Is Your Negativity Bias Acting Up?

I recently found myself sitting on the couch watching the news (against my better judgement.) Story after story pronounced one bad thing after another...the mounting numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths...the crumbling economy...the ongoing political BS.

I found myself getting tense, irritated and anxious. I lashed out at my fiancé for no reason, I yelled at my loving dog that just wanted attention and to be loved.  I felt angry and afraid. 

I told myself to turn it off, but I couldn't.  I wanted to see how it would all end.  I was riveted.

Sound familiar? 

If you're human, this is a pretty normal reaction to the world today.  The conditions are ripe for stimulating our negativity bias...the inherent way our brains are wired to pick out and focus on negativity.  

Once upon a time, focusing on the negative would save your life.  Think caveman time.  Being overly sensitized to the bad stuff around you was a good way to ensure you were one of the survivors of the fittest. 

Today in general and with a pandemic in particular, our negativity bias is on overdrive.  This often leads to rumination, thinking about something over and over again and to an irrational level of fear.  

My favorite rumination right now is 'it's not fair.'  When my mind starts this up, I get angry, then anxious, then I fall into a victim mindset and feel helpless...none of which is good for my wellbeing, let alone my happiness.

The biggest issue in my opinion of the stimulation of the human negativity bias worldwide...because every human in the world has it and it is being stimulated in every human....is the excess fear that it's generating.  

How can we stop this cycle of fear?

It doesn't have to be this way for you or me.  There are ways to circumvent your negativity bias and help reduce fear. 

First, you have to recognize that it is happening. 

What are the signs for you that you are trapped in your mind's search for negativity?

For me, I feel HEAVY, physically heavy and unmotivated to do anything.  I essentially feel and get stuck. 

For you it might be anger, depression, lack of energy, overly criticizing yourself and others.  Or any other host of ways you may react when caught in your negativity bias.  

Second, figure out what brought it on.

Was it the news? Something popped into your Facebook feed? A memory about a loved one that is potentially in harm's way, a health care worker for example?  Figure out what triggered the negative bias.

Third, take action to do or think something differently.

This could take many, many different forms. 

You can simply reframe what your mind is telling you...your cousin, the firefighter, is going to get sick and die because he has chronic UTI infections...tell yourself a different story about how capable and cautious he is and how he is surrounded by people that will help him take precautions. 

Or it could simply be limiting how, when and where you get your news. 

Or you can write down the negative thought and associated feeling on a piece of paper and burn it.

Or you can mentally catalogue what's currently in your refrigerator, i.e. distract your mind with something else to think about.

Or you could go for a walk and admire the spring flowers.

Or you could think about something good or positive that happened recently and make it a point to share that good thing with someone else.

There really is no limit to what you can do to interrupt your negative thoughts.  The key is to actually DO something, almost anything.

Yes, this sounds simple and technically it is.  However, it takes consistent practice, recognizing your how your negativity bias shows up and putting action into practice, to break its hold on you. 

Over time, you'll get better and quicker at noticing your negativity bias, or even learning how to avoid it in some circumstances.

Experiment with the actions that work best for you when you find yourself circling the negativity track.  You'll soon have a handful of proven, trusted actions you can take to break your negativity habit.

Here are a few things that I've started doing in reaction to my negativity bias:

• Stopped watching the news.  When I want to know something, I go look for it, rather than have all the negative news pushed at me.

• Maintain my workouts.  I am staying on track with getting physical exercise to help combat negativity.

• Meditate.  While I don't meditate every day, when I am feeling particularly negative, I make it a point to sit for at least 20 minutes and focus on something positive.

• Expressing my feelings more often.  I am making it a conscious action to verbalize when I am feeling particularly negative, ruminating or stressed.  (My poor fiancé!)

I share these with you to show that your actions don't have to be grand or heroic, they just need to work for you.  The key to outsmarting your negativity bias is to take ACTION, be in control instead of on autopilot with your negativity bias at the wheel!

Let me know how I can support you during these crazy times.  I put these blogs out in hopes of helping people, but if you need more, please feel free to reach out.