Staying Positive in the Face of Negative Headlines
| 2 min read
Being exposed to a barrage of negative headlines can be scary and overwhelming. In fact, not being able to turn away can affect your mental health, leading to depression, anxiety and stress as a result of the constant coverage.
Research actually shows that we tend to pay more attention to negative information than we do positive. Negative news has been shown to draw stronger and more drawn-out reactions than positive news stories do. We tend to pay attention to bad news because we’re more worried about the outcome.
If you’re feeling down and out over negative news, consider these uplifting facts about the human condition:
- Our bodies are amazing. An adult heart beats about 100,000 times per day, pumping as much as 2,000 gallons of blood throughout the body.
- With age comes wisdom – and cake! About 18 million people will celebrate a birthday today. Make it count, savor the frosting and enjoy your day!
- We know how to find humor in the everyday. Adults will laugh an average of about 15 times today, although kids will laugh way more. Anyone know any good knock-knock jokes?
- “Every child begins the world again.” This Henry David Thoreau quote is beautiful, as are the approximately 350,000 babies born every day throughout the world.
- We care for furry family members. Approximately 3.2 million shelter animals are adopted annually and for good reason. Cats have the cognitive ability to sense and feel a human’s overall mood, while dogs can smell your feelings.
It’s easy to get wrapped up in the daily news and to be discouraged or upset by it because sometimes it is upsetting. Remembering that life is more than just the negative, even when that seems impossible, can help us focus our thoughts on what truly matters and continue to grow and flourish.
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Photo credit: Skynesher
