(You Have Got a Mail !)
Subject: Conquer Your Negative Thoughts
Dear Friend,
– Do you have a hard time bouncing back after adversity?
– Is there an ongoing stressful situation in your life that needs to be managed?
– Do you focus on things that happened in the past—or that might happen in the future—instead of experiencing the moment?
– Do you want to change your outlook & be happier, free yourself from negative thoughts and start feeling better about your life?
Negative and irrational thinking grabs us and won’t let go. But, “Happiness is winnable”, if you work on it consistently using particular methods and activities that I ask you to do.
These small activities tunes you into the radio station in your mind that’s playing negative music, so you can change the lyrics. You’ll learn to examine your negative thoughts for the exaggerated fears they are, so you can move them from the foreground to the background.
I’m not saying you should be happy 100% of the time. Complex emotions are part of what makes us wonderfully human.
The techniques that I ask you to do are all grounded in science. I’ve seen them work over and over, creating more joyful, resilient people. Nothing is more exciting for me than to watch that happen.
So are you ready for the task? This is going to be very simple and elementary, but do not underestimate the power of this activity.
Describe some good things that happened today. It does not have to be lottery-winning moments, but the small things. Maybe you heard from an old friend, or someone held the elevator a second longer than they had to, or a dog on the street stopped and wagged his tail for you. Writing them down begins the process of re-training your brain.
- Today’s first happy moment was?
- Now move to second..
- And think hard — what was the last surprise hit of the day?
This activity can help you:
– Combat your innate “negativity bias”
– Reduce feelings of sadness or hopelessness
– Feel better about your life
Why It Works
In a study a group of people was asked to practice this gratitude exercise every day for one week. Even though the exercise lasted just one week, at the one-month follow-up, participants were happier and less depressed than they had been at baseline, and they stayed happier and less depressed at the three- and six-month follow-ups.
This practice primes our mind for gratitude, and helps overcome the brain’s natural “negativity bias”, a phenomenon by which we are wired to give more weight to negative rather than positive experiences or other kinds of information.
Why not do this activity for next 21 days and see the results for yourself? You can write it on a separate journal or a diary or simply on a notepad or email yourself everyday. I encourage you to start now.
If you wish success and happiness for your friends and family and want to bring them along with you on this path of self-healing and self-improvement then do share this page with them.
If you want a more focused one-on-one training contact me at [email protected]
Yours Loving,
Tejas.