In the modern chaos of incoming news and information, sometimes it is challenging to keep a positive mindset and feed our minds in a nurturing way. It’s the same as with a diet — if you eat rubbish food you might not look the best. The same is with our mindset. If you hone only negative news, the world might seem hostile and unpleasant.
How to cope with all of this overwhelming negativity?
Cut off the stream of negative news
It’s been over ten years since I stopped watching TV. Before, I watched the news daily to ‘keep myself well informed’. But the news on TV is selective. It is rare to find there positive information. Overflown with horrible details and pictures, you might get a little bit depressed. A ‘news diet’ might be helpful in such a situation.
You don’t have to go wild, like me, and live in so-called by me ‘blessed ignorance’. I assumed that at the moment, I can’t fix all the world’s problems and should focus on my well-being, to serve in a good way my community, however I can.
‘News diet’ might consist of a reduction of watching and reading news or choosing a particular day in a week where you don’t watch or read anything pessimistic.
Feed your mind with positivity
If you keep feeding your mind with drastic images and information, it will freak out. You can expect stress and all related to stress problems. That’s why having a ‘balanced information diet’ is so important. You can listen to relaxing music or energising you and evoking pleasant memories. Youtube is full of inspirational videos. Fed for a long time with depressing news, you could feel small, insignificant, like a drop in the ocean. Motivational articles, books, and videos can slowly allow you to regain your power and will.
Go back to your childhood dreams
We were all dreaming about nice things happening. Let it be a perfect job, sports achievements, or other extraordinary things. Life usually put aside all or most of them. Are you afraid to dream at presence? If still wishful for things and events to happen, do you put these thoughts aside and try to be ‘reasonable’?
Maybe it is time to start dreaming. Allow yourself a few minutes a day to dream about things you would like to do. Then think for a while — how to do this on a small scale? Taking the first steps might be scary and unprofessional, and you might fear being ridiculous. In such case, keep it your secret, or name it a new hobby. Sometimes these dreams will lead you to action — make it manageable, and actions bring results!
I remember starting to write short scripts. Many people from my environment (without reading any of my stuff) assumed that I could not become a screenwriter. Doubts fed my mind; only my new attitude allowed me to try.
During the last two years, I won around 300 film festival awards and nominations for my scripts and short films based on my writings. And guess what? These films are not perfect. So far, all are shot with mobile phones. If I kept listening to naysayers, I would miss this artistic activity. The naysayers still don’t believe in me. There are even conspiracy theories that I let someone design the awards certificates.
That’s where we are going to another point.
Change your environment
You will need to cut the contacts with negative people. If all you have from them is discouragement instead of encouragement, if they complain about everything — reducing contacts is the best to keep or get a positive mindset and sanity. Try to cut off from negative people with bad habits and negative perspectives.
Stop worrying and live your day in the best possible way
Once I was the master of complaining and forecasting bad news. For example, I bought a bracelet with lava stones. It was beautiful, but soon I started to worry that one of the giant volcanoes would erupt, and we will all die because of ashes covering the earth for long months and keeping sunlight aside. Sounds paranoid?
According to scientists, such a scenario is possible, but would I be happier without knowing this? Probably! I realized I got slightly mad when I caught myself on such thoughts. The solution was to cut complaining and to put aside worries. It doesn’t mean not coping with problems. Worrying about things that might happen in a few centuries distance or a few thousands of centuries is a bit silly.
Trying to get the best out of each day can help you live a happier life. If you feed your mind this way with positive events, like a chat with a friend or a walk with a loved person, your experiences will add up with time and contribute to a better mindset.
