Doctor's Casebook: Cultivate a little positivity

Ongoing hostilities, climate change, the uncertain economic situation around the world, disasters, tragedies or atrocities.

It undoubtedly gets a lot of people down and makes for anxiety because it creates uncertainty.

It makes them want to avoid reading about or watching the news.

Well, avoiding the news is one way of dealing with it, yet you can’t do that indefinitely. We live in a digital age when the news will reach you one way or another.

I would say that avoidance behaviour is not a great way of dealing with anything.

If anxiety about something makes you avoid a situation, then really all you do is silently build up anticipatory anxiety to the point that you may develop a phobia.

Many people don’t let the news bother them. They seem to be able to stay positive no matter what is happening in the world.

That is because they have chosen to be positive. Anyone can actually do that, because you can choose to be positive.

Being positive is far better than being negative and feeling brow-beaten by bad news.

The thing is that negativity attracts more negativity.

When you feel surrounded by bad news just don’t allow yourself to believe that this is just how the world is.

Don’t let yourself think that you can’t do anything to brighten the situation.

The truth is you can choose to be positive and to stay positive despite what is happening around you in the world.

Don’t tell yourself that things are going to get worse.

Once you can get into positive mode then you will see that there are things you can do in your personal life that will brighten things up.

The other week I talked about looking at the night sky and allowing yourself to feel awe. That’s one way of doing it.

Start being positive, be a beacon of brightness for others.

Another way of doing this is to get out of blame culture. Don’t look for someone to blame, especially not for your situation. That will just allow yourself to stay negative.

Don’t wallow in negativity but be positive and move on.

Start telling yourself that you are a positive person.