Importance of negative thoughts.
Positivity all the time? Not necessarily. If you constantly push away negative emotions, it can make things worse for you. How to maintain a balanced mix of positive and negative thoughts.
"Think positive," "Focus on the good things," "You need to be optimistic" - you've likely heard these phrases many times. If you're on social media, you've probably encountered the hashtag #goodvibesonly too. It signifies "only good vibes" or "only positive feelings."
There's even a name for this extreme form of positive thinking: toxic positivity. It refers to harmful positivity or optimism. Two experts decipher why negative emotions are crucial and how overdoing positive thinking can do more harm than good.
There are ten good emotions, as explained by Dorothee Salchow. She's a coach based in Hamburg and a lecturer at the Society for Positive Psychology. They are:
- Pleasure
- Inspiration
- Joy
- Serenity
- Awe
- Hope and confidence
- Pride
- Interest in the world
- Gratitude
- Love and affection
"Most people are aware of positive emotions and how to handle them," Salchow says. But negative emotions are often overlooked. However, it's essential to embrace all feelings, she adds. There are various reasons for this.
Ignoring Negative Feeling Won't Make It Better
Salchow uses an analogy to explain this: "If you suppress negative feelings, they go down into the cellar and work out. Eventually, they come back stronger." Another metaphor: "If you try to push negative emotions underwater, they'll resurface with force." If you keep trying to suppress your negative feelings, you risk creating a vicious cycle in which they become more potent.
Astrid Schütz, a professor at the University of Bamberg and head of the Chair of Personality Psychology and Psychological Diagnostics, agrees. She, too, talks about the rebound or white-beard effect, which happens when you try to suppress negative emotions. "If you tell someone not to think about a pink elephant, they won't think about anything else," Schütz explains. "It's the same with negative emotions."
The constant suppression of negative feelings also leads to stress. "You're mentally exerting yourself," Schütz says. "In severe cases, you can even work yourself into burnout." Negative emotions are crucial for another reason: "Negativity is part of life. We wouldn't appreciate the positive as much if it weren't for the contrast with the negative."
Negative emotions also serve a purpose throughout history: emotions like fear, anger, sadness, and shame have signaled danger for humans. Shame warns against social exclusion, fear warns against danger, and anger highlights injustice or protects a personal value. Therefore, engaging with negative feelings is crucial. However, don't dwell on them too much because of the negativity bias, which means we perceive negative emotions more intensely. To achieve emotional balance, Salchow suggests having three times more positive emotions than negative ones.
Instagram and other social media platforms often only show the good side of people's lives. "Social media acts as an amplifier for phenomena like toxic positivity," says Schütz. It spreads messages like #goodvibesonly quickly and efficiently.
So it's critical to maintain a balance between positive and negative emotions offline. Here's how: engage in mindfulness practices that help you accept and acknowledge all your feelings. Be present, be aware, and accept your feelings, even the negative ones, without dwelling on them. Then, strive for positive experiences. So remember, all feelings are welcome - #allfeelingsarewelcome.
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In the realm of personal development, it's essential to acknowledge and embrace both positive and negative emotions, as suppressing negative feelings can actually strengthen them and potentially lead to stress or burnout. This perspective is supported by psychologists like Dorothee Salchow and Astrid Schütz, who highlight the importance of engaging with negative feelings and maintaining a balance between positive and negative emotions.
Furthermore, addressing and understanding negative emotions can provide valuable insights, as these emotions have historically served a purpose in signaling danger or injustice for humans. Therefore, it's beneficial to employ mindfulness practices that help individuals accept and acknowledge all their feelings, instead of relying on extreme forms of positive thinking that can lead to toxicity.
Source: www.ntv.de
