When living with addiction and mental health issues, one of our biggest challenges can be how we relate to other people and coexist with them. We can find ourselves surrounded by negativity, criticism and judgment. When we’re coming from a place of inner turmoil, we’re more likely to attract people into our lives that reflect that turmoil. Our relationships function like a mirror to show us our issues and what we need to work on. Learning how to deal with negativity is a vital part of our healing, and when we learn how to manage it outside of ourselves, we’re also learning how to heal it within ourselves.
Negativity can be draining and exhausting. It can make us feel like we’re going backwards in our journeys rather than making successful progress. We can feel burdened by other people’s negative thoughts and opinions. It can cause us to feel anxious, stressed, overwhelmed, even depressed. When dealing with negativity, there are some things we want to keep in mind. For one, we want to learn how to not let it affect us so much. We can remind ourselves that other people are not our responsibility, and therefore their attitude, their approach to things, even the things they say and do that are directed towards us, are reflections of them, not us. We can only be responsible for ourselves.
Another thing we can remind ourselves is that negativity is an energy, and just like any other energy, we can move through it rather than getting stuck in it. When faced with negativity, our instinct is often to react strongly. We get defensive, angry, emotional or sad. We could choose instead to see negativity for what it is – a transient energy that will pass if we allow it to. The next time something or someone is negative and you find it bothering you, remember that it only has to have as much as power over you as you allow it to. You can diffuse it, by placing your attention elsewhere and not giving it the power of your energy. By staying calm and not getting overly reactive, you’re in a better place to find solutions rather than staying stuck in the problem. You can look at the big picture, which is that everything is always changing, and this situation will change too. What we focus on, we manifest for ourselves. If you can turn your focus to the positive, to gratitude, to the silver lining in any situation, you can help yourself move through the negativity with more ease and grace.
At Riverside Recovery, we help our patients develop understanding about their addictions and emotional issues. We help them discover the tools that work for them to create real change in their lives. Call us today: (800) 871-5440.