Choosing What We Pay Attention to Affects Our Mental Health
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- Choosing What We Pay Attention to Affects Our Mental Health
- From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs
- Self-Compassion Is a Game-Changer for Combating Stigma
- Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans
- Mental Health Quote
What we pay attention to matters. It matters so much that helping people change their focus is an integral part of many approaches to mental health therapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, positive psychology, acceptance and commitment therapy, solution-focused brief therapy, logotherapy, and many more. The idea is that we often can’t choose what happens to us, but we can always choose how we respond to it. How we respond has a lot to do with what we pay attention to.
In a recently published study, researchers revealed that people who tend to hold onto negative experiences are more likely to experience a reduced sense of wellbeing compared to those who notice negative events and situations but are able to quickly redirect their attention and change their thoughts about the experience1.
This is deceptively simple, of course, as the human brain is hardwired with a negativity bias that has us constantly on the lookout for problems so we are ready to do something about them2. Simply being aware of what you’re thinking about is an important first step. Then, you can practice shifting your focus to a more positive (but still realistic) idea or solution to a problem. While it’s not an instant fix or cure-all, becoming aware of our thoughts and focus positions us to choose our attitude and actions rather than remaining victim to circumstance.
Sources
- Puccetti, N.A., Schaefer, S.M., van Reekum, C.M., Ong, A.D., Almeida, D.M., Ryff, C.D., Davidson, R.J., & Heller, A.S. (2021, March). Linking amygdala persistence to real-world emotional experience and psychological well-being. Journal of Neuroscience. Retrieved from https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2021/03/15/JNEUROSCI.1637-20.2021
- Marano, H.E. (2016, June). Our brain’s negative bias. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200306/our-brains-negative-bias
Articles Related to Thoughts and Attention
- Are You Paying Attention to What You are Paying Attention To?
- What Does It Mean to Be Emotionally Healthy?
- What is Thought-Stopping? Therapy, Techniques, Exercises
- Stop Playing Tug-of-War with Your Anxious Thoughts
- Negative Thinking and Depression: How One Fuels the Other
- What are Depression Thoughts? How Do They Affect You?
- Positive Thoughts for People with Mental Illness
- Anxiety and Negative Thoughts: How to Get Rid of Them
Recommended Video
Do you find yourself in negative thought spirals where you insult yourself brutally? Natasha does, but she's learned how to get out of a negative thought spiral. Watch.
Your Thoughts
Today's Question: How does focusing on something positive affect your own mental health? We invite you to participate by sharing your thoughts, experiences, and knowledge on the HealthyPlace Facebook page.
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From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs
On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.
- When Empathy and Anxiety Occur Together
- Overcoming Splitting in Borderline Personality Disorder
- ADHD Medication Transformed My Life
- Too Much Pressure Can Negatively Affect Self-Esteem
- Sewing a Vest Is Relaxing -- And Helping My Anxiety
- An Unusual Place Helped Me Find Purpose as a Depressed Teen
- What to Do About Self-Harm Scars on Your Wedding Day
- Schizoaffective Disorder and Feeling Hopeless
- I Wish More People Observed Mental Health Awareness Month
- How Practicing Gratitude Helps Recovery
- Being a Verbal Abuse Victim Turns My Anxiety Into Control
- Clean Eating Is Not Healthy—It's a Harmful Trend
- I’m Being Overwhelmed, and It’s Hurting My Mental Health
- Binge Eating Disorder Recovery and Practicing Yoga At Home
- When Anxiety Causes You to Struggle Accepting Compliments
- Five Techniques to Stop Mental Health Self-Stigma
- Learning I Have Aphantasia Helped Ease My Anxiety
- Learning to Receive Affirmation Is the Next Step in My Healing
- Safety in Wanting Nothing
- 2 Rules I Follow to Make My Apartment ADHD-Friendly
- Is Self-Harm Fanfiction Helpful or Harmful?
- The Different Phases of Healing from Abuse
- How I Feel After EMDR Therapy
- BPD Emotions and Learning to Validate Myself
- ADHD Makes Consistency Tough - But It’s Not Impossible
Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.
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From the HealthyPlace YouTube Channel
Self-compassion helps you deal with stigma and stay true to yourself -- two important things to do when in mental health recovery. Find out more about how self-compassion changes the game here. Take a look.
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Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans
Here are the top 3 mental health articles HealthyPlace Facebook fans are recommending you read:
- Alcohol Abuse Treatment: Treatment for Alcoholism
- Traumatic Events and How to Cope
- What Is Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)?
If you haven't already, I hope you'll like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.
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Self-Help Quote
“You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
Read more quotes on mental health.
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Thank you,
Deborah
Community Partner Team
HealthyPlace.com - America's Mental Health Channel
"When you're at HealthyPlace.com, you're never alone."
http://www.healthyplace.com
APA Reference
Peterson, T.
(2022, May 17). Choosing What We Pay Attention to Affects Our Mental Health, HealthyPlace. Retrieved
on 2024, November 20 from https://www.healthyplace.com/other-info/mental-health-newsletter/choosing-what-we-pay-attention-to-affects-our-mental-health