185 - Friday Fix: How To Look for the Good in Life

The Verywell Mind Podcast

Dotdash Media Inc.

Health & Fitness, Self-improvement, Mental Health, Education

5 • 703 Ratings

🗓️ 15 July 2022

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When life has thrown you some serious curveballs or your mental health is declining, it’s tough to see the positive things going on around you. But noticing the bad, however, is easy. You might find your brain automatically focuses on the worst thing that happened or it might constantly predict negative outcomes. These kinds of thoughts affect how you feel and how you behave. If you aren’t careful, your thoughts can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to look for the good in life by practicing toxic positivity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome to the Very Well Mind podcast. We've interviewed over 100 authors, experts, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and others to help you learn strategies to care for your mental health.
0:22.9	This episode is hosted by psychotherapist and bestselling author Amy Morin. Now let's get into the episode.
0:45.7	Okay. You're listening to the Friday fix.
0:52.6	Every Friday, I share a quick mental strength strategy that can help fix the thoughts, feelings, and actions that can hold you back in life.
0:54.4	Today I'm talking about how to look for the good in life without crossing the line into toxic positivity. When you're going through a
1:00.0	rough patch or you feel like you're stuck in a rut, it's really hard to see the good things that
1:04.8	might be going on around you. But it's important sometimes to recognize that not all things
1:10.0	are horrible. Here are some reasons
1:11.8	why. Number one, the way you think affects how you feel and how you behave. If you're only thinking
1:18.2	about the bad stuff, you'll feel bad. And then you'll be less likely to take positive action.
1:23.4	It's a vicious cycle that becomes hard to break. And number two, ignoring the good also affects your relationships.
1:30.6	If you walk through the door after work every day complaining about all the things that went
1:34.5	wrong, your family's not going to be all that excited to see you.
1:37.9	This plays out in relationships in lots of different ways.
1:41.0	But before we talk about the strategies for looking for the good, let me explain what not to do.
1:46.5	If you've read my books or you've listened to the show for a while, you know how much I value
1:50.3	talking about what not to do. So looking for the good isn't the same thing as toxic positivity.
1:57.2	Toxic positivity involves minimizing your pain in an unhealthy way.
2:01.9	You've likely been on the receiving end of toxic positivity before, and you know how bad it feels.
2:07.4	Like when you share something upsetting with someone and then they respond by saying, well, it could be worse, or it wasn't meant to be, but something better will come along.
2:15.6	Doesn't it just feel awful when someone says something like that?
2:19.1	You're hurting in some way, and the other person implies that you not only shouldn't feel bad,
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -991 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dotdash Media Inc., and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Dotdash Media Inc. and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.