Understanding Negative Bias

In the recent blog post let the music you play within you I talked about how we change our neural pathways by focusing on the good things in our lives, no matter how small these good things may be. We often forget about the small things. The media and continuing messages that bombard us on a daily basis portray the messages that to be a success we need the latest model of car. Have more money. Look the part, whatever the part may be? Is there any wonder that 1 in 4 of us are suffering with anxiety and various levels of depression. Here is something that may well surprise you. I have experienced anxiety in my life. I have felt depressed and alone, often wondering where the next penny is coming from. Why do I mention this? I mention this because many in the field within I work give the impression that life has always been and is always great. The truth is unpleasant experiences are part of life. The challenge is not to let the unpleasant experiences become stored in your brain as negative material which has consequences for you and often others. So the good news is unpleasant experiences are part of life. Sometimes they have value. The good news continues. It is normal to have a ‘negative bias’. Our brains have evolved with this built in negativity.  It developed to help us in the harsh settings as we evolved over time to survive. Harsh settings that were very different to the ones we now experience.  Today the ‘negative bias’ surfaces as we get caught up in traffic, try to diet, pay bills or settle a squabble. The good news goes on. Now we understand the trait of ‘negative bias’ we know we are not alone. With practice we can let it be, let it go that let the positive in. I look forward to sharing this with you in a future post. Be Happy - Be Inspired Steve