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Bad streaks are an invention and this explains why
Psychology
The first step to overcome a losing streak is to listen to those negative ideas and not torture ourselves with them.
How little we like those stages in which everything seems to go wrong. They usually tell us «It will happen, it’s just a bad streak“Or” there is no harm that a hundred years last, “but we are not entirely convinced that those moments of discomfort will one day disappear. The thoughts that invade us the most are those that remind us of events or bad situations that are happening to us or that we have experienced at some point, especially if they are related to the current situation, and it turns out to be the whiting that bites its tail, where we see no way out for well-being and the return to normality.
But what does a losing streak mainly affect? Elena Capelo,
A psychologist at the Cepsim psychological center, she indicates that our memories are associated with each other based on several criteria: «One of these criteria is the emotion that we felt in each memory. For this reason, when we are in a sad moment it is very common that the amount of sad memories that pass through our minds is greater than usual, ”he says.
Apparently, these thoughts are often ruminative, automatic and very difficult to control, in addition to causing a circle of negativity that ends up invading us and generalizing to other aspects of our identity. But the letter of bad feelings does not end there, since they can also appear negative thoughts about ourselves and that question any ability or ability. Elena Capelo indicates that phrases like «I am not able to do something“Or” things never go well for me “are very typical and frequent in these times.
«They also usually appear negative thoughts about interpersonal relationships such as “they don’t care about me,” “they don’t care about me anymore,” or “they don’t love me.” These thoughts they attack our weakest points: our own worth and our links with the most important people “, explains the psychologist.
Moments for positivity
However, negativity does not always occupy all the space in our mind. Sometimes there is also room for positivism and the belief that the losing streak will soon become a part of the past. «Although a negativity bias predominates, we can be positive or have certain moments of hope in which we believe that everything will end up happening ». According to Elena Capelo, these moments are very necessary so as not to sink into these bad times since they will give us a little respite to be able to move forward and look to the future at this time: “This hope is what can save us from turning a bad streak into something more serious like depression.”
We also usually get some positivity from the people around us when we share with them the situation we are going through. It’s our turn overcome negativity bias that invades us in bad spells to be able to believe and trust what others tell us, and on an individual level, a very important factor to cope with these periods is the resilience that each person has. “This helps us to grow with difficult situations and not get stuck in negativity,” he clarifies.
How to overcome a losing streak
If we knew for sure when we were going to say goodbye to those hard times, the situation would be more sustainable, but unfortunately there is no manual for it … On the other hand, there is an exercise with those negative thoughts that is very useful and simple, although a bit difficult. to perform.
«The objective of this exercise is make us aware of those automatic thoughts and be able to change them. The first step is listen to those negative ideas that arise and not torture ourselves with them. It is important that we let them go, just as they arrived, in order to begin to counteract the influence they exert on us, “says the psychologist. As the expert says, the next step would be, when we become aware of these thoughts, stop them and send us opposite positive messages: «In this way that negative bias that has been growing in us will diminish and we will have a somewhat more positive view of the world». In other words, we will begin to look more at the good things that we have around us than the bad.
Another very positive aspect that will help us overcome it, as Elena Capelo reveals, is have a good social circle give us the emotional support we need. That is to say, that they listen to us, understand us, comfort us and also help us distract ourselves from all those negative things that are happening to us. Both parts are equally important, both the relief and the distraction.
“Of course, if the losing streak lasts too long It is advisable to go to a psychology professional to be able to work on the problem and to help you get through those hard times, “concludes the psychologist.