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 take 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 route 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.