Most people tend to obsess about the things in their lives that aren't the way they want them to be. This negative thinking, when it becomes overpowering and all-consuming, which is not unusual, results in a loss of energy and stamina; it results in a shutdown of the mind.
This is a terrible place for a person to be. It is enervating and debilitating. It leads to lethargy. It is suffering.
Most simply put, this is what happens when people have cravings—something you view as a must have. The Buddha's first teaching was that cravings are the source of our suffering. There is a clear path to freeing oneself from cravings, but it is long and arduous. Part of that path is acceptance of your life as being the way it is right now. For someone in the grip of a negativity crisis, they are not open to hearing about the path, and even if they are aware of it, they aren't in the mood to implement it.
Unfortunately many practicing Buddhists experience this because their practice is not very deep or disciplined. It's a real challenge to get past one's cravings.
The short and easier answer for someone's breaking the grip of negativity is to think of all the things that you are grateful for. Every person, no matter how down and out, has things that they are grateful for, even if they don't often think of them. If a person is prodded with the question, things will come to mind. One may be grateful for people in one's life, for experiences, for nature, for whatever.
But people are often quite adamant about the self-righteousness of their negative position; they are angry. And they feel that to not be aware of the hopelessness of the situation is delusion. So the prodding will need to be repeated. They are not in the mood to be grateful.
But it is vitally important to remember what one is grateful for; to focus on that, rather than all the things that disappoint you and you feel negative about. When you remind yourself that all is not negative, when you remember that there are positive things in your life that you are grateful for, you experience a life in balance.
Your gratitude will give you renewed energy and stamina. And it lessens the craving for what you don't have. It won't free you from the craving—that requires much hard work—but it lessens its hold on you, allowing you to proceed with what you feel you need to do.
This is a terrible place for a person to be. It is enervating and debilitating. It leads to lethargy. It is suffering.
Most simply put, this is what happens when people have cravings—something you view as a must have. The Buddha's first teaching was that cravings are the source of our suffering. There is a clear path to freeing oneself from cravings, but it is long and arduous. Part of that path is acceptance of your life as being the way it is right now. For someone in the grip of a negativity crisis, they are not open to hearing about the path, and even if they are aware of it, they aren't in the mood to implement it.
Unfortunately many practicing Buddhists experience this because their practice is not very deep or disciplined. It's a real challenge to get past one's cravings.
The short and easier answer for someone's breaking the grip of negativity is to think of all the things that you are grateful for. Every person, no matter how down and out, has things that they are grateful for, even if they don't often think of them. If a person is prodded with the question, things will come to mind. One may be grateful for people in one's life, for experiences, for nature, for whatever.
But people are often quite adamant about the self-righteousness of their negative position; they are angry. And they feel that to not be aware of the hopelessness of the situation is delusion. So the prodding will need to be repeated. They are not in the mood to be grateful.
But it is vitally important to remember what one is grateful for; to focus on that, rather than all the things that disappoint you and you feel negative about. When you remind yourself that all is not negative, when you remember that there are positive things in your life that you are grateful for, you experience a life in balance.
Your gratitude will give you renewed energy and stamina. And it lessens the craving for what you don't have. It won't free you from the craving—that requires much hard work—but it lessens its hold on you, allowing you to proceed with what you feel you need to do.
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