19. Negative Thinking VS. Positive Thinking

Did you know that our human brains pay more attention to what's not working rather than what is? In this episode, Wendy talks about how our brains handle negative thoughts compared to positive ones. Negative thinking is actually more stimulating for the brain than positive thinking. Wendy delves into why our brains lean towards negativity, unable to differentiate between good and bad adrenaline rushes – it interprets all adrenaline as one, like the thrill of a rollercoaster ride. Moments of high adrenaline alert our brains, and negative thoughts generate even more adrenaline, keeping our brains on high alert. Negative thinking stimulates the brain more than positive thinking, causing it to fixate on unfinished tasks and "what if" thinking. So why does this matter? Because your thoughts are powerful. And you can do something about it. Wendy advises us to retrain our brains to focus on our accomplishments and think positively. She encourages us to start our day by asking, 'What's the best thing that can happen today?' instead of focusing on the worst-case scenarios. We can also ask ourselves, ‘What is working in my favor today?’ so that our brain can start to shift from getting adrenaline rushes from negative thinking, to building new neural pathways that focus us on positive thinking.  She shares three powerful steps to break free from negative thinking:1. Recognize negative thoughts when they arise. Catch the negative thought.2. Audibly say 'delete, delete, delete.' 3. Shift your focus to positive thoughts by asking, 'What's the best thing that happened today? What brought me joy today? What am I proud of this week?' Tune in to discover a free coaching exercise from Wendy, helping you shift into positive thinking. In this episode, you'll also learn:• How to train your brain to shift from focusing on all the things that can go wrong to all the things that could go right.• Why our brains tend to gravitate towards negativity. • Strategies to rewire and redirect your brain's focus towards the positive.• The importance of self-celebration and letting go of self-criticism.• A three-step process to break free from negative thinking and cultivate a more positive mindset.Connect with Wendy:Inspired Action WebsiteJoin Wendy's Email ListWendy’s WebsiteWendy’s InstagramWendy's LinkedInWendy's TikTokE-mail Wendy