Negativity is a powerful force. When you find yourself in a headspace in which all your thoughts are pessimistic, you may notice it has a direct impact on the people around you. While it is impossible for most humans to exude sunshine and roses every single hour of the day, allowing yourself to be in a negative space for too long may permanently sour your relationships. This is especially true of the people you live with, such as family members and significant others. To avoid driving people crazy, you need to take action.
Exhibiting love while in a negative space can be very difficult. To make a conscious effort to show the people around you how much you care, consider these small adjustments.
Break the Cycle
More often than not, negative thinking is part of a cycle. Perhaps all of your romantic relationships end with you pushing your partner away emotionally until he or she leaves for good. Recognizing the pattern is an important first step, but you also must make a concerted effort to stop falling into the same traps. Unfortunately, this can be easier said than done. Many patterns begin in childhood and recur in other relationships over the course of your life. To truly break the cycle, it can be helpful to consult with a professional, such as a therapist.
Visiting with a psychologist is one option, but there are additional routes to consider. Some find that speaking with a religious official like a priest or rabbi can be helpful. What matters is you follow a path that you believe will help you. By staying open to the experience and feeling comfortable with your decision, you are more likely to see success from your efforts.
Learn To Hold Your Tongue
People who have a lot of negative thoughts tend to share them openly. Getting problems off your chest now and then is definitely a healthy way to cope with strife, but constantly spewing negativity is a whole different story. Though it may be difficult at first, showing love to those around you while in a negative space starts with holding your tongue. Whenever you feel the impulse to respond with a negative thought or opinion, keep it to yourself. You may notice it improves the overall flow of conversation and helps you feel a bit less low.
Emotions are contagious, for lack of a better word. When you exhibit a strong emotional response, other people around you will start to feel it. After all, there’s a very good reason for the saying “misery loves company.” Constantly dragging friends and family members down with you will cause them to stop seeking interactions with you. Most people don’t enjoy being unwillingly brought into negative thought patterns. Holding your tongue and controlling your responses can help to improve the connections you have with the people who matter most.
Recognize the Positive
Your headspace is usually dictated by how you process the information you observe of the world around you. When you perceive everything as negative or terrible, then you subconsciously start to process everything you see or hear in such a way. By recognizing this and choosing to respond differently, you can start to shift your attitude. Instead of feeling anger at someone who cut you off on the road, for example, try to look for an instance of a motorist being kind. Seeking out the positive has a way of making you feel a bit less downtrodden.
There is no magic spell that can keep you from experiencing negative thoughts or falling into low moods now and again. Still, recognizing negativity as a pattern and exploring different ways of coping with it can help your emotional state immensely. Take small steps and learn which adjustments will help you grow in a healthy way.