We’ve come to understand that positive emotions, in and of themselves, are critically important. Yet, we’re often pulled to the negative, within ourselves, regarding others, and about our circumstances. Many wise sages proclaim that this negativity bias is due to evolution, the need to always be on the lookout for threat and danger because, that’s what allowed us to survive. In other words, the human mind may be set up to seek and prepare for threats in the environment, things not going well. In modern life, however, this fear-based thinking and its attendant focus on the negative no longer serves us and can really trip us up.
This is not about simply putting on a happy face and covering over challenging emotions and experiences. It is more the awareness of the need for a balance of positive to negative emotion that that can contribute to the optimal functioning of the human being.
To access further meditations and get a Daily Dose of Calm in your inbox, sign-up here.
FREE 14-Day Series