Do you get stuck thinking about all the unpleasant things and setbacks that come with running a law practice? You are not alone. As humans, we are much more impacted by negative events and experiences than positive ones. Our training and experience as attorneys make this much more intense for us.
Negativity bias is the tendency to learn from, use, and prioritize negative things far more than positive things. That is why you get a more rapid, prominent, and powerful response to negative experiences than positive ones. This bias influences how you feel, think, and act. And it can have some less than desirable effects on your psychological health.
It can explain why we tend to:
- Recall and think about insults more than compliments
- Dwell on unpleasant or traumatic events
- Focus on more negative things – like the things we didn’t get done over the things we accomplished.
Strategies psychologists recommend to overcome negativity bias include:
Notice your bias.
Check up on your thinking throughout the day – especially when you feel yourself getting into the negative spin-cycle. When you recognize the thoughts running through your mind you can start dealing with them. Just like you would with a client where you have to understand the facts and the issues to find a solution.
Challenge your negative self-talk.
Do you find yourself saying things in your head about yourself that you would never even consider thinking about another person? Yeah, me too. Notice this self-talk when it is happening, and give yourself a break. Try being just 10% nicer to yourself in the words you use. Use your analytical powers to think about what is really going on, and how you might talk to a friend about the situation. What would it be like to use those words on yourself?
Find & savor the positive moments.
When you start looking for positive moments you will find them – no matter how difficult your day has been. Maybe it is a kind word from a spouse or colleague. Maybe it’s just a nice day. Find something that is positive and savor it. Building up your store of positive mental images and feelings gives you a little gas in the tank when negativity kicks in.
Practice mindfulness.
Mindfulness practice is one of the most important ways I’ve found to interrupt negativity bias. Mindfulness can be as simple as breathing exercises. I’ve been using meditation for years to help with this (among other things). For me it is not about spirituality – it is a business necessity.
Focus your attention on activities that give you energy.
Over-commitment can make negativity bias worse – especially if the things on the list are out of alignment with your values. One of the ways to fix that is to create a stop-doing list – and find a way to start saying no to things that no longer serve you. If you’d like to know more about how to do that CLICK HERE to get my guide on Saying No without Being Negative