Responding to the Negative
I have recently started to receive negative feedback on Seeing Through The Label. Logically, I understand that negative feedback is a part of everything you do. I honestly believe that if you never receive negative feedback, then you're not pushing the boundaries of the status quo enough. You can never bring about change by doing what everyone agrees with. But again, that is me thinking logically. That is not to say that it does not affect me emotionally. The first email I opened that included feedback of this kind had me go through many different emotions. At first I was in complete shock, and then I became quite angry and vilified the person who wrote it. I was able to move from the anger, but I was still upset that someone had said something unkind about what I was trying to do. Eventually I was given another message of support. I received another donation. I got another pat on the back. Suddenly, I didn't need to focus on the negative feedback any more.
I don't like to consider myself as someone who needs constant validation. However, sometimes I need something positive to break that negative train of thought. At this moment, I needed that positive feedback to reroute that train of thought. It helped me to no longer focus on the negative long enough that I was able to put it all into perspective again.
I have recently developed more of an interest in neuroscience which shows that the more we focus on the negative, the stronger the neuropathway becomes that leads us to the negative. The more we focus on the positive, the stronger the neuropathway becomes that leads us to the positive. This means that if we spend more time complaining and focusing on issues, we actually train our brain to constantly go back to the negative. I was stuck in the negative feedback. I would have continued to build stronger neuropathways to all of the issues, if it wasn’t for the positive feedback. Instead I could then focus on all of the positives about what I am doing and continue to strengthen the neuropathway that leads me back to positivity. So thank you for helping me strengthen my neuropathway back to my happy thoughts.