Being negative may not seem all that serious until you become aware of the side effects. Sure, negative people have some social fall out since their negativity makes them tougher to be around, but there’s more to fear than being left off the guest list. There are physical and psychological affects that stem from negativity. Prolonged negativity can hurt you from the inside out. Take a look!
Common Psychological Reactions to Negativity
Whether you tend to be negative or live and work with negative people, you stand to experience some psychological trauma. That’s because negativity can affect our minds and bodies. When it comes to health, negativity can create an over production of stress-related hormones resulting in significant health issues. Negativity can also affect the brain and our mental health.
Depression is linked to negativity- Depression is often the result of consistent negativity. Whether it’s feeling hopeless or helpless, or sensing that life’s not worth the effort, generally negative thinking is the common denominator. To make things worse, the situation is cyclic. The negative thinking contributes to depression and the depression contributes to negative thinking. Breaking the pattern is the key to stopping how much negativity contributes to your mood.
Anxiety is linked to negativity- Negative thoughts or beliefs can raise levels of worry and fear. Once they set in, anxiety can affect your mind and body. Anxiety has physical symptoms including rapid heartbeat, sweating, and shallow breathing. It also can elevate worries until they are chronic or, in some cases, debilitating. In the same way depression and negativity are linked, fear and anxiety are often linked to negativity too. Breaking the cycle of negativity feeding anxiety will help.
Some personality disorders are linked to negativity- A personality disorder is a learned, deeply entrenched pattern of thinking and behavior that limits someone’s ability to manage themselves socially. The intensity and frequency of the thoughts and behaviors make it difficult to engage with others in a typical way. Some of the most common reasons people develop personality disorders are linked to chronic negativity. Either from within or by being subjected to negative people and situations for prolonged periods of time. Also, trauma can trigger some personality disorders, even if the trauma was for a short period of time.
Some typical negative-based personality disorders are:
- Borderline personality disorder
- Histrionic personality disorder
- Narcissistic personality disorder
If you or someone you love is exhibiting the symptoms of depression, anxiety or has a diagnosed personality disorder, be sure to consider how a negative mindset could be a contributing factor. The wonderful news is overcoming a negative mindset is possible. It’s easier than you may think to shift your mind from a pessimistic view to a more optimistic one.
