To put it plainly, people are exceedingly negative. Everywhere, all of the time. I was listening to a podcast and the creator actually bluntly said, “I live to complain.” These sorts of things are not often acknowledged in a defeatist way as they are so commonly and easily said. But, it is important to acknowledge just how detrimental only shedding light on the poor aspects of life can be. Mindset and health are more connected than we think they are. Focusing on negative thoughts can increase levels of anxiety and depression, as well as affect our physical health by raising blood pressure and causing resistance against healing from an illness.
I am sitting at a coffee shop right now. There is a line for the bathroom. This lady walks up to a man, “Is this the line for the bathroom?” The man replies, “Yeah, there is a line for everything here.” With no hesitation, the complaint came out. Her response? “Yeah, but you can’t complain because it is so great.”
She went on to describe how great a sunday morning on Pearl street is. It is so easy to change your mindset and think about all of the good and positive things that are around us. For example, right now, sitting in this lovely coffee shop, the song Don’t Stop Believing by Journey is playing — I can’t help but tap my foot and nod my head to the beat. I hear laughs in the midst of all of the conversations that people are having, their genuine interactions, and every few minutes, a pause as everyone listens to the name that is being yelled out for someone to come to the window and pick up their order — I can’t help but think about how excited that person must be, their delicious coffee is ready and they now get to sit and enjoy it. I smell the warm coffee and pastries. I see the sun shining outside and into the windows and I remember, it is beginning to get warmer. I will soon get to wear a cute skirt and my tank top that has been folded up on the shelf in my closet for the past few months. And, I get to sit here and write. With no other care in the world. I am here, now.
With this, I understand that when you only seek out the negative, you only see the negative. If it is the only thing that you notice, there will be no positivity to be found anywhere. When you look for the good things, there they are, all around you. It is an odd thing really. Simply mind tricks. It is amazing. We are truly capable of deciding how our day will go, if it will be good or bad. Sure, some unfortunate things are unavoidable, but if you try, at least a little bit, to find the good, it will be there, I promise, and the bad may just be that much easier to handle.