What Happens when you Focus on Negativity? + A Powerful Question for Reframing

If you ever wondered about how your brain and body work together to respond to (and protect you from) negativity, this is a very basic graphic you can use for reference

Many researchers have covered these reactions in depth through various research methods and case studies which can be interesting to look into!

On surface level we are told not to focus on the negatives. Because, of course focusing on the positives makes more sense

But if you are like me, sometimes it helps to know why that is?

This is pretty universal when it comes to negative stimuli. Be it a thought you have, experience you endure, or a situation, person, or thing you encounter

If you are going to focus on anything, let it be what you want to find more of!

Of course, given my passions I am going to say that having a positive relationship with yourself and priming your mind to focus on positives can and will show up in your decision making as it pertains to nourishing and caring for your body

You don't need to be a positivity robot that ignores all pain. In fact, that would be very unhealthy too!

Funny how our body and brain work to establish homeostasis and what a powerful lesson that is to always seek and find balance in our own day to day life

It is all connected, really!

If you want to prime your body's function, your decision making process, and your overall zest for life, practice the art of reframing!

Learn how to take what appears to be negative or less than ideal and see it in a new light.

One example shared in my Master's Program for Clinical Mental Health Counseling has stuck with me that I feel provides great insight in how you might apply to your own experiences. It was something along these lines;

A teacher called the mother of their student to let them know how well behaved and relatively tame the pre-k child was. The mother was happy but also confused because her child always acts up with her.

​Crying when he gets home from school, fussing over little things after his day, and even resisting going to school! She told her therapist about how frustrating this was, to hear of how well behaved he is but also to have to constantly be in a state of chaos with him. To which the counselor replied, 'Ah, it sounds like your son feels safe to express his needs and emotions around you'.

The mother then realized she had never saw it like that. She only saw her kid as causing trouble or being a pain for her and good for everyone else.

It wasn't until a reframe was presented that she realized, it was not so much about changing her son or being resentful or confused about the behavior but more so honoring and embracing her son for being safe to express with her around versus being bottled up at school all day.

What stress or negativity might you be able reframe in your life today?

Need help coming up with something? Sometimes I like to ask myself, 'If this was actually a gift given to me by someone, how would I thank them for it on the spot?' This helps me to create urgency because you all know what it is like to be given a gift and think 'Oh, an avocado' when you were hoping for a squash ;).

Was this helpful for you? Did you gain any insight from this post? Share with a friend who could benefit or let me know what you got out of it!

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