By Lou Bevacqui
I’ve been playing around with my calendar lately and I noticed that March 15 is “National Everything is Wrong Day” (followed immediately on March 16 by “National Everything is Right Day”). This brought to mind a plethora of things to me, most notably was the innate human tendency we have to think negatively. Scientists have labeled this “negative bias” and note that it stems from when we had to be hyper-vigilant for our very survival and be on the ready to flee at a moment’s notice to avoid being eaten by a dinosaur.
As we pass the one-year mark of this global pandemic, it is really easy to see that COVID has become a sort of new “dinosaur” in our lives. From my experience in my acupuncture and performance coaching practice, I am all too aware that negative thinking can have a detrimental impact on the way we feel, as well as our physical and mental health. The ongoing pandemic has resulted in a dramatic rise in behaviors people tend to use to numb their “everything is wrong” thoughts. In fact, between March and August 2020, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported anhttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2770975%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;source%3Deditors%26amp;ust%3D1615168657165000%26amp;usg%3DAOvVaw27n11klXnSIyEMvIEMKTdS&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1615168657243000&usg=AOvVaw1Cj4MsxQ3v5YTCKc227vur"> increase in alcohol consumption of over 20% across most demographics, with a separate study documenting a reported 41%https://jamanetwork.com/channels/health-forum/fullarticle/2770050%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;source%3Deditors%26amp;ust%3D1615168657166000%26amp;usg%3DAOvVaw3VgixreTstjKmxzR302MCB&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1615168657243000&usg=AOvVaw3xdJtyi1k3s8KRH451xwN-"> rise in mental health issues during that same period.
In my practice, I have seen and treated many people due to the physical and mental impacts of avoiding or numbing emotions such as fear, anxiety and stress. In my opinion, the ongoing pandemic has presented us with an important opportunity to become aware of the impact of this negative bias and emotional avoidance on our overall health and how we can counteract these effects.
So, what can the average person do? A line from Dr. Suess’s famous book “The Places You’ll Go” comes to mind: “And somehow you’ll get out.” While Dr. Suess never really explained how you’ll get out, there are some things we can all do to help ourselves when we notice that our line of thinking is dominated by negativity:
- Change your environment to change your emotions: go for a walk, take a bath, close your eyes and visualize the beautiful beach from your last vacation and imagine yourself walking along it, smelling the salt air and feeling the warm breeze. Just separating yourself for a few minutes from a situation can do wonders to change your mental and emotional state.
- Take care of yourself: It is easy to get into the rut of your daily routine and forget to take time out for yourself. True, we can’t do all of the things we used to for self-care like yoga classes, hikes with friends or going to the movies. However, with a little intentionality you can still do things that help your physical and mental health. You can have “watch parties” with friends for your favorite sporting events, find a new recipe and cook something special for yourself or participate in a virtual fitness class.
- Practice gratitude: Consider all of the things you have to be grateful for. I’m particularly reminded at this time of how grateful I am for the technology we have that enables me to keep in touch with friends and family, and even with my patients as I’ve had to move my practice to a virtual platform!
- Reach out for help if you need it! Talk to someone if you are feeling overwhelmed. Even if you can’t meet in person, reach out to a friend or loved one! Or contact a professional to get support for your mental and emotional health. Don’t hesitate to reach out for the help you need.
Being mindful of the tendency towards negative bias is the best way to combat its hold over you! Taking charge of your choices, being intentional about what you do to take care of yourself, and even giving yourself a moment to acknowledge the suck inherent in the continued limitations of this pandemic, all will contribute to a better, brighter outlook. Taking proactive steps like this can help you to more quickly replace “Everything is Wrong” thinking with “Everything is Right.” Ok, so maybe not everything ... but you’ll at least create a brighter, more balanced perspective for yourself. And, now that you’re out, oh’ the places you’ll go!
Bevacqui lives in Fayston.
