In the new episode of Awareness Addicts, the show’s host, Dr. Gala Gorman, discusses dissatisfaction, and what causes people to complain. When dealing with a repeated situation that causes someone to express dissatisfaction, there is a commitment to that unhappiness. Why would anyone commit to something that makes them unhappy?
Gorman refers to a recent article on PsychCentral about a study conducted in Norway, which examines the connection between negative thinking and depression. The article says, “New research suggests that learning to stop thinking or worrying about the various aspects of situations that are upsetting can be a liberating skill, a competency that can help people gain control over depression.”
In the episode, listeners will:
- Make a commitment to changing thought processes that perpetuate negativity
- Understand the effect that negative thinking has on the mental state
- Learn new ways to recognize and control thoughts before they wreak havoc
The study shows that there’s a strong link between someone who is diagnosed with depression and worrying, which they call “rumination.” The article goes on to say that, “A new approach used in the study called metacognitive therapy, by contrast, focuses on lessening the ruminative process. That is, people are taught techniques to ‘not think’ so much.” The research findings have been recently published by several psychology staff members from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
Roger Hagen, an author of the study, explains, “Anxiety and depression give rise to difficult and painful negative thoughts. Many patients have thoughts of mistakes, past failures, or other negative thoughts. Metacognitive therapy addresses thinking processes. … MCT helps patients to reduce negative thought processes and get them under control.” Patients can learn to take control of their thoughts by learning to become aware of their negative thoughts.
As Gorman explains, “Most think that the reason why an emotional upset lasts so long is because it’s a recurring problem. That may be the case, but people make a choice, over and over, to feel a certain way about it. Emotions only last about 90 seconds. When repeatedly re-igniting a thought, the feelings will follow. The trick is to interrupt the pattern.”
In this episode of Awareness Addicts, Dr. Gala Gorman, the show’s host, helps listeners figure out what causes them to complain when faced with certain situations. That’s going to require some applied awareness. It helps to notice what it is that sparks the urge to complain regularly.
For those interested in tuning into this show visit: AA 0017: How to Stop Being Negative and Be Happy
In this episode of Awareness Addicts, we’re going to do some internal investigation work … using applied awareness. When we repeatedly deal with a situation that causes us to complain, there is something at work in our subconscious. We are committed to something that we are not consciously aware of. In other words, we’ve made a choice to be unhappy.
