It’s easy to get discouraged, even pessimistic if we are watching the news these days. But what kind of effect is this having on our own health, wellbeing and ability to be meaningful agents of change?
The Amygdala is a part of the brain in charge of really powerful emotions–anger, hate, fear and the fight or flight response. This part of our brain is there to protect us on a very primitive level from threats to our survival (such as the threat of a predator).
However, in the modern world, when there is a steady stream of images and news stories that are designed to evoke a “threat” response, our brain is not capable of forming an accurate picture of reality.
With the media constantly keeping us on edge…it’s no wonder
most of us think we are going to hell in a handbasket.
~ Steven Kotler
2015 Voice & Exit talk about the neuroscience of pessimism
But what can we do about this?
It’s up to each us individually to choose what we feed our minds, and to uplift our level of consciousness so that we can be better ambassadors of peace in the world.