I really enjoy sharing mindfulness with your children and hope this information is helpful. Kindest, Johanna

Negativity Bias is the experience by which humans give more psychological weight to bad experiences than good ones. In fact, some researchers assert that negative emotions have an impact close to 3x stronger than positive emotions. (https://gostrengths.com/what-is-the-negativity-bias/)

When I speak to the children about this I often say our brain lets the bad stuff stick and the good stuff slide right off. This tendency is meant to keep us safe. If we remember dangerous, bad things then we can avoid being hurt by it in the future. The problem occurs when we spend too much time reliving and focusing on the things that went wrong rather than celebrating the many things that went right.

A great way to understand negativity bias is to think about the thoughts we have at the end of the day. Do we dwell on our accomplishments and the highlights, or the moments that went wrong? When interacting with the world around you, are you more likely to dwell on the 10 things someone did right or the one mistake? If you dwell on the things that went wrong that makes you pretty normal. Our brains are wired this way. The beautiful thing is that we can work to change our brains. We can create new patterns that help us tip the scales a bit the other way. We can soak up the good more and practice allowing the bad stuff to slide.

What you can do at home:

• Practice gratitude every day. At the end of the day or at dinner each night practice sharing at least one thing that went well or that you are grateful for today.

• If you are having a beautiful moment or standing in a beautiful place, take 15 seconds to allow yourself to soak up the beauty of it.

• Celebrate each other's strengths and accomplishments.

• If you notice negative experiences or thoughts cycling through your brain, do something you love. Go for a run, read a book, bake or write in a journal. Never underestimate the power of distraction.

• Make a list with your child of things they like to do when they want to let the bad stuff slide and put it on your refrigerator.

• If you are struggling to let something negative slide, verbalise your process so that your child knows that you are working to change your brain and let the bad stuff slide.

• Be patient and kind with yourself and each other. A little bit often can go a long way. We can’t get it right every time.

• If you want to learn more here is a great article: https://www.psycom.net/negativity-bias