#3 Be Positive
BEING POSITIVE IS GOOD FOR US - FACT!
When positive thoughts are generated, when you're feeling happy or optimistic, cortisol decreases and the brain produces serotonin, creating a feeling of wellbeing. On the flip side, too many negative thoughts can lead to stress and anxiety.
But did you know that the human brain is actually wired to focus more on negative thoughts and to have a greater sensitivity to criticism or unpleasant news? This is called negativity bias https://www.psycom.net/negativity-bias and it was an important part of our evolution when we lived in caves and had to sharpen our alertness to danger when we were chased by big animals or finding food that wasn’t poisonous.
Consider how much more our brains have to cope with now – as well as all of our past experiences, memories, conversations, there are a multitude of information channels that we are consuming continually. Add on the thoughts we have about things that haven’t even happened yet and it’s no wonder we can get overwhelmed.
Now of course positive thinking is important in both our personal and professional lives but this blog is about being positive at work. where there can be lots of potential causes of negative thinking:
Dealing with clients (or colleagues!) who you don’t get on with
Pressure of meeting deadlines
Pressure of developing and maintaining our skills
Comparing ourselves to other peoples skills
Feeling like you are not good enough
Feeling like you can’t meet expectations
Focusing on negative feedback rather than acknowledging all of the positives
Making assumptions about other peoples reactions
The good news is that we can learn to manage and control our thoughts – to observe them and make the choice to be positive.
We CANNOT control what other people think or how they behave but we CAN control how we react to them.
I am learning to control any negative thoughts and share some of my tips below.
“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”
Winston Churchill
Recognise that we are all unique humans each with their own hang-ups, challenges and thoughts – don’t assume the way people act is all about you!
Be more aware of when you are being too negative and turn it into a positive
o Look back on the day or week and really focus on your achievements – did you meet a deadline, receive good feedback, learn something new?
o Be grateful for the type of work that we do– sometimes it’s easy to lose focus on the bigger picture
Try to see the funny side and have fun! –being able to laugh with colleagues about a stressful situation can help put it in perspective
Practice more empathy for others – maybe that person just did or said what they did because they are overwhelmed or just having a bad day so don’t take it personally
Focus on your qualities and strengths and the positive feedback you have had for something that has gone well – do not compare yourself to others!
Ask for help if you need it – from managers or colleagues, there is no shame in this and will actually earn more respect than suffering in silence
Be there if someone else needs help and be the positive influence on them – it really does make you feel good about yourself
I will be sharing some more tips on how we can manage our thoughts in future weeks but in the meantime – stay positive!
