Positive vs. negative thoughts...

[Mithrandir]

I enjoy discussing psychology and the state of one's mind so when i came across the following percentage i thought it would be a good topic to discuss.

I have read that the average person's thoughts are 80% negative. I always thought it was just me. If this is true, that is staggering. Why does the human mind focus so much on the negative?

My mind races with negative thoughts and images, mostly in the form of anxiety and worry. Being diagnosed with OCD and having suffered serious depression in the past hasn't helped

It's like my mind doesn't want me to be happy. Way too many unhappy thoughts and images flow though my thought process each day...way too many...

But i am fighting this..through meditation and positive affirmations I am a lot better than i used to be. I have the goal of being a happy person, with happy thoughts and images flowing through my mind.

At least i know i'm not alone unfortunately....

[Erik]

It's probably an evolutionary thing. If our ancestors had nothing but positive thoughts, they'd have been eaten by mammoths or something.

[Piney Boy]

And here I thought this was going to be a nullnor thread.

[Erik]

Nullnor's thoughts transcend the dichotomy between positive and negative.

[Mithrandir]

Nullnor's thoughts transcend the dichotomy between positive and negative.

did you ever wonder what nullnor looks like?

[DMT]

did you ever wonder what nullnor looks like?

He looked nothing like I expected...we should revive the self-portrait thread.

[onejayhawk]

Positive thinking is very scriptural.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.
Phillipians 4:8-9

J

[Lucky]

I dunno.

''Why are we created only to suffer and die?'' - Simon Wagstaff

[ManCalledFoot]

He looked nothing like I expected...we should revive the self-portrait thread.

I always pictured Nully as something between


The Unabomber and


Syd Barrett

but I was told otherwise.

[chancellor]

Nullnor's thoughts transcend the dichotomy between positive and negative.

Not to mention between time and space, sanity and insanity...

[onejayhawk]

Nullnor's thoughts transcend the dichotomy between positive and negative.

Not to mention between time and space, sanity and insanity...

Between Oreo and milk.

J

[nullnor]

emotions are like particles of matter, each one has a similar partner or anti-particle or anti-emotion. once one is identified it's good to acknowledge the other emotions in the same group. and like particles, some are negative and some are positive; some are neutral. depression for example is like sadness, yet you can't have sadness without happiness. another example is stubbornness, it's quantum partner is loyalty; and it's anti-partner is agreeable and unfaithfulness. ..it's the two sides of the coin debate. you can't have one without the other. and the problem arises when you only can see one side and forget there is another side too.

you want to know what my emotional problem is? im what you call hypersensitive. even when i was younger, i felt different in a room full of people. as i grew older i embraced it yet i envy logical people because im not one of them, even tho i wish i was... i think a lot of this stuff is biology. i mean, it could be a result of the environment i grew up in. or i was meant to be born this way and my environment exacerbated it. but i don't regret who i am. and neither should you. there are things you can do Mith, that other ppl can't. you just have to identify the positive things too. and remember that together it's part of the package.

another example on emotions, i know that if i ever decided to try to find a women, i narrowed it down to 2 out of 3 qualities: intelligent, outgoing and positive. i figure it's hard to be intelligent and be positive because ignorance is bliss. or smart and outgoing because if your smart you're always worried about saying the wrong thing. but if you can group 2 out of the 3 it's ok because nobodys perfect. and positive and outgoing but dumb also works for me too even tho i'd prefer intelligent.

lastly, i'll tell you a short story. when i was 17 i was sent to 2 mental insitutions. one for 2 weeks and one for a month and a half. in the first 2 week one, there was this guy named mike. he kept talking about escaping. so one day when they took us outside for a walk he bolted. it was night, and all i heard as we walked out the door was was feet shuffling. and i chased after him. the others went inside and the counselor called the police. we ran a few 100 yards to the end of the road and he stopped when he realized i was there. i asked him what do we do now, and he said he didn't know. thats when i suggested we go back. and we did. once inside the building it might've been the longest elevator ride in my life. im like wow, we just ran from a mental institution and now we're going back.

i suppose the moral is the story is, ppl are like particles and emotions. each one has a partner or friend. and when you run and reach the end of the road, you turn back.

remember, when you get older, you get better. it's called experience. never look at experience negatively. the universe is positive. it's why matter is more abundant than anti-matter.

[onejayhawk]

Emotions are never wrong. Again, emotions are NEVER wrong.

What is right or wrong, good or bad, helpful or destructive is the action taken ecause of the emotion.

J