Negativity is a habit and like any habit – good or bad – it can be broken. All habits are formed and broken by repetition. The more you do something… consciously or not… the more likely you are to keep doing it. Luckily, you can stop a habit by becoming aware and replacing the habit with a new behavior.
Breaking the negativity habit begins with self-awareness. Have you noticed if you use negativity as a go-to reaction in your life? Ask yourself these questions to see:
Question? When things go wrong, do you automatically blame someone for the failure?
Question? When evaluating something, do you tend to see what improvements could be made and feel justified sharing them?
Question? Do you often tell people they are too sensitive when they feel defensive about something you say?
Question? When you are stressed, does your first reaction tend to be negative?
Being negative might be so natural that you simply don’t realize it’s your default reaction to things. That’s ok, you are on your way to a better understanding and an opportunity to make some change!
Breaking the negativity habit is going to take time. Once aware that you tend towards negativity, it’s time to pay closer attention to your reactions. When you find yourself triggered to be negative, practice holding your thoughts rather than sharing them. It won’t be easy in the beginning because it won’t feel normal to keep things to yourself. Hold on, it will get easier!
As you get used to holding your thoughts, you can try a new step by replacing your old habit of being negative, with a new and better habit. This might be as simple as saying nothing when you are used to being negative. Remaining neutral is always a good thing! Also, you can go for the positive tract and say something good about the situation. The key is to replace the bad habit with a better one.
Once you start being positive, it will become easier. In the same way it takes time to drop the negativity habit, it takes time to adopt the positivity habit. Don’t worry, it will happen. In every situation look for what is right. Of course, you may also see what’s not quite right, but unless it affects the safety of others, practice keeping your negative thoughts in check and focus on the positive.
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