Here’s How To Eliminate Negativity In 3 Minutes (or less) 3分钟内消除消极情绪

                                                                                           —— 选自Medium 网站（吉玛译）

It’s rough when you realize the true saboteur of your dreams is an insider. If you aren’t living up to your highest potential and achieving your goals, blame your brain’s own negativity bias.

当你意识到阻碍梦想的是你自己，你会感到很痛苦。如果你没有达到你的最高潜能并实现你的目标，归咎于你大脑中消极的偏见。

Positive emotions give us access to the control center in the brain that initiates action toward our goals. Yet, the human brain has evolved to prioritize negative emotions, experiences and memories.积极的情绪能让我们进入大脑的控制中心，从而启动我们的目标行为。然而，人类的大脑已经进化到优先考虑负面情绪、经历和记忆。

Here’s The Good News

所幸的是。

It’s totally within your power to upgrade from this default bias starting today.

从今天开始，将这种默认的偏见中升级已经在你的能力范围。

And it can make all the difference to your success, health and fulfillment.

它与你的成功、健康和满足感息息相关。

It’s easier than you think

比你想象的要简单

It just requires awareness and 3 routinely practiced steps.

它只需要意识和3个例行的步骤。

Before we get to those, it’s really helpful to understand a few basics about our evolutionary past and how our brains work so that you can effectively override the default system.

在我们讲这些之前，了解一些关于进化史以及大脑运作的基本知识是很有帮助的，以至于我们有效地覆盖默认系统。

Why It’s Tough To Focus On The Positive 

为什么很难专注于积极的方面

“A belief is only a thought I keep thinking.”- Abraham Hicks 

“信仰，就是我一直不断思考的一个想法”——亚伯拉罕希克斯

There’s a scientific reason why negative inner voices get more air time in your head than positive ones. Our brains are hard-wired to continuously scan for potential threats.

有一个科学理性可以解释为什么消极的情绪比积极的情绪在你的头脑中的占得时间更多。我们的大脑天生就会不断地扫描潜在的威胁。

Such focus on the possible worst-case scenario contributed to the survival of our early ancestors. Those who were nervous, tense and attentive to possible danger had a better chance of living to see another day

这种对最坏的情况的关注为祖先的生存做出了巨大贡献。那些紧张、敏感、专注于潜在危险的人寿命会更长。

As a result, the human brain evolved with a bias toward the negative. Studies show that we recognize and respond more quickly to an angry or sad face, than a happy face. Negative ads and headlines draw more of our attention. Our own shortcomings are far more apparent to us than our achievements. We notice lack more than abundance.

最终，人类的大脑进化成消极偏见倾向。研究表明，我们对愤怒或悲伤的面孔的认识和反应比快乐的脸更快。负面的广告和标题更吸引我们注意力。我们自己的缺点比我们的成就更明显。我们更在乎没有的东西，而不是拥有的。

This inherited feature drives us to continuously look for and remember bad news, danger, difficulty, conflict and disappointment - even though it makes us feels bad to do so.

这个遗传特性驱使我们不断地寻找和记住坏消息、危险、困难、冲突和失望——尽管这样让我们感觉很糟糕

One might ask, how’s this workin’ for us?

有人可能会问，这对我们有什么帮助?

The truth is the negativity bias that kept our predecessors alive now adversely affects our ability to thrive.

事实是，消极偏见让我们的前人活到现在，对我们的发展能力产生了负面影响。

The Problem With Negative Thinking 

消极思考的问题

“Mental states become neural traits. Day after day, your mind is building your brain. In effect, what you pay attention to — what you rest your mind on — is the primary shaper of your brain.”- Rick Hanson,

心理状态成为神经特征。日复一日，你的思想在构建你的大脑。实际上，你所关注的——你所想的——是你大脑的主要成形物。”——里克•汉森

Hard wiring Happiness, The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence

通过快乐，满足，平静和信心的新脑科学

The brain is an organ of learning. By design, it’s impressionable, malleable, adaptable. One third of it’s neural structure is built-in. The other two-thirds is waiting to be molded by the thoughts and feelings that are most repeated.大脑是学习的器官。通过设计，它更敏感，可塑性强，适应性强。三分之一的神经结构是内置的。其他三分之二通过重复的思想和感觉所塑造。

A negative experience, thought or emotion causes the secretion of the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine (or adrenaline). Cortisol is needed for a healthy fight or flight response. It regulates our metabolism and blood pressure.

消极的经历、想法或情绪会导致应激激素皮质醇和肾上腺素的分泌。健康的战斗或逃跑反应需要皮质醇。调节我们的新陈代谢和血压。

When negative emotions are chronic, as they are for many people today, the body continuously releases cortisol. Too much cortisol has many deleterious effects.

如果负面情绪是慢性的，就像今天的许多人一样，身体会不断地释放皮质醇。过多的皮质醇会有负面的影响。

An excess of cortisol suppresses the immune system, increases blood pressure and blood sugar, impairs learning, decreases libido, produces acne, contributes to obesity, insomnia and plays a major role in more serious illnesses such as heart disease and cancer.

过量的皮质醇会抑制免疫系统，增加血压和血糖，损害学习能力，降低生命力，产生粉刺，导致肥胖，失眠，会导致诸如心脏病和癌症等更严重的疾病。

In addition, the more negativity we experience, the more our brains build a neural network around it. We strengthen our negativity bias and we predispose ourselves to more negative experiences. 

此外，我们经历的负面情绪越多，大脑就会在它周围建立神经网络。我们加强了我们的消极偏见，使我们有更多的消极经历。

The Power Of Positivity

积极的力量

“We have two choices: continuously blame the world for our stress or take responsibility for our reactions and deliberately change our emotional climate.”-Doc Childre, HeartMath Institute Founder

“我们有两种选择:不断地将我们的压力归咎于世界，或者为我们自己的反应负责，谨慎的改变情绪气氛，——多克·奇尔德，心脏数学研究所创始人。

HeartMath®Institute Research identified a positive emotions as the quickest way to shift our heart rhythms and increase our overall coherence.

美国心脏数理研究发现了，积极的情绪是能够快速转变我们的心律和提高我们的整体一致性的办法。

In a coherent state, the brain, heart and autonomic nervous system are in their optimal state of functioning. In that state, we’re building inner reserves, rather than depleting them.

相干态状态下，大脑、心脏和自主神经系统处于最佳状态。在这种状态下，我们会建立内部储备，而不是消耗它们。

Positive emotions reduce stress and reactivity. They strengthen immunity, increase longevity, promote success and drive us toward our goals.

积极的情绪能减少压力和反应。它们增强免疫力，延长寿命，促进成功，促使我们朝着目标前进。

The more positive emotions we experience, the more we sensitize the brain to positivity, hardwiring those pathways and increasing the amount of positive experiences that we have in the future.

我们所经历的积极情绪越多，我们对大脑的敏感度就越高，途径就越连贯，并增加了我们未来的积极经验。

Learning To Generate A Positive Emotion

学会产生积极的情绪

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”-Michelangelo

“对我们大多数人来说，更大的危险不在于把目标定得太高、太短，而是我们通过定低来达到我们的目标。”——米开朗基罗

The only way to overcome our internal bias and that of our world is to learn to generate a positive emotion. If we don’t, we will be lead by the default. We’ll lower our expectations, reach for a false sense of security and compromise on our goals. We fall short of our potential.

克服内在偏见和世界偏见的唯一方法就是学会产生积极的情绪。如果我们不这样做，我们将会被默认所引导。我们将降低我们的期望，以达到一种虚假的安全感，并在我们的目标上达成妥协。我们没有发挥出我们的潜力。

Our natural state is one of peace, calm, connection and inner ease. We are meant to visit the fight or flight state for short periods, but we aren’t meant to reside there.

我们的自然状态是和平、平静、关系和内在的安逸。我们的目标是短时间的战斗或战斗状态，而不是要驻留在那里。

Here are some ways you can practice self-generating a positive emotion:

以下是一些练习自我产生积极情绪的方法:

Focus your attention on a feeling of appreciation, care or love for someone or something in our life.Imagine a place that makes you feel relaxed or happy and re-experience the feeling you have when you’re there.Recall an accomplishment and allow yourself to wallow in the good feelings it brings.Or, simply recreate a feeling of calm or ease, such as sinking down into a warm bubble bath at the end of a cold day, and sustain that feeling.

把你的注意力集中在对在生活中某人或某事的欣赏、关心或关爱的感觉上。想象你在一个感到放松或快乐一个地方，重新体验你在那里的感觉。回忆你的成就，让自己沉浸在它所带来的美好感觉中。或者，简单地重新创造一种平静或安逸的感觉，比如在寒冷的一天结束后躺在一个温暖的泡泡浴的感觉，并保持这种感觉。

The most important thing is that you do not just think the feeling, but that you feel it, amplify, absorb it and experience it in the body.

最重要的是，你不只是想象这种感觉，而是你感觉它，放大这种感觉，沉浸在其中，用身体去感受它。

Here’s How To Begin To Change The Bias 

下面是如何开始改变偏见的方法

This basic and simple exercise can be used daily as a meditation, or in the heat of the moment when you feel yourself tanking.

日常生活中，或者是在当你陷入沉思的时，着中简单的锻炼可以作为一种冥想。

You can begin or end your day with this practice while lying in bed.

当你在一天的开始或者结束时，躺在床上，做这种练习。

Some days it is much harder than others, but anything you do towards this end is progress.

有时会很难，但你只要你做了就是一种进步。

Step # 1 Notice You Feel Bad 

第一步，注意的你坏感觉

Pause and acknowledge the feelings. Jot down up to 3 words to describe. If you don’t have a pen, note mentally.

停下来承认自己的感受。写下3个词来描述。如果你没有笔，用心记。

Step #2 Choose A Preferred Feeling 

第二步，选择一种喜欢的感觉

Ask yourself what you would prefer to be feeling. Write down up to 3 words.

问问自己，你更喜欢什么感觉。写下3个单词。

Step #3 Make A Sincere Attempt To Experience The Preferred State

第三步真诚地尝试体验你喜欢的状态

Spend 2–3 minutes. Set a timer. Do your best to feel these feelings.

花2 - 3分钟。设置一个定时器。尽你最大的努力去感受这些感觉。

Sometimes, it requires your imagination, acting as if, or remembering a time when you felt this way to kickstart the feeling. Focus your attention on it. When you do this, you automatically amplify it. Further imagine this feeling state expanding within and around you, to the best of your ability.

有时候，这需要你的想象力，好像或者记得当你有这种感觉可以让你产生感觉的时候。把注意力集中在它上面。当你这样做时，你会自动放大它。进一步想象这种感觉状态在你体内和周围不断扩展，达到你的最佳状态。

Recap:

回顾

“The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful.”Dalai Lama

“克服消极思想和破坏性情绪的方法是让对立的、积极的的情绪更强，更有力量。”达赖喇嘛

There you go! We have the sanction of the Dalai Lama. He was right and there is science to back it. (Read Hardwiring Happiness by Rick Hansen for more of the neuroscience.)

这下你会懂了！ 我们得到了达赖喇嘛的认可。他是对的，有科学依据。(通过读瑞克·汉森的杂志Hardwiring Happiness得知更多的神经科学依据。)

1 .You can rewire your brain and change your life.

重新疏通你的大脑，改变你的生活。

2. You are building your own neural circuitry based upon the thoughts and feelings you repeat the most.

基于你重复最多的想法和感觉，建立自己的神经回路。

3.You may have great plans, but it’s really the program that is running behind the scenes that is determining your success.

你可能有很好的计划，但实际上在幕后运行的程序决定了你的成功。

4.Don’t be discouraged when you realize this. The good news is you were messing things up and you can make them right. It’s not that hard to get control over. Like everything, it just takes dedication and practice. The payoff is big.

5. 当你意识到这一点时，不要气馁。因为虽然你把事情搞砸了，但是你可以把事情做对。这并不难掌控。一切只有通过需要奉献和实践。才会有巨大的回报。

6.I suggest making it part of your daily routine. It not only feels a hell of a lot better, it also is better for your health and it gets you closer to your goals.

我建议把它作为你日常生活的一部分。它不仅让你感觉好得多，对你的健康更有好处，且让你更接近你的目标。

7. Our negativity bias helped our Stone Age ancestors survive.

我们的消极偏见帮助我们石器时代的祖先幸存下来。

8 It’s now impairing our ability to thrive.

它正在损害我们的发展能力。

8. Stress hormones have their place, but we modern humans are saturating ourselves in them. The hurried pace, the over-exposure to negatively biased news, our fears and insecurities about money, as well as our unreasonable standards of measuring up all cause the release of cortisol in the body.

应激激素有它们的位置，但是我们现代人将自己深陷其中。匆忙的步伐，过度曝光的负面新闻，我们对金钱的恐惧和不安，以及我们的不合理的测量标准都导致了体内皮质醇的释放。

9. To create healthy, balanced and successful lives, we have to intentionally counter our negativity bias by turning our focus to the positive. Again, we can rewire our brains. They’re designed to be molded. We’re forming them anyway. We might as well shape them to our advantage, rather than our disadvantage.

为了创造健康、平衡和成功的生活，我们必须将我们的注意力转向积极的方面来避免消极的偏见。我们可以再一次重新疏通大脑。将它们设计成模型。然后将我们铸就成模型。我们不妨把他们塑造成我们的优势，而不是我们的劣势。

10.When we do this, we build our immunity, resilience, and connect to the part of our brains that motivates us to take action toward our dreams.

当我们这样做的时候，我们建立我们的免疫力，恢复能力，并连接到我们的大脑中，激发我们采取行动去实现梦想。

Here are the steps that can be used in the heat of the moment, or as a part of your daily meditation:

下面这些步骤可以在一时性起使用，或者作为你日常冥想的一部分:

-Notice how you feel. Name the negative feelings.

注意你的感受。给负面情绪命名。

-Choose how you would prefer to be feeling. I find it helps to write down 3 words.

-选择你想要的感觉。我发现写下3个单词是很有帮助的。

-Set aside a minimum of 3 minutes to consciously experience the preferred state.

-留出至少3分钟的时间来有意识地体验偏好的状态。

11.As you practice these feeling, they become more real. And your brain changes, as well. It happens more quickly than you might think.

当你练习这些感觉时，它们会变得更真实。并且你的大脑也会发生变化。它发生的速度比你想象的要快。

12. Learning to activate and sustain a positive emotion is the key to good health. It’s also key to being able to manifest your goals.

学会激活和保持积极情绪是健康的关键。这也是实现目标的关键。

13. If you want to change your life, this is the most powerful way that I know. This is a tool you can use whenever you find yourself anything less than hopeful, excited, empowered, happy…

如果你想改变你的生活，这是我所知道的最有力的方式。你可以利用这个工具，当你发现自己感受不到任何希望,兴奋,授权,快乐…

Here’s How To Eliminate Negativity In 3 Minutes (or less)