How to Overcome Your Own Negativity Bias

Photo by Nathan Dumlao

Suppose you’re at work and your coworker says something negative about your outfit. You might have something to say back to them but don’t want to embarrass yourself in front of your manager so you begrudgingly decide to keep quiet about it. By the time you come home, you’re probably already tired from stewing in that negative atmosphere. Maybe it makes you sick to your stomach or overwhelmed by headaches. Does this sound familiar?

The truth is no one can stop criticisms from forming in any direction. You can, however, stop how we receive them. Instead of magnifying any bit of negativity that arrives in your life, why not embrace positivity instead? When negativity is left unchecked, that can affect your behavior, your decision-making, your relationships, your job, and so on. That’s why it’s important to work towards being positive, instead of being negative.

Of course, positives and negatives affect the human psyche. However, negativity can overwhelm a person to the point where he or she feels helpless to do something about it. Negativity can come from anything, anywhere, when someone:

• Remembers being insulted by either a random person, or by someone they know

• Has flashbacks of a traumatic experience

• Is more apt to react strongly to the negatives more than the positives

• Has long thought sessions that are negative, rather than having long one for positives

If these instances sound like you, then here is some good news: There IS something that you can do about negativity. In this essential guide, we’ll show you a few ways to overcome negative bias with a good dose of positivity and mindfulness. Read on! 

Practice Self-Awareness

First, give yourself a pep talk. That means challenging the negative self-talk that might be interfering with your day. This allows you to practice self-awareness, and be more apt to silence the negative self-talk. How?

First and foremost, you’ll need to recognize any thoughts that might resemble negative self-talk. Hint: What thoughts are making you doubt yourself? What thoughts are labeling you with mean names? 

Also, look at your behavior. How are you feeling right now? If you’re experiencing a negative emotion, how can you change it?

Once you answer these types of questions, you can challenge the negative self-talk by replacing them with more useful and positive ones.

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is another way to tackle negative bias. In fact, this practice allows you to pay more attention to your emotions, and respond to them in more positive ways. 

Normally, mindfulness practices consist of some – or all – of the following:

• Reflection

• Guided meditations

• Other mindfulness interventions

By practicing mindfulness, you be able to learn more about your thoughts and feelings, and what you can do about them.

Restructure Your Cognition

Negative biases don’t just affect the emotions; they also affect your brain. According to FabFitFun, negativity raises cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone that can wreak havoc in the brain, thus affecting your mood. Also linked to depression and anxiety, negativity can only make things worse if you suffer from any psychological disorder.

If this sounds like you, then it’s time to restructure the cognitive. How? By catching yourself every time you’re feeling negative about a situation. In other words, find a way to “restructure” – or reframe – that situation. Look at everything in the situation: the people, the event, etc.

Embrace Positivity

Finally, it’s time to embrace positivity. (You heard right! EMBRACE POSITIVITY!) 

When you take the time to take in positivity, not only are you savoring the moment, but you’re also creating an experience that you can reflect to, whenever you’re feeling down. You can do this by:

• Focusing on positive mental images and feelings

• Engaging in good sensations

• Engaging in happy thoughts

• Embracing good emotions

By doing the above activities, you’ll be able to keep negative bias at bay, and go about your business. 

Conclusion

So, now that you know how to better combat negative thoughts, feelings, etc., why not put these practices into good use today? Who knows? You might feel better after a while. Keep in mind: You deserve to be happy! Stay positive!

Lauren Groff is a writer and editor at  Assignment Help and Essayroo based in Richmond, Virginia.

As a mental health writer, she specializes in psychology, depression, and positivity practices.

In her spare time, she practices yoga and mindfulness.