Is Your Negative Environment Keeping You From Finding Yourself?

What does being positive have to do with finding oneself? Seeking the positive, (things that make you feel good.) and remaining positive are important to finding yourself because a positive environment is the soil in which our growth is planted. The quality of our soil determines the health of our personal growth and discovery. Our thoughts and the thought streams we are surrounded by determines where we grow and go in life.

One only has to look around and observe for a short time to see that we are exposed to a lot of negativity in the course of a day. It is no wonder that depression and related disorders are at an all time high. We turn on the news, we pick up a newspaper, we check our on-line resources, or engage in conversation and there it is. It can lead to feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, frustration and illness if we allow too much of this kind of information into our lives, however, to avoid this information can seem like work.

We are hard wired to be aware of the negative as part of our survival mechanism. If early man didn't observe the tiger in the brush he would soon be that tiger's lunch. That instinct that saved him draws us to the negatives in our environment today. However, today we can be drawn to negatives that are frankly none of our business. Talk shows often thrive on the misery of others and we as an audience are drawn in. This instinctual draw can lead us not to safety but to the destruction of our emotional and physical wellbeing. We can become overwhelmed by our own negative environments and this can make us feel lost.

There is an old adage, "Much yields more." If we focus on the things that make us upset and frustrated then what we will get is more upset and frustrated. In the long run that will be passed on to the people we work and live with and mirrored back to us.

Negativity is contagious. If we live or work in an environment that always brings doubt, fear and anger into the mix we will start to feel doubtful, fearful and angry. So how do we protect ourselves when the negativity is around us daily? You can cancel it out with louder more positive voices and eliminate media sources that put you on overload.

If you don't get support at home or in your work environment buy a book on cd or download it and listen to it during drive time, when you are getting ready for work or when you are taking a walk. You will be surprised how this exposure will help your journey. You can find positive affirmations, books on spirituality or living a better life, self-mastery or self-improvement and listen and read those kinds of things daily. Especially before bed and before you start your day.

If you must listen to the news, try listening at lunch, so you have the rest of the day to process the information. Starting the day with the news can effect the day negatively from the get go and watching it before bed can send you off to dream land with some pretty fitful images.

Use an online news source filter that helps you sort through the daily news with your area of interest filter so you don't have to be overwhelmed by the grizzly and fear inducing stories that have a negative effect on you.

Stopping the media from bringing you down is easy, just turn off the set, change the channel and put the article down. Avoiding the negative thoughts within your own mind and the negativity of the people we love is a lot harder.

The following tactics can neutralize their effects.

• 1.) Become aware. Listen to the thoughts you have and to the comments from people around you. Are they pessimistic, judgmental, and needless?
• 2.) Decide if the negative thought or comment serves you or brings you down? Venting has its place but if venting is all you do then it isn't serving you. Listening to it isn't serving you either, so limit the time spent doing both. On the flip side, discounting comments simply because they are negative isn't the purpose. Just because something is negative doesn't mean it is needless. Perhaps it is your inner voice telling you to be aware or someone telling you information that could serve you.
• 3.) Develop the ability to accept what you can't change and change what you can to make your life better.
• 4.) If you observe yourself being negative. You will know because you will feel agitated or stressed or upset while you are being negative. Stop and re-frame the comment in a positive light or immediately give thanks for something that is going right in your life or the lives of those around you.
• 5.) If you are ill or otherwise exhausted to the point you don't feel you can be positive take a moment and write 5-10 positive comments, affirmations or prayers on 5X8 cards and keep them with you. Read them at the beginning and end of the day and in between as needed. The positive vibe will eventually sink in and help you feel better about life in general.
• 6.) Listen to music in your favorite genre with an ear to the message. Is the message positive or negative? Experiment with music that has a message that encourages you to find your own voice.

The real secret to self discovery is to remember that you are a living organism, not just your mind. Living organisms are a product of Nature. Nature's prime directive is to expand, grow and be more. Negativity holds you back. Finding yourself depends on you cultivating a secure and positive environment for change and growth.