Why do I feel negative?
There are lots of reasons that negativity can develop. Perhaps you have had some very difficult life circumstances, unhappiness at work, bereavement, or financial concerns. These are all stressors. Stress leads us into a survival mode in our nervous system. When you are trying to survive you are not seeking pleasure and joy. Long-term stress can result in you being stuck in this high stress, survival mode.
Perhaps you are in pain. Pain often affects mood. Pain and stress are closely related and often occur together. You can become quite downcast if pain is limiting your activities and seems to be dragging on for a long time. You can have negative beliefs – ‘I’ll never get better’, ‘Everyone in my family has pain’, ‘It’s just my age’. These will affect your recovery. Negativity is bad for you, it lowers your immunity making you more prone to illness and can affect your heart and vascular health. Being negative can also affect your productivity and effectiveness at work.
You may be surrounded by negativity in your family and friends or work place. Perhaps the negativity of the media affects you. In a previous article we recognised that having friends that are sad doubles your chances of being sad. Mood is infectious in your social circles to the third degree – friends of friends of friends can affect your mood.
Perhaps it is not you that is negative but someone you care for. Most negative emotions arise from fear. It can be helpful to try to understand fears whether it is to help an individual or perhaps a group.
Importantly, despite all these reasons why negativity may arise it is possible to cultivate a positive attitude. You can find positivity even in the most difficult of circumstances. Positivity takes effort but the benefits are huge.