I read this article yesterday, to discuss in a Mastermind group I do with a group of friends
My Highlights:
According to Dr. Hanson, depressive people have brains that are like Velcro for the negative and Teflon for the positive, they glom on to the bad stuff, while letting the good stuff slide past.
This resonates a lot with me, could be a description of my default state of being. I have done a lot of work on myself and improved but that’s where I fall to as a baseline. Surely I understood that I can change it.
think of these dedicated sessions as gym time for my mind to strengthen its positive networks.
Much like training a muscle, seeing the bright side of things is a matter of practice, there are times where things are going well and all we see around us are the positives, but learning to influence this things even when we are now at our best is a great skill
she just appreciates that I’m doing something to proactively tackle one of my issues, that’s the real secret of marital happiness — you never have to become perfect or completely overcome your problem, your spouse just wants you to acknowledge the issue and see that you’re earnestly trying to work on it.
Effort and trying is a big thing
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This morning I tried doing the experiment proposed in the article.
Have a positive experience Enrich it Absorb it Link it
I’m in my bed with my family. The AC gives me a nice temperature, I can touch them. I feel somehow refreshed despite having slept 6 hours, I’m into a Dexter rewatch and it’s shifting my bed time 🩸 . I need to wake up to have a call at 8:30 in the Monday morning, I proposed that time and day. Instead of cursing myself I enjoy what it means, kickstarting the week talking to my friends for the mastermind, a good dose of positivity and intellectual stimulation. I’m glad I have this going on.
Somehow trying to things about the positive side comes easier and feel less artificial than other practices like gratitude. Maybe because is more of a mental model, and I like that.
Lately I’m thinking about all the negatives and difficulties of a project I’m about to launch, but I can twist it and think about all the good! I have the possibility to shape it how I like, to learn a lot, to change my mind if needed. Having full responsibility, I can stay in my badass office and create my future and my possibilities. This is a dream for most people, I can do I and I’m not expressing this gift.
I always thought most of life is about mindset, but while I tried to invert my velcro/teflon default I lacked something simple to apply. I’ll try this out for a while