How to Train Your Brain to Stop Focusing on the Negative

by Valerie Dorn

Can Gratitude Actually Rewire Your Brain's Negativity Bias?

Our brains are wired to pay more attention to the negative in order to keep us alive. Unfortunately, this means that it takes conscious effort and practice to train our mind to pay attention to the positive. The good news is that the brain is constantly changing, and new connections can be made every day. With practice, you can train your brain to be more positive. How?

Gratitude. This is a powerful tool to train your brain to notice what is good, both inside and outside of you. One of the simplest ways to get started is by setting aside a few minutes each day to think about, or ideally, write down what you are grateful for. If you are not sure what to write or feel stuck, you might consider starting with a gratitude journal, a gratitude phone app, or free prompts you can find online.

Here are some prompts that can help you get started:

1. What is one thing that made you smile today?

2. List three things that went well in your day today.

3. What small, daily convenience are you taking for granted? (Ex: running water, electricity, car, clothes, shoes, coffee)

4. Who did you thank today and why?

5. What is a challenge you overcame that you are now grateful for?

6. Who has made a positive impact on your life, and what impact have they had?

7. What is a kind thing that someone did for you recently?

8. What is your favorite smell or taste?

9. What is a hobby that brings you peace or joy?

10. Who has been your greatest teacher, and what did you learn from them?

    
    

Benefits of Gratitude

Research has shown that gratitude not only helps counteract the brain’s negativity bias, it also has been shown to provide the following benefits (source: https://grateful.org/gratitude-research/):

1. Amplifies the good

2. Connects us to one another

3. Increases longevity

4. Improves sleep

5. Decreases loneliness

6. Decreases stress

How to Start a Gratitude Practice

Getting into the habit of practicing gratitude can be challenging. It helps to start small and pair your gratitude practice with something you already do every day. For example, you could keep a notebook and pen by your bed, and after you brush your teeth every night, you write three things you are grateful for in your journal. Or, when you wake up in the morning, before you get out of bed, write down three things you are grateful for. What is great about actually writing them down is that you can go back and review what you are grateful for over and over again. And if you find yourself stuck for ideas, you can review what you wrote the day before to get your gratitude juices flowing.

Once you have established a regular gratitude practice, you can consider expanding it. Now that you have trained your mind to look for things to be grateful for, you can try practicing gratitude throughout your day. Be on the lookout for kindness you either experience directly or witness others doing. Notice moments that you feel content, happy, or joyful, and take a moment to really let that experience land.

Another way to expand your gratitude practice is to choose one person every day to express your gratitude to. This can be as simple as saying “thank you” when someone holds the door open for you, or a car lets you merge in front of them, or letting a loved one know how much you appreciate them.

Before you know it, gratitude will become a part of who you are!

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Looking for more ways to train your brain to focus on the positive? Contact me today to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.