“I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.” - Mark Twain
Worry seems to be a common affliction for humans that most creatures on earth don’t experience. Every day we receive dozens if not hundreds of information inputs that elicit various thoughts and emotions. In difficult economic times or with personal challenges, we can unintentionally drift toward seeing the negative aspect of all the media reports as well as in conversations with family, friends and business associates. As illustrated by the “housing bubble” before it burst, we can also at times see only positive aspects; however most of us usually err toward negativity.
“Don’t worry, be happy” was the name of a song by Bobby McFerrin a few years ago. It’s a great song but in practice it’s a long leap from “worry” to “happy”. A more effective approach is to go to neutral. Take in information from the media and people around you but then be aware of how you are feeling about that information. The more intense the emotion it arouses the more of a signal for you to go to neutral. Whether it is a positive or negative reaction; it is only information. As you process that information and consider the story you are telling yourself about it you will likely see that you could tell yourself the opposite story and when you reach that point you are already at neutral. From there it is much simpler to calm the emotions and regain rational thought to choose an appropriate response rather than getting caught in a downward spiral of negativity, worry and fear. Although greatly oversimplified, being able to regularly get to neutral before responding is an indicator of good emotional intelligence. High emotional intelligence is a strong predictor of success in work as well as life in general.
Have a neutral day!
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