be nice to myself, this means I had to stop talking to myself negatively all the time.

I will say, I am still working on this practice almost 6 years later. A lot of people think they are in control of themselves, but don’t realize how much they’re controlled by their emotions. These emotions were developed by a series of events that happen throughout a lifetime, which in turn develops into a personality type.

So, what can you do about this?

Well, the easy answer is to be mindful of what you’re thinking about. When you feel yourself down, actually listen to what you’re stressing about. Your brain will literally tell you what’s bothering you. For example, I’m down, and I don’t know why. I start by listening to my inner dialogue and what I keep hearing is: “I wish my boss was nicer” and “I don’t really enjoy my job”. My brain is telling me something needs to change through my sadness.

This is the perfect opportunity to go on a spiritual journey. Explore your own thoughts to figure out what you can do better. Is this about your job performance or does that person seem to be going through something completely unrelated to you? When you’re trapped in a negative mindset, things can seem like your fault but aren’t necessarily related to you. This exercise helps you become a deeper and more in-tune individual. You actively seek the truth instead of being blindly led by uncontrolled, unmonitored emotions. Monks practice for a lifetime in order to master control over their minds.

Practicing healthy thoughts, positive thoughts, and actively changing negative thoughts is a lifelong process.

If you can’t stop thinking negatively, instead of veg’ing out on useless entertainment try this: Try filling your mind with positive quotes, inspirational videos, and music with a positive message; actively seek out examples of inspirational art and mind-blowing athletic talent. Watch others achieve the impossible as a result of countless hours of practice, passion, and enthusiasm. These habits will help you develop into a more positive person!

This concept leads into my next article, “Learn How to Vibrate”, coming soon! If you loved this article, please share with your family and friends! Also, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!