Is Chronic Negativity the Next Pandemic?

Perspective is an interesting thing. It is the view from where we stand at a moment in time and how we subsequently assign meaning to what we see. Whilst the immediate confusion and panic of surviving a global health crisis has passed, the uncertainty of navigating a world that has entered a state of meta- or perma-crises is still very much our reality.

Life and work has never been more stressful, unhealthy, unhappy and complex: 1 in 4 South Africans live with depression; 8 in 10 employees struggle with their overall health and well-being; globally 60% of employees, 64% of managers and 75% of of C-suite leaders are considering quitting their job to look for another role that better supports their wellbeing. How do we stop chronic overwhelm and negativity from becoming the next pandemic?

Shift perspective

If you are feeling the downward pull of negativity, take a breath and elevate your thinking with one of these perspective-honing tools.

1. Perspective is not truth but a singular view. Challenge yourself to see a bigger picture and intentionally choose a different perspective to view the situation from. Chaos from one angle, can become an orderly pattern from another. Perspective-taking is a critical leadership skill that improves the quality of your decision making in the process. Training yourself to see complex systems and their inter-connections reveals new patterns in data and in turn, pathways to action that weren’t previously visible.

2. Check your assumptions. If perspective taking feels challenging, your assumptions about the situation could be limiting you. Catch and examine a recurring thought by asking “is it true?” A thought might be something like “why does everything have to be so difficult all the time?” Get curious and ask, is it 100% true that “EVERYTHING is so difficult ALL the time?” This helps you isolate what is difficult and craft a plan around that, while introducing enough doubt to the brain to release its hold on that very fixed and limiting view. Replace it with something more accurate yet affirming like “[insert very specific issue] is challenging right now, but I have a plan.”

3. Know your brain. Brains can’t distinguish their thinker’s thoughts as fact or fiction. In the brain, repetition becomes reality. Practice good hygiene with your self-talk and thoughts to ensure that you spiral your thinking, feelings and actions, up and not down. Your brain isn’t calmed by hearing that everything is going to be alright, it is calmed by knowing that there is a plan. In the absence of a plan, make one and then get busy practicing gratitude: it floods the brain with calming chemicals and opens pathways throughout the brain. Simply put: fear inhibits thinking and practicing or receiving gratitude optimises thinking.

4. Find north. Instability invites you to calibrate your inner compass - to know and be certain of yourself without judgement or comparison - especially in uncertain times. Negativity takes hold when the load on your mind or body is too great to bear. Manage your load: accept that you are a finite and precious resource, and leaking energy on things outside of your control or influence, diminishes both your experience and impact in the world. Ghandi so poignantly said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Get clear on what matters deeply to you and invest energy in that. Remember your values, your boundaries, what energises and drains you, and when you meet yourself in inevitable moments of modern-living loneliness, show up with unwavering loyalty as your own best friend. Practice asking,“what’s the kindest thing I can do for myself right now…"

5. Connection is key. Negativity is our brain and body’s response to a feeling of disconnection. It is a way of expressing what our minds may be suppressing: that we’re misaligned with what matters to us. Stop and listen deeply. Audit the elements that drain your resources and re-connect in ways that matter:

   1. Connect with yourself: create daily practices to keep you centred

   2. Connect with others: we are social beings designed to collaborate, exchange, share and create…and not in a virtual vacuum.

   3. Connect with nature: there are more than 301 academic studies, spanning 62 countries that recognise more than 227 unique ways that nature benefits our wellbeing but even if you pick one: 30 minutes in nature can lower your blood pressure by 10%.

Big changes happen through small , daily choices. As the thinker of your thoughts, choose your thoughts with care - they might just change your world.

Author: Kirsten Muldoon is a conscious leadership coach based in Cape Town, South Africa.