Have you ever noticed how many negative people are in your life?

pearpickinporky · Post by **pearpickinporky** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 7:26 pm

Session 3 was an eye opener for me, I never realised how many negative people I had in my life.

He is an example.

Get up in the morning, My missus isn't a morning person, so she walks around with a grumpy face.

I go to work, my boss has real stress issues and its totally down to himself and his poor mismanagement, go in on say a Monday morning, there he is with his arms swinging, shouting and roaring at someone, he then walks around the rest of the day like a child in a mood banging doors etc, this goes on every day, and as such puts everyone in a bad mood, all people talk about at lunch etc is how much they hate that place, and I am as bad. I spend 8 hours a day in that negative enviornment,

You then go home in the evening and by that stage the kids are getting tired and ratty and all they do is cry and complain.

If I look at my life in general, neagative people out weigh the positive by about 10:1

So really, is it any wonder I was a negative person.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 1:17 am

I just started to realize this. My husband (who does not suffer from anxiety but understand it really well) always told me that I surrounded myself with negative people. I never realized it until I moved 1500 miles away. Then it started to come out about all of the negative people I left behind. It is a very difficult thing to realize. I thank God that my husband is not a negative person and can help me understand this. All of my life I guess I surrounded myself with these people cause I was negative too. Interesting....

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 9:52 am

Yeah, its hard to be postive with so many negative people around isn't it, and because everyone is that way you don't notice it

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 11:16 am

Session 3 was a wake up call on how negative I was and can be still.I always pointed at others and how they were negative then I realized Misery loves company. I only blame myself though because I always have a choice to think differently. I did customer service work that about killed me for 9 years and all the while blaming it on negative customers when I had co-workers right there along side me for the same day in day out rat race(negative comment) and they never complained. In fact some were excited to come to work and talk with all kinds of neat people and get money for doing it. Ouch!
Yeah session 3 I cried all over those pages and asked God to help me STOP IT and it's been a challenge but I know it's worth it, for my mind and heart and healths sake.

Jill!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 11:55 am

Hey Pearpickinporky !

Sounds like we have the same boss !! LOL When I go into work, I used to cringe. Every time he opened up his mouth, I would get a knot in the middle of my stomach. Now I've learned to largely ignore the ranting and raving. He yells at EVERYONE anyway so I don't take it personally anymore. My job is tough enough. I don't need stress like that on top of it.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 1:47 am

It's amazing isn't it? I never realized how many negative people I had in my life until I went through this program. As I changed to a more positive person, my relationship with some of these negative people drifted away - I guess it's true what they say "misery loves company". My husband told me I was surrounding myself with too much negative energy and he was right. I love my new attitude and my recovery from anxiety - I sometimes miss my old friends and when I see them and they are still negative, I realize why our relationship is now distant. Lesson 3 is the most important, in my opinion, and still helps me today.

Lisa

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 2:11 am

I had realized this as well.

But then I realized how we all feed off one another.

Because before I noticed the negativity, sarcasm, etc. well, I was part of it! I was guilty of it myself!

So, how do we "deal" with all this negativity?

Do we release our friends, distance ourselves from our co-workers, divorce our spouses, avoid our kids and never go to another family get-together?

We'd be pretty lonely if that is the case!

The answer is this:

Just as we feed off each others' negativity, so we need to feed off each others' positivity. Happiness and smiles are contagious. Try NOT smiling back at someone, if you don't you might feel a little guilty about it.

Being the change we want to see and being a light to others is how to approach this situation.

People LOVE being around positive people. It lifts their moods, and makes them happy and joyful.

It is up to us to change the negativity around us. It has to start somewhere, right?