Negativity Bias and Neural Plasticity: Why Mindset Matters

Life Sucks and Then You Die

It's true. The human brain is built to survive, organized around a negativity bias that ignores the good stuff and readily ruminates on all things awful. Rick Hansen's 2013 work on Hardwiring for Happiness was my eye opener, breaking down the brain science and planting a seed. Perhaps the built-in negativity that has helped our species survive was behind the crazy making thinking of my ongoing stress and anxiety?

Savor and Change

Enter Richard Davidson's 2015 research on savoring, introducing the idea of positive neural plasticity. Use the brain to change the brain for the better. Could I really offset negativity bias through the intentional cultivation of new thought patterns centered on appreciation and gratitude? As someone who has personally struggled over a lifetime of perfectionism, performance anxiety and depression, in late 2016 I figured it was worth a try.

Contemplative Photography and The Instagram Cure

I'm not much of one for social media, but in keeping up with my Gen Z kids, it became clear that Instagram was a thing. So, true to my multi-tasking nature, I figured Instagram would be the perfect accountability tool for my appreciation practice. I kicked things off with a short trip to the coast, where the savoring was easy, and then promised myself that I would continue to post one picture a day of something I was appreciating. The bird-feeders on my deck, the kids on the playground, flowers, clouds; it was like hide and seek for the good stuff. What started as a personal challenge ended up as one of my favorite parts of the day.

Unicorns and Rainbows

Truly. I am now a savoring nut. That hunt for the good stuff is now going on 18 months, and has been the easiest and most positively mind bending habit I've ever adopted. In fact, my personal positivity protocol has expanded to include an embodied "felt sense" of joy, a yoga practice I discovered through my work in Integrative Restoration. Calling in a moment of intentional appreciation is foundational to The People's Pause mindful breathing practice because I know from personal experience that the more you seek the beautiful and good, the more beauty and goodness you will see in the world.

Mindset Support

Because we can all use a reminder that life truly is good. Whether struggling with a specific challenge like chronic pain or anxiety, or simply seeking a more easeful relationship to everyday challenges, mindset support helps. Private mindfulness instruction is one way to gain understanding about how the heart, mind and body function together. Contact Suzanne about how to use short burst practices of mindful awareness and intentional reframing to upgrade your mindset.

After all, your unconscious view of the world is shaping your every moment - wouldn't you like to have an optimists' mindset?

Driving Myself Happy: The Contemplative Roadtrip

Winter in the Pacific Northwest is a long, wet affair; even the happiest hipster in Portlandia is prone to a late spring joy deficiency. And so I find myself, winding my way along the Alsea Highway toward the Oregon Coast, in search of seasonal reset...

Read the rest on LinkedIn.

Wisdom 2.0: An Embodied Experience

The Intersection of Wisdom and Technology 2017

Last weekend’s San Francisco gathering of 2000+ mindfulness enthusiasts from around the world was a telling event.  Along with the latest in coaching assessment tools, wearables, apps and endless training opportunity, there was the Eileen Fisher Embodiment Lounge — a place where breath, awareness and vulnerability took front and center.

Eileen is a personal fan of mindfulness, with a long history of starting her meetings with a quiet pause. Physically poised and articulate, she is as beautiful as the Kimono-inspired clothing her company has produced since founding in 1984, which makes her authentic transparency striking as she confesses to regular morning anxiety. Eileen shared her personal “breathe, relax, feel” practice throughout the weekend, one of several tools she uses to stay focused and present throughout the day.

The Eileen Fisher Lifework Embodiment Lounge hosted a variety of professionals using movement, breath and felt sense practices to foster workplace creativity and cultural connection. Elsewhere in the conference, Scientists Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD and Dan Siegel, MDspoke to the scientific benefit of mind-body connection.

As embodiment was an ongoing theme, technology and our relationship to it took center stage, with more ways to engage than ever. The wearable device from Spire monitors breath rate, signaling a helpful alert if the breath gets too shallow (two thumbs up on that approach!) while short burst practices of 5 minutes or less are gaining popularity with apps like Simple Habit and 10% Happier.

Deep dive connection was available through voluntarily hosted Saturday night “Birds of a Feather” dinner discussions. I held logistics for a curated group of 22 to consider Applied Mindfulness for Corporate Learning and Development over a lively two hour discussion. Personally speaking, conversation with instructors from Stanford, global executive coaching professionals and representatives from Google, KPMG and Comcast made for geek girl nirvana.

Conference recap? Mindful awareness continues to infuse the world we live in, and I continue to believe in the power of heartfelt connection, intentional curiosity, and grounded embodiment. Pause. Breathe. Repeat.

Suzanne Bigelow is an embodied mindfulness consultant and facilitator located in Portland, Oregon. Learn more about collaboration and custom learning with Suzanne at www.suzannebigelow.com