Do the problems of the world leave you feeling overwhelmed, helpless, hopeless, and filled with dread? If so, then you are not alone. Everywhere we turn, it seems that doom and gloom linger around the corner. All of the makings for world disaster are present: violence, conflict, separation, political upheaval, and a worldwide pandemic.
But, worrying and fretting about all that is wrong in the world doesn’t make things better. In fact, expending your energy by feeling, thinking, and focusing on the bad simply reinforces the negative energy and lowers the positive vibration directed to the planet. And, it affects your physical and mental health. So, what can you do differently? Start by reducing the bad news you expose yourself to. I don’t mean become uninformed, but limit the negativity allowed into your space. Search for news articles, podcasts, videos, books, and reports that focus on the many good things happening in the world.
Sadly, positive news reports get very little airtime. Negative sensationalism brings big profits; the truth is that fear and violence sell. Don’t believe me? Look up the most popular T.V. shows and there you have it … conflict, negativity, murder, and violence. The good news is that there are many people out there doing amazing things and making our world a better place. They are rescuing animals, cleaning up our oceans, helping disadvantaged populations, and providing relief work to survivors of violence. Spend time and energy focusing on these remarkable game-changers. You may even find yourself inspired.
Try spending one minute or more everyday imagining a world of love and peace. This can be done through prayer, meditation, and/or visualization. It’s true; it works! And there is research to back it up! The Maharishi Effect was one such study in which group meditation was shown to have had a direct impact on the reduction of violent crime by 16%. This research has been duplicated numerous times with similar results.
Do you tend to focus on the negative and catastrophize your situation? Or do you focus on the positive and practice an attitude of gratitude? Be aware of your thoughts. We tend to get more of what we focus our attention on. Have you ever noticed that if you are looking to buy a specific make and model of a car, suddenly you see that type of car everywhere? Or if you start the day off negatively and your repeated narrative becomes, “This is such a bad day, everything is going wrong,” as your day progresses, the bad experiences continually pile up. But what if you made an effort to edit your thoughts so that you increased thoughts of gratitude, identified the good things in your situation, and reduced negative thoughts? It is likely that you would experience increasingly more positive things in your life. Try it for a week and let me know what happens.
Maybe we are powerless to stop violence on a grand scale, but we can make a difference in our daily lives and ensure everyone we encounter is left feeling a little better after our interactions. It may seem trivial, but a smile, kind word, or funny anecdote can carry positive waves of good vibes.