5 Ways negativity helps you

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."

Comments

[Mark]

This was a great exercise! I will be using this as I consider the impact of that which I perceive to be negative. Thanks!

[Evita]

Excellent points, Liara! People often often run the other way when they hear or feel "negativity".

Although I do very well not focusing on it in my own life, this in no way means I always avoid it. Still, I let it show me the beautiful contrasts of what I do want, etc. as you elude in the above points as well.

There is really nothing "bad" after all - it is all a matter of how and what we choose to experience.

[soulMerlin]

This is all so close to my conciousness at the moment - it's good to ponder on and relate to -

henry

[Spiritual Bloggers]

You've raised some very important points in your article, Liara which show a great depth of insight into the nature of being human! I think this article is possibly one of the most valuable pieces of yours I have read because until we reach this understanding ourselves, we are often quite fearful of our negativity when it comes up.

[Liara Covert]

Mark, learning to work backwards through an ingrained mindset is an illuminating mental process. When you are aware of the options available and willing, you discover that you have always been able to evolve.

Evita, "bad" is a just another perception. It is possible to discern things in endless ways, depending on your mindset and the strength of your identifications. When you get in touch with your feelings, you can grow increasingly aware of how you permit them to exert a hold over you, and how you can act differently to release it.

henry, no matter what you think you know, you can always expand your understanding. Nothing is ever absolute in human terms. You are moving to transcend them.

Scott, it is reassuring to realize aternatives always exist to approach and manage any situation. Raising awareness enables you to move to enlarge your perspective. This implies freeing your mind from identifying with physical form and anything other than pure love. Its all possible.

[Daphne]

Hi Liara,

I love the way you turn negatives into positives! Reading this helps me to be less negative about being negative. ;) Good post!

[Liara Covert]

Daphne, as you awaken to hear yourself say things like, "look at what you are not doing," You are teaching yourself more about what you can and already are.

[Amy Jewell / Cirklagirl]

Hi Liara,

You have a great blog! I added your blog to my blogroll...fun stuff!

[Liara Covert]

Amy, as people learn to associate their negative vibes with a learning curve, they begin to realize viewing negativity differently has been prompting them to ignore reality. As you raise your own awareness, you decide when its appropriate to retrain your instincts. This may require thoughtful and sometimes painful decision-making. At the same time, you realize suffering will pass and it does.