Have you ever noticed that when your brain is cycling through memories of your past, it often seems to pick negative experiences to highlight? Have you noticed that when you think about the future, it is often easier to think of reasons to be negative rather than positive? And have you noticed that one bad experience tends to make the rest of the day seem less enjoyable?
We are guessing that you have, in fact, noticed those things. Why? Because our brains seem to lean into something called “negativity bias.”
And why would that be the case? The article we linked to above explains it this way:
Negativity bias is thought to be an adaptive evolutionary function (Cacioppo & Berntson, 1999; Vaish et al., 2008; Norman et al., 2011). Thousands of years ago, our ancestors were exposed to immediate environmental threats that we no longer need to worry about – predators, for example – and being more attentive to these negative stimuli played a useful role in survival.
So, our negativity bias appears to have developed as a way to keep our ancestors safe in the distant past. In the present, however, the same negativity bias can keep you awake at night replaying an embarrassing moment from the day—or from years and years ago—over and over in your head.
Negativity bias can be problematic for most anyone, but it can be a particular danger to a person who is in recovery from a substance use disorder. That’s because persistent negative emotions or thoughts can chip away at the foundations of your recovery and put you at risk of experiencing a relapse.
That means you need some strategies for lessening the impact of your negativity bias. We have some suggestions.
Taking Time to Focus on the Positive
To combat negativity bias, it is important to be intentional about focusing on the positive in your life. That might seem easier said than done, but there are some things you can do to get headed in the right direction.
We suggest getting in the habit of noting when something good happens. It does not have to be something big (though it could be). A nice chat with your barista or the completion of a project at work or a pretty sunset—all of these and many, many more are the kinds of things we often let slip past us without appreciating them. It is better to take a moment to savor these things because it is a good reminder of just how many positive experiences you likely have each day.
You could take this practice a step further by keeping a gratitude journal. The approach to journaling involves jotting down three things you are grateful for at the end of the day. Those three things could include the good moments you noted during the day, or they could be more general—and there is no rule against being grateful for the same thing on more than one day.
Another good strategy for switching your orientation away from negativity and toward positivity is employing affirmations—uplifting and encouraging statements you can repeat to yourself whenever it might be helpful to insert some good vibes into your inner narrative. We wrote about the power of affirmations and gave some examples in this previous post.
Mindfulness practice can also be an effective way to interrupt the brain’s tendency to shine a spotlight on negative aspects of our lives. The practice is a simple one—basically, sitting quietly and focusing on your breathing—but it can help you get in the habit of being in the present moment rather than ruminating about the past or worrying about the future. We have written about mindfulness in more detail in this previous post.
The long and short of all this is that you want to take every opportunity to focus on the positive parts of your life, whether big or small. Indeed, noticing the small things can be just as—if not more—fulfilling as celebrating bigger moments. Each time you bring your attention to something positive, you are limiting the impact of the negativity bias—and protecting your recovery.
We Are Positive We Can Help You
You will not encounter negativity from the staff at Wooded Glen Recovery Center. Instead, you will find a spirit of empathy, a commitment to evidence-based practices, and an impressive combination of experience and expertise. We are positive we can help you leave drugs or alcohol behind so that you can reclaim your life and pursue your goals again.
Located in Henryville, Indiana, Wooded Glen Recovery Center has been recognized as one of the top substance use recovery facilities in the country. You can count on us to provide personalized care as we see you through medically supervised detoxification and our rehabilitation program that includes treatment for co-occurring mental health disorders. And you can count on our commitment to providing ongoing support and resources as your recovery journey gets underway.
Few things are more negative than a substance use disorder—and few things are more positive than getting the treatment you need. We look forward to helping you start living your life again.