The negativity trident

In a topsy turvy world, it’s easy to feel negative about things and see things as getting worse and worse. The problem is that feeling negative itself has some unfortunate effects. Psychotherapist and counsellor for Talking Matters, Marie Rowland, observes, “A negative psychological setting can lead to a chronic sense of foreboding and lack of confidence. The chronic pessimist’s negativity invariably becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as they forgo opportunities and lose connections, alienating those who would otherwise be supporters.”

This is echoed by Dr Jodie Lowinger, a clinical psychologist and author of the bestselling book The Mind Strength Method, who says, “If you are continuing to get caught up in the content of your worry stories, and chase it with more thoughts about things that might possibly go wrong, then you reinforce negative neural pathways causing your amygdala to become further sensitised over time and your anxiety gets worse.”

Rowland adds, “A prolonged negative mindset can lead to withdrawal