Trying to Catch the Positive, Drop the Negative
I have a teensy problem, like there may be a hole in my actual brain: I remember every horrible, mean, or marginally rude comment anyone has ever said to me. Pretty much perfect, crystalline recall. Verbatim. And the positive things–which I’m fairly certain outnumber the negative by about 10 to one…What? Did you say something?
The compliments and admiration and acknowledgments drop out of my brain almost as soon as they’re put there. I’m sure there’s a name for this cognitive trend, but for now, let’s just call it Negativitis. And it might be the single most damaging mental habit I have–to both myself and anyone I encounter. It ensures that I feel bad about myself–and people who feel badly about themselves often have an awfully hard time complimenting, admiring, and acknowledging other people.
I’m interested in stopping the madess. If you are too, let’s try these tips together.