Fear Focuses, Positivity Expands: Why We’re Putting Good Thoughts First Right Now
Stuck at home, one of our in-house wellness educators Seneca Kmir knows that people are getting antsy. Big shifts in routines, or no routines at all, are leaving people (who prefer patterns) to feel lost. Fitness tends to be tough if you’re short on space, leaving you stagnant and stuck with new emotions. So if you can’t make leg day happen, or even simple stretching (because you’re a human playground for the kids), leaning into positivity can be just the thing to receive the chemical and hormonal benefits of exercise. So we’re here to talk about keeping your emotions strong and your brain open to innovation.
Our body consists of a variety of root emotions that trigger physically negative or positive responses in the body - from chemicals in your brain, to muscle movement, to the depth of your breath. When you intake alarming or tragic information, your body processes this as a negative impact, setting our subconscious bodily functions into fight or flight mode. You may not notice your jaw tense, your breath shortens, the blood vessels to your brain reduce in size, your shoulders hunch, or your sudden mentality of fight or flight mode causing erratic responses or hastily dangerous actions.
But with positivity, we tend to exhale, relax our posture, breathe normally, the flow of blood to our brain increases - we literally think clearer. We get inspired, excited and, by what female scientist Barbra Friedrickson calls the Broaden + Build Theory, we broaden our sense of possibilities - making positive thoughts lead to greater innovation.
There is no way to shut off to what is happening around us, nor should we - but let’s pivot to focus on positivity first to help us sustain ourselves, our productivity + our communities. So what can we do?
Make time to play everyday - every human, kid to adult, should be taking a daily recess right now. This isn’t the time to be your most productive self just because you could technically sit in front of the computer all day. Get outside, find an excuse to laugh, be silly, go support your favorite, local ice cream shop, do nothing - whatever you need today is the right answer.
Find an accountability partner - is there someone you’re intentionally talking to that is holding you accountable for our language? Joining virtual meet-ups, finding a friend or making it the family’s number one goal on the chore chart, words are the foundation for our thoughts and actions.
Honest knowledge is strength - know what you are reading and watching is real, so trace back the facts and ensure you are reading unbiased sources. Sources that have links to verify the information and actionable resources tend to be leading details that will begin credible indicate that they’re focused on giving you news, not capturing attention through shock and awe. (Nonprofit FactCheck.Org is a good one that we have found to be nonpartisan and advocates of consumers.)
Meet the authors: Seneca Kmir + Chelsea Miller