The Negativity Diet: Shedding Your Brain Fat

   With the presidential election only days away, we've all been subjected to a tidal wave of negative ads, negative news, negative comments on social media, and negative banter between co-workers, friends, and family. It's enough to make you go to bed in a foul mood and have no idea why, then all you have to do is wake up and turn on the TV or log onto Facebook, and there it is, staring at you in the face again. I suspect it will only increase until election day, but it certainly won't go away afterward, so it might just be time for a diet. The Negativity Diet.

   Many of us pay close attention to what we are feeding our bodies, but how much attention do we pay to what we're feeding our minds? Getting sucked into negative discussions, vicious rumors and smear campaigns is like eating at McDonald's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner--and it doesn't just hold true for politics. Engaging in gossip, watching certain reality TV, and reading the tabloids is more mind pollution, or what I call "brain fat," that's poisoning your life and your happiness. The problem is that most of the time you aren't even conscious of it.

  The brain is constantly processing billions of bits of information, sifting through data and making sense of the world around it. We may not realize that when we subject ourselves to an avalanche of negativity that we are gorging our brains on crap, and our moods and our lives will inevitably reflect that. It is always your choice what to feed your brain, and it's easy to tell if it's junk food. If it leaves you feeling drained, sluggish, moody, anxious, or angry for no reason, then you need to put it down or turn it off and start feeding your brain something that will supercharge it. It's easier than you think.

  Here are my personal Top 10 Super Foods to feed your brain:

  1) Meditation or deep breathing
  2) Make a list of what you're grateful for
  3) Read an uplifting or inspiring book
  4) Listen to relaxing music
  5) Go for a walk outside and focus on nature
  6) Turn off the news or talk radio
  7) Exercise, go for a run, or go lift weights
  8) Let go of resentment or mend an old relationship
  9) Tell someone you love them

 ...and #10 is my special bonus "Election 2012" Negativity Diet tip: We've all been inundated with Facebook messages from people who don't share our political beliefs, and because of this a lot of "de-friending" has been going on. If you just find their comments annoying, and not something worth de-friending them for, you can stop their comments from appearing in your news feed. Go to their page and click on the box on the right hand side that says "Friends," just under their cover photo. Then you'll see a check mark next to "show in newsfeed," and all you have to do is uncheck it.
 Simple as that.

  This works particularly well for family members who have differing political views. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it's really best not to de-friend your own kin. A little newsfeed censorship never hurt anyone, and it will eliminate any awkward moments while taking the coats to put on the bed or passing the cranberry sauce.

  Negativity isn't going to vanish after this election is over, but now is a great time to be conscious of what you're feeding your mind. Is it healthy, pure, inspiring, and energizing? Or is is negative, draining, and corrosive to your well being? If it's not serving you, you can always change it. Sure, it's great to be informed on worldly events, but that doesn't mean you have to be inundated with bad news, which is like feeding trans fat to your brain. Begin the Negativity Diet today, try my TOP 10 super foods, and in no time the brain fat will start melting away.