We are hardwired to pay attention to the negative. It allowed us to survive back in the caves and it was passed in our genes. We also suffer from the negative confirmation bias. We tend to focus on negative aspects of life that confirm how bad and stressful life is. We see the negative in ourselves and in others.
Although we do not control what we pay attention to, we can redirect our attention to the positive. This is called attention training.
This can rewire the circuitry in our brains now and in the future.
There are many techniques to train your attention. Some examples are:
- search for the silver lining
- choosing to see the positive in others
- developing positive go-to staples - something you go that makes you feel better. It can be a person, or something in the future you are eager to.
- practicing gratitude - be thankful for what you are, what you have and the people that are in your life. Grateful people recover more quickly from illness and injury. You can practice being grateful by writing about what your grateful about, writing grateful letters, paying gratitude visits and writing thank you notes.
Training you attention to focus on the positive even leads to improved immune system responses and better physical health!
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