The Eeyore Syndrome
Have you read any Winnie the Pooh stories to your children? If so, you know the character of Eeyore, the donkey that always has that hang dog look, feels defeated, and thinks Doomsday is just around the corner. His foil is Tigger the Tiger who is, in contrast, always exuberant, full of energy, life, and optimism.
Frequently we encounter people in life who are so much like the character of Eeyore. They could wake up on a beautiful sunny day and be depressed because there might be a storm later that day. Their personality is that of the constant worrier. They mistrust not only others, but themselves as well. Essentially, they lack faith.
How do we deal with them without getting sucked into their world of negativity and depression? Sometimes those people are members of our families. Looking for a captive audience, they corner us and manage to deplete any energy we have and put storm clouds in our sunny skies. We want to be understanding and supportive. But, at the same time, we don’t want to fall into the same trap they are in.
Tony Robbins talks about emotional “states” in his motivational tapes. Negativity is one of those “states”. It’s a rut, like a wheel of your vehicle being stuck in mud. What is needed is a change of state. Sometimes a change in how one perceives their experiences can alter that state. Humor sometimes can snap a person out of it. And even a change in posture, facial expression, tone of voice, and activity can change the state.
What do we do when a child is walking around looking for pennies on the floor? i.e. moping?
Don’t we do something silly to snap them out of their state? Maybe we tickle them or make some silly face at them to make them laugh. Or we say “Don’t you dare smile at me.” Soon they are giggling and smiling and have forgotten what they were feeling bad about.
That technique may not be the magic cure for all the negativism in the world, but it’s a start. People who are negative are taking life too seriously. They need to be shown that while they are thinking about all the bad things and worrying about disasters that may or may not occur in their lives, they are missing out on the good things. And this world is teeming with good things for us all to enjoy.
I recently read the book “The Secret”. Give this book to negative people you know. Basically, the secret is faith and optimism, believing in the abundance of the universe and that each of us deserves to share in it. By focusing on what we want, we become magnets for those things. On the flip side, by focusing on the negative, we become magnets for what we don’t want.
People who are negative are crying out for someone to give them a flip, like a turtle who has landed upside down and can’t, try as he might, get himself turned over. Positivity is a powerful force, and those who have it can change someone’s day…sometimes by just smiling.
