“Misfortune weighs most heavily on those who expect nothing but good fortune.” — Seneca
This article is inspired by podcast of Cory Muscara on the topic of Negativity Bias
Have you ever been told you are too negative? Or that you are pessimist and always see the worst in everything?
Negativity is, as a rule, banished from everywhere and from every angle.
From never-ending influx of positive quotes (that never really help):
- “Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” Zig Ziglar
- “Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” Willie Nelson
- “Positive anything is better than negative nothing.” Elbert Hubbard
To quotes about negativity:
- “Relationships with negative people are simply tedious encounters with porcupines. You don’t have the remote knowledge how to be close to them without quills being shot in your direction.” Shannon L. Alder
- “7 things negative people will do to you. They will…
1. Demean your value;
2. Destroy your image
3. Drive you crazily!
4. Dispose your dreams!
5. Discredit your imagination!
6. Deframe your abilities and
7. Disbelieve your opinions!
Stay away from negative people!” Israelmore Ayivor
There are also medical articles that point out why negativity can kill us (in the long-term, specifically the negative feelings we might have. The articles emphasize how important it is to remove negative people from our life to save ourselves. To some extent, it is true that negative emotions – such as anger, chronic sadness, hostility or cynicism may increase our blood pressure or disrupt our overall internal balance.
However,…
Oddly enough, the articles themselves are looking at the negativity negatively. What a paradox, isn’t it?
Similarly, the people who tell you that it isn’t good for you to be so negative just further fuel the negativity for you and for themselves.
Who is the negative person now? 😀
First of all, it is important to recognize a difference between the “negative thinking” and “negative feelings”. Negative feelings are something else. They often hinder us from any progress and make our lives stagnant or even spark up our depression. Feelings can truly influence homeostasis in our body. The negative feelings enable thoughts to spark up, the negative thoughts that we demonize so much.
The flowers of negativity 🌼
What if we would look at the “negativity” rather neutrally or even positively?
What is the “beauty” of negative thinking?
Generally, the negative thoughts arise with certain imaginations in our mind; we see the worst scenarios or we just simply imagine our worries in specific situations. We could also claim that these are negative visualizations.
Nevertheless, are there any beneficial sides for our lives when we are engaging in these negative visualizations?
There are possible three positives sides on negative thinking which I came across in my personal life.
1. Risk Management 🌼
According to Kendra Cherry (2020), “the evolutionary perspective suggests that this tendency to dwell on the negative more than the positive is simply one way the brain tries to keep us safe.”
Imagining the worst or the possible negative outcomes may help us to create plan B or C in order to prevent potential risks in any situation. It can help us to have an open mind and help us to face potential hardships.
Simply, as Louis Pasteur said: “Fortune favors the prepared mind”.
2. Gratitude 🌼
Negative thinking, when done with a pinch of self-awareness, can become a wonderful tool for us to appreciate our current state of lives as opposed to the less fortunate which we might keep visualizing. Considering how much worse our situation could be, may actually, make us feel more positive and grateful for the life we have.
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” – Epicurus
3. Creativity 🌼
‘I’m writing down my dreams, all I’d like to see
Starting with the bees or else they’re gonna die
There won’t be no trees or air for us to breathe
I’ll start feeling mad, but then I feel inspired’
-lyrics from the song “Inspired” by Miley Cyrus
In some cases, negative thoughts can spark our creativity, especially for writers and musicians. Feeling the “lows” is often the only way how to accurately capture an then express the colorfulness of human emotions in the way that will be relatable to the other people who are going through something similar.
I remember how my negative thoughts once inspired me to write this poem:
Worry
We all feel so sorry
For our eyes in tears
But life looks so blurry
When drowning in own fears
We all feel so sorry
Unloved, despised and weak
Living in constant worry
Our world is cursed and bleak
We all feel so sorry
We’re crying in our shells
Seeking answers in worry
That hurts but never helps
So…have you ever been told you were too negative? Or that you are pessimist and always see the worst in everything?
Tell them that you use your negative visualizations to be ready for the potential risks that you may face….or that you use it to be more grateful for what you already have now or that it helps you with your creative endeavors.
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