It’s been said that the mind has approximately 60.000 to 80.000 thoughts per day. Pretty incredible, right? Since life is upside down at the moment, this involves a bit of a mind makeover as well. A lot has changed in terms of work and training schedules, but also in visiting (and hugging) friends and family. On top of that, you hope everyone stays as healthy as possible. How do you make sure you stay positive and find peace of mind in uncertain and tough times? In other words: is there a power of positive thoughts?
Negativity bias
Negative experiences seem to stick to your memory as though with superglue, for most of us the brain seems to store positive experiences less accurately. This is not surprising since most moments during the day are either neutral or positive (thank god). But when you have a negative experience, it will be stored in your implicit memory which is used for long-term human memory. How do we make sure we don’t forget the good things in life?
Happy brain training
Several studies have shown that positive thinking training (PTT) - training which focuses on how to challenge negative thoughts – can contribute to better wellbeing (combating burnout, reducing stress, increasing quality of life). It contributes to balancing the accumulated negative thoughts. Rick Hanson, author of Buddha’s Brain and Resilient, describes steps in the way to do so.
1. Change positive events into positive experiences. Notice the good things that happen during your day. Has your roommate or loved one complimented you? Pay attention to it rather than deflect it.
2. Savor it, sense and intend. To remember an experience, such as when you ordered a take away dinner from your favorite restaurant this weekend, remind yourself to fully experience and feel it in the moment itself. Neurons who fire together, wire together. Try to actually be there in the moment so that your brain receives time to develop and capture this.
Get started with embracing the awareness of both sides and challenge it. Don’t avoid the negative thinking, it’s the creation that matters. Our brain likes to think a lot but be aware that this are your thoughts and not the reality. Make time to do something you love, talk to positive minded people, look after your amazing body and be thankful and proud of yourself every damn day.
Sources:
Bergeisen, M. (2010). Retrieved April 2020, from Greater Good Magazine: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_neuroscience_of_happiness
Dargahi, S.H., Mohsenzade F., Zahrakar, K. (2015). The Effect of Positive Thinking Training on Psychological Well-being and Perceived Quality of Marital Relationship on Infertile Women. Positive Psychology Research, 1, 45 – 57.
Lopez, S.J., Pedrotti, J.T., Snyder, C.R. (2018). Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths. Thousand Oaks, CA, United States. SAGE Publications.
Mousavi, E. , Esmaeili, A., Shahid Saless, S. (2015). The Effect of Positive Thinking on Quality of Life and Resiliency of Cancer Patients. Int J Med, 3, 24-27.
QUARANTINE TIPS FOR THE WEEK:
1. TO LEARN
• London real – Brian Rose
• Found my fitness – Rhonda Patrick
• Happy Hour – Fearne Cotton
2. TO LISTEN
• Ibrahim Maalouf – Beirut (YouTube)
• Dirty Old Vinyl (Soundcloud)
• Leon Bridges Radio (Spotify)
3. TO READ
• Play – Stuart Brown
• Verslaafd aan Liefde – Jan Geurtz
• The Decision Book - Mikael Krogerus
4. TO BINGE WATCH
• The Design of Art
• Mindhunter
• State of Happiness
5. TO SEE
• Chasing Excellence
• Django Unchained
• Lion
According to our PPG team and trainers