Why Is It Harder for Some People to Deal with Negativity than Others?

Negativity Negative Cortisol Serotonin

Just like the negative image in this blog, we all take on negatives at times...Are you aware when they enter? Have you ever considered that negativity works against you? If you are unaware of ways negatives affect your well being, there’s a good chance that you fall prey to the web of negativity daily. Fact is, when you fall prey to negativity you cannot easily deal with it.

To test this out, try an experiment for a day. How many times did events spur a negative comment from you or cause you to feel like a fish face or steam on the inside? And…how many times did your self-talk include words like, “I’m not smart enough to...” “I can’t possibly…” “Other people can do this well, but I’m not as smart…” “I’m not up to…” “I just don’t have skills to…” Keep track of how many times you respond negatively throughout your day. This will give you a quick idea of where you stand. At the same time you become more aware of your own negativity, you will also notice how others give positive or negative responses.

Why should you fight against negativity in your life? Please consider these outcomes of positive and negative actions and reactions:

Positives enhance -- Negatives destroy
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Encouragement "lifts up" -- Criticism "puts down"

Mercy forgives or pardons -- Judgments accuse condemn

Positives bring Serotonin to the brain a hormone of well being -- Negatives bring Cortisol a hormone that shuts you down

Positives lead you to achieve goals – Negatives bring regrets and lost hopes

What do these mean to you? How can you escape negativity’s quagmire? I suggest you pry yourself loose and enjoy more positive results by intentionally changing your reactions. Over a week consider the difference in the way others react to you. You'll discover more Serotonin, the hormone that brings you well being.

For great strategies to overcome negatives, Check out Ellen Weber's excellent advice:

How to Work with Difficult People

Does Negative Reinforcement Still Come to the Water Cooler at Work?

Back news Brings Bad Business to Your Firm – Why Not Start Your Day with Serotonin for Success

Brian Norris and Career Planning provide excellent tips on how to deal with negatives in the workplace. Norris provides great tools for managers to overcome negativity:

1. Take control of your reality
2. Develop a positive attitude – it is the foundation for employees sense of reality
3. Hold “bitch” session and ask for two solutions for every problem presented
4. Moderate the flow of gossip
5. Confront the behavior

Leaders at Career Planning discovered that at times negativity can be a a “good” thing since negativity “brings existing problems out of the darkness.” But, organizations can’t stay in the dark and prosper, so forward thinking leaders are advised to:

1. Make sure your criticism is constructive – offer solutions
2. Take action
3. Don’t fix what isn’t broken

If negativity darkened your image in past, why not develop a new picture?