When asked to choose adjectives they would use to describe effects of negativity on their life, the vast majority of people would reply with more negative thoughts. Common human reactions to negative feelings include denial, indifference, repression and even ignorance these feelings are created at all. This misses the crucial issue: that negativity serves you.
If you reflect on conditions you have experienced that evoke anger, frustration, bitterness or other similar sentiments, then you are likely to conjure up images of people and places you would prefer to forget. Part of you may wonder how this could be a piece of a healing process. Consider these five ways that negativity helps you to turn your life around for the better;
1) It raises your awareness. From the moment you become aware of a negative thought, mood or sensation, you have no reason to feel discouraged. In fact, this is a sign you are redefining success. In order to stop identifying with inner states and ego, and stop permitting them to control you, you must move beyond your own reactions. You must view them from an external perspective. As you reach this juncture, you realize many other people do not know what they do.
2) It encourages detachment. Contrary to popular belief, discomfort is not meant to generate fear or your impulse to repress or run from these feelings. As you shift focus, you realize negativity actually encourages you to step back from your conditions. This empowers you to view your life with greater objectivity. You are being taught to examine situations from different vantage points in order to better understand yourself. Detachment may be used to gain deeper insight.
3) It shows opposites create balance. You may have heard for every action there exists an equal and opposite reaction. The same can be said for feelings. As you learn about love, you also learn about fear. As you learn patience, you discover the point to impatience. As you experience a sense of justice, you are also formulating views of injustice. You discover two sides balance every picture.
4) It teaches how the mind operates. It may surprise you to discover the mechanism for self-justification. The mind distorts facts. It prompts you to condition certain kinds of counter-productive perception. You decide what you like and dislike, perpetuate an internal judge. This is depersonalized through awareness. You move from getting emotional about things, to noticing thoughts, feelings and subtle ego motives.
5) It guides you to deeper insight. As you discover how your thoughts create opinions, you also gain insight into reasons for your rigid positions and narrow-minded ideas about identity. You gradually learn any suffering you feel can be alleviated by taking responsibility for your inner state. You can develop strategies to become more consistently alert, more attentive to the nature of your thoughts and feelings as well as why you create them. You open up to new ways of "seeing."