negative thinking Archives - Amazing Health Advances https://amazinghealthadvances.net/tag/negative-thinking/ Your hub for fresh-picked health and wellness info Wed, 30 Dec 2020 00:07:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://amazinghealthadvances.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/AHA_Gradient_Bowl-150x150.jpg negative thinking Archives - Amazing Health Advances https://amazinghealthadvances.net/tag/negative-thinking/ 32 32 The Brain Science Behind Why the Negative Affects Us So Much & How to Get Out of a Toxic Thinking Spiral https://amazinghealthadvances.net/the-brain-science-behind-why-the-negative-affects-us-so-much-how-to-get-out-of-a-toxic-thinking-spiral-7030/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-brain-science-behind-why-the-negative-affects-us-so-much-how-to-get-out-of-a-toxic-thinking-spiral-7030 https://amazinghealthadvances.net/the-brain-science-behind-why-the-negative-affects-us-so-much-how-to-get-out-of-a-toxic-thinking-spiral-7030/#respond Wed, 30 Dec 2020 08:00:36 +0000 http://amazinghealthadvances.net/?p=10662 Dr. Caroline Leaf – As I discuss in this podcast (episode #239) and blog, the brain has a natural optimism bias—we are what I call “wired for love”. This means that when we are connected to others in deep and meaningful ways, and when we are satisfied with where we are in life and where we are going (even if we have ups and downs, which are normal!), we can function at a healthy level. The brain likes it when we are in a good place! If this is so, why does the negative seem so…overwhelming? Why do bad things and bad people tend to stick to our mind like super glue? Why is it so easy to fall into negative thinking spirals? The negative affects us more because it is so unusual. Think about the many noises you hear at night: cars driving by your home, the chittering of crickets, the hum of the washing machine or refrigerator—these sounds are “normal” and don’t disturb your sleep because you are used to them. But, if you hear a door quickly open or a window break, you are suddenly on high alert. Something is out of place/out of balance, and your attention will stay fixed on that noise until you figure out what is going on and if you are safe. The negative is like this out-of-place noise: it doesn’t make sense and your brain is not happy about this imbalance, so it tries to figure out how to fix this situation. It is easy to fix all your attention on this abnormality until it does make sense, but this can have some serious mental and physical repercussions if we are not careful, because, over time, toxic rumination disrupts the energy flow in the brain. Whatever we think about the most grows! As I mentioned above, when we think too negatively or just focus on the bad (a pessimistic state of mind), the energy flow in the brain becomes distorted and incoherent, which can result in inflammation in the brain and body, jumps in cortisol levels, digestive issues, heart problems, mood swings and so on. In fact, this state of mind, which is what is known as a “red brain” on qEEG scans, can even activate weaknesses in our genetic code! And, over time, it can become a pessimistic thinking habit—the more we think this way, the more the world seems like a terrible place. Thankfully, we can combat and heal the effects of focusing too much on the negative by self-regulating our mind, which is how we think, feel and choose—I discuss this in detail in my new book, Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess. When we learn how to control our mind, we can rebalance the chemicals and energy in the brain and combat the negative health effects of toxic rumination. This doesn’t mean that we should fear negativity. It is normal to have negative thoughts and experience uncomfortable emotions. If we think we are happy all the time, then we are lying to ourselves—we are suppressing the negative, which will only make things worse. Rather, we need to change the way we perceive the negative. We need to see negative thoughts and feelings as signals that something is going on in our lives that needs to be addressed; there is an “out-of-place noise” in our mental house that we need to get to the root of. This means asking questions like “why I am so pessimistic?”, “what are my triggers?”, “how does the negative affect me?” and “what is the thinking pattern behind my thoughts and feelings, and how can I change or rewire this?”. The brain changes all the time because it is neuroplastic. The great news is that you can direct this change with your mind (your thinking, feeling, and choosing). You are always thinking, which is why self-regulation is such a great habit—it gives you the tools to control your mind! Based on decades of research and practice, I developed a self-regulation method that harnesses the neuroplastic nature of the brain through specific techniques to combat the negative influence of toxic rumination, which we examined in our most recent clinical trials and I discuss in Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess. Although there is a lot going on behind the scenes when you self-regulate your thinking and manage your mind, the process itself is not only simple but also accessible, no matter where you are, who you are with or what you are doing: 1. When you find yourself getting trapped in a toxic thinking spiral, take a 10 second pause, for as many times as you need. I recommend deep breathing during this pause, which helps bring brain energy back into balance. Breathe in for 3 counts (say, mentally or out loud, “think, feel”), then breathe out for 7 counts (say mentally or out loud, “choooooooose”). This is like a reset button in the brain, and will increase your decision-making ability and clarity of mind. Indeed, doing this 6 to 9 times can really reorganize chemical chaos that results from negative thinking in the brain by transferring this energy from the toxic thinking pattern to cleaning up your mental mess! 2. Do a NeuroCycle, which is the self-regulation technique I developed centered on my research and practice with the Switch On Your Brain 5-Step Learning Process©. Here are the steps: Gathering awareness of your physical and emotional warning signals. We can only change what we are aware of! Reflecting on why you are feeling these things in your body and mind. Writing down your reflections to organize your thinking. Rechecking what you have written and how your thoughts and feelings have changed. Active Reach: taking action to reconceptualize your thinking and find sustainable healing. If you do this daily for 63 days, you can actually rewire a negative thinking habit or a pessimistic mindset, as I discuss in detail my new book Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess. Each of these steps essentially reset the brain, taking you deeper into your own mind and transferring energy from toxic to healthy. Doing this not only makes your mind and brain more resilient to the pull of negative rumination; it teaches you to use your mind to change your brain! It shows you how to make negativity and life challenges work for you and not against you—YOU TAKE CONTROL, which will have positive carryover effects in other areas of your life. When you learn how to self-regulate your thinking, you change the energy flow in the brain, which has a host of positive effects on your wellbeing. You still have negative thoughts, of course, but they don’t control your thinking, you control them! To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Leaf click here.

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]]> https://amazinghealthadvances.net/the-brain-science-behind-why-the-negative-affects-us-so-much-how-to-get-out-of-a-toxic-thinking-spiral-7030/feed/ 0 The Debilitating Illness Created from Negative Thinking https://amazinghealthadvances.net/the-debilitating-illness-created-from-negative-thinking-6645/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-debilitating-illness-created-from-negative-thinking-6645 https://amazinghealthadvances.net/the-debilitating-illness-created-from-negative-thinking-6645/#respond Thu, 25 Jun 2020 07:00:49 +0000 http://amazinghealthadvances.net/?p=9070 Lori Clarkson via NaturalHealth365 – New research has revealed a link between negative thinking and an incurable illness affecting millions of Americans. While negative thinking has already been linked to mental illness such as depression and anxiety, new research is showing that the way we think is also affecting cognition problems. Cognitive decline is becoming increasingly common with the elderly and some younger populations. Dementia is currently affecting 5.8 million Americans, and the numbers are rising each year. With no cures on the horizon (well, none reported on – check out Dale E. Bredesen, MD’s work for more), most simply accept their dire prognosis. We already know that simple nutrition changes and slow down the decline of these life-shattering illnesses. Now, exciting new research clearly shows us that we can avoid dementia by changing repetitive negative thought patterns. New Science Reveals the Impact of Repetitive Negative Thought Patterns on Cognition Two studies of over 360 participants discovered a link between cognitive decline problems such as Alzheimer’s and repetitive negative thinking. Throughout the research, they found a clear relationship between repetitive negative thinking (RNT) and the rate at which a participant’s cognition declined. RNT, in simple terms, is mulling over the past or worrying about the future.  This could present as worrying about what could happen, and self-sabotaging thoughts of what did or didn’t happen. Almost everyone does it, and no one is immune to damaging thoughts. Knowing that RNT already affected brain disorders such as depression and anxiety, the researchers were curious to discover how RNT affects those with more serious cognitive issues. They found that the proteins that prevalent in the brain in Alzheimer’s patients, built up at a much faster rate for those with persistent RNT throughout their lifetime. Dr. Gael Chételat, an author from the study stated,  “[l]ooking after your mental health is important, and it should be a major public health priority, as it’s not only important for people’s health and well-being in the short term, but it could also impact your eventual risk of dementia.” With a widespread focus on eating well and exercising to stay healthy – it’s now clear that focusing on the thoughts that you’re feeding your brain are just as essential to your overall health. What Causes Negative Thinking and How to Stop It Negative thinking is often an autopilot mechanism, and it can be tough to switch off. You might not even be aware that you’re doing it. Because the mental health realm is so vast and different to the individual, research into the specific thoughts that cause dementia hasn’t been completed Most of our thoughts and beliefs are programmed into us during our first seven years of life. This is when our subconscious is developing, and when our minds are most impressionable. Although we cannot control what happened to us during those years, as adults, we can change our negative thinking for the future with some effort. Here are the best ways to take control of your damaging thoughts. Meditation. How you meditate isn’t so important. You could do a guided, chakra, Nidra, mantra, or walking meditation. The purpose is to be able to create awareness and the ability to focus your energy on the one stimulus. If you can do this in meditation practice, you’ll recognize the times you slip into self-sabotaging narratives when life gets busy Hypnotherapy will help you fall into the desired brain wave state to impress on your subconscious mind the changes in thought patterns you’d like to create. If you struggle to meditate, working with a hypnotherapist until you regain control of your mind could be helpful. Regardless of where you’re at in life, taking control of your thoughts will help you in every aspect of your life. Anyone with a family member who has had dementia will know how much hardship it can bring to a family. Let’s prevent being harmed by negative thinking before it happens by choosing to feed the mind with more positive thoughts, as often as possible. Don’t forget, repetition is the key. Sources for this article include: Medicalnewstoday.com, Alz.org, Clinicaltrials.gov To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

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