According to new studies, anxiety, just like any other viral disease, is contagious. The reason behind this is the fact that the human brain is “wired” to feel empathy towards other’s emotions, which can be the reason why we have a tendency to catch other’s feelings.

So, if you turn on the news (especially with everything that is going on right now), or you work along with negative/stressed colleagues, chances are that you will end up feeling like them at some point. However, this does not mean that you can’t do anything about it.


Today, we will share with you a few tools that will help you “shield” yourself from those negative feelings.

Tips to Beat Negative Emotions

1.- Plot Twist: Making a positive twist in the conversation is always a good way to change the feeling of it. For example: If your colleagues are complaining about work, make a positive input and mention how grateful you are to have a job… or talk about how good it is to have a source of income, etc. The point is to bring the conversation back to something positive or that you are grateful for.

2.- Name It: In the event that you feel like you “catch” some anxiety/stress and don’t know why take a pause and analyze the reason behind it. Many times we get annoyed by a little thing ( for example, a broken coffee machine) and we project that emotion into everything that we do. Taking a little break to analyze the reason behind feelings is a good way to manage them with emotional intelligence. This way you will leave the feeling in the situation and will not carry it around to everything else.

3.- Float Above: I’m a huge empath and I have a tendency to put myself into people’s shoes. However, this can lead me to catch other people’s problems and stress. A few months ago, a dear friend of mine told me something that helped me deal with it. He told me to float above people’s problems. Like seeing them from above, and honestly, it has worked wonders. Learning to remove yourself from other’s stress is key to protecting your mental health and balance.

4.- Unfollow: After you identify the main source of stress in your life, unfollowing that is key to protect your mental peace. Many times, things that we see on social media are able to change our mood in seconds, if that is your case, stop following those accounts. Another way to apply this is in real life, unfollow people that steal your joy. Remember, your mental peace should be a priority in your life so make sure to protect it.

5.- Act: According to scientists, the pure act of resolving things is an incredible way to ease stress. Let’s say that you are receiving stressful newsletters that fill your email and that have not real value, unfollowing or unsubscribing is a good way to get rid of those extra things. Just the fact of taking action is a proper way to make you feel like a situation is over. Additionally,  ask yourself if there is something you can do about the situation you are facing. If you can’t do anything about it just let it go and keep going. 

Placing your mental health as your top priority is required when it comes to beating stress. I learned that hard way that the only person I’m responsible for is myself so I decided that I was going to protect my mental health and peace. I’m still a huge empath but now I know that the only thing that I get to control on a good day is myself, so I put that to practice. As a result, I live a happier, way more relaxed life. Remember, to help others in distress you must be at peace first.

At Rehealth, we believe that having informed patients is the only way to deliver optimal healthcare. Visit our website to find out more interesting content and be a part of an amazing health integrated community!

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Sources:
https://www.health.com/anxiety/anxiety-contagious

Michelle Ibarra

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