Negativity by Laurel Ferguson
Negativity is overwhelming our lives. And we need to stop letting it.
A person’s pessimistic streak is highlighted when they become a teenager. Everything feels like the end of the world, and we allow minor inconveniences to plague our existence. In my opinion, this causes us to focus obsessively on the negative aspects of our life rather than the positive ones.
Our generation is one wrought with defeatist attitudes and nihilistic humor. We also have a tendency to complain about small things - a lot. Sometimes it seems like our first reaction to anything is automatically to criticize it rather than attempt to see the good in it. One example I can think of is school assemblies. Instead of just groaning about the waste of class time and utter pointlessness of having an assembly(which are admittedly both good points), we should also try to appreciate the shortened class periods and the break at the end of the school day. When people work to find the smallest issue in something and completely blind themselves to its benefits, it’s extremely toxic.
The reason I’m making this post is because I wanted to bring light to this issue. Most people aren’t even aware of the extent of their own negative thoughts and the impact they can have. I feel like this is a big problem, especially within our school community, and that it needs to be addressed. It’s exhausting for anyone to be surrounded by pessimistic outlooks, especially when they’re the same way.
Every person has let negativity get the best of them at some point, and for many of us, it’s something that is programmed into us. I am extremely guilty of being a perpetrator of habitual negativity and contributing to its power myself. We don’t have to be perfectly happy and grateful 24/7, but I think that we can all work on promoting positivity. It's a very difficult habit to break, but I believe that if we all try to take some time for gratitude and mindfulness each day, it would not only benefit ourselves as individuals, but positively impact our entire school community.
A person’s pessimistic streak is highlighted when they become a teenager. Everything feels like the end of the world, and we allow minor inconveniences to plague our existence. In my opinion, this causes us to focus obsessively on the negative aspects of our life rather than the positive ones.
Our generation is one wrought with defeatist attitudes and nihilistic humor. We also have a tendency to complain about small things - a lot. Sometimes it seems like our first reaction to anything is automatically to criticize it rather than attempt to see the good in it. One example I can think of is school assemblies. Instead of just groaning about the waste of class time and utter pointlessness of having an assembly(which are admittedly both good points), we should also try to appreciate the shortened class periods and the break at the end of the school day. When people work to find the smallest issue in something and completely blind themselves to its benefits, it’s extremely toxic.
The reason I’m making this post is because I wanted to bring light to this issue. Most people aren’t even aware of the extent of their own negative thoughts and the impact they can have. I feel like this is a big problem, especially within our school community, and that it needs to be addressed. It’s exhausting for anyone to be surrounded by pessimistic outlooks, especially when they’re the same way.
Every person has let negativity get the best of them at some point, and for many of us, it’s something that is programmed into us. I am extremely guilty of being a perpetrator of habitual negativity and contributing to its power myself. We don’t have to be perfectly happy and grateful 24/7, but I think that we can all work on promoting positivity. It's a very difficult habit to break, but I believe that if we all try to take some time for gratitude and mindfulness each day, it would not only benefit ourselves as individuals, but positively impact our entire school community.
A great topic to write about because attitude is a major factor in many aspects of life and negativity can really drag everyone down.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. If everyone was more positive, then I think that the world would definitely become a better place.
ReplyDeleteWhoops I'm guilty. I agree with you though, sometimes I catch other people or myself complaining about something that isn't even a big deal, just to say something at the time. This has to change because it can be a real downer.
ReplyDeleteI agree. So many people forget their privilege and need to ground themselves more often. Even if it may seem like there's a lot wrong, there's usually something good you can take from a negative situation.
ReplyDeleteI definitely catch myself saying negative stuff just to fill the space. I feel like it's really easy to say something that ends up sounding way more negative than you mean because a lot of our humor has turned into that negative edgy stuff. Shwoopsy!
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