Shape your environment, shape your mind

One of the biggest contributors to our happiness is something we barely pay attention to: the voice inside our own heads. As psychologist Ethan Kross describes in his new book Chatter, that voice is constantly analyzing the situations we’re in, reflecting on the past and future, and telling us who we are. While sometimes friendly and optimistic—it’s OK, everything’s going to work out!—it can also be critical and downbeat. Our inner voice can berate us for mistakes or decide our life is ruined. It can ruminate on negative emotions and experiences, dredging them up without any kind of constructive resolution. According to Kross, there are three main ways we can turn down the chatter in our heads: shifting our perspective so we’re not so immersed in our problems, talking with others to get support, and changing the environment around us. The first two approaches work in the moment of distress: Kross offers tips on how to step back and gain some distance, and then share our problems with others. But changing our environment is something we can do proactively, to make us less likely to ruminate in the first place. “We’re embedded in our physical spaces, and different features of those spaces activate psychological forces inside us, which affect how we think and feel,” writes Kross. “If we make smart choices about how we relate to our surroundings, they can help us control our inner voice.” Here are three suggestions from Kross’s book to optimize your enviro...
Source: SharpBrains - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: Education & Lifelong Learning book brain calmer mind chatter clutter declutter environment Ethan Kross feelings nature rumination thoughts Source Type: blogs