How to Challenge Negativity Overload

Especially in today's world, we are surrounded by doom and gloom as we hear about murder rates on the incline, racial and social injustices, new reports on the COVID surges and associated deaths across the world . We are bombarded with political turmoil and hostility, food shortages, the stress of longer lines at grocery stores, restaurants changing hours without notice because of staffing issues, deliveries being delayed for an undetermined amount of time, and the list goes on and on and on.

We often find ourselves waking up dreading the day before it even gets started based on a condition that I like to call Negativity Overload. We are surrounded by negativity all day, every day. The truth of the matter is, it takes less energy and effort for us to think about all the negative things going on in our lives than it does to focus on the positive. Many of us allow negativity to influence us in literally every aspect of our lives. Negativity is all consuming as it first interjects itself into how we talk to ourselves, to how we perceive our partner and all the things that he/she/they aren't doing, to our kids and what they should be doing, to what our co-workers are doing to annoy us, to an endless list of negative comments and perceptions about everyone and everything. While it takes less effort to be consumed with negativity, bottom line it is exhausting on yourself and others around you. Negativity is like a malignant and highly contagious cancer as it spreads across your entire being, and to others, just as fast as we have seen the Omicron variant spread. Negativity mentally drains us, physically hurts us, emotionally damages us and ultimately makes us feel empty, disappointed, and forcing a desire for something different.

Don't get me wrong, switching gears and intentionally focusing on the positive will not be like taking a magic pill to cure all the disarray in life and in the world. However, it will offer greater peace of mind, a healthier soul, and a more fulfilling life to you and others around you. Just as negativity is contagious, positivity is as well. It just doesn't infiltrate as quickly, but it will have longer lasting efforts on yourself and on others.

So, I challenge you to take control over the negativity overloading in your life and stop the madness today. I challenge you to a 30 day refocus exercise by being intentional about finding positivity in yourself, your life and the world. To help with your accountability, just don't think about these positive things, write them down and more importantly share them with others you love. Depending on how overloaded you are with negativity, this may seem like an impossible challenge, but trust me, it is possible. Start small if you have to by stating easy things: “I woke up today, I smell good after showering, I love my morning coffee, I held the door open for someone, I saw someone pick up trash, I woke up and exercised, etc. etc. etc.” By committing yourself to finding three daily positive things about yourself, others, and the world, you will retrain your brain to begin recognizing the positive and celebrating those things, rather than getting consumed with the negative.

Here are my three positives for today:

1. The sunrise as I was driving into work today was amazing. The colors were bright and powerful which set the tone for my day.

2. My wife did a great job showing me her love by helping me put my socks on as I'm suffering from a pulled muscle in my back. She often does little things to show me her love.

3. I did a great job today taking x-rays. I was social with my patients, offered a warm smile and saw their gratitude on their faces.

Share your 3 positives for today!

Myerssquared, LLC. Life coaching and psychotherapy serving Indianapolis and Greenwood, Indiana.