We’ve all been in a situation where our world comes crashing down on us and the last thing you want to hear is “Cheer up” or “Don’t worry, smile and let it go”.
In such situations, we only want to vent or be acknowledged for our situations with some empathy, in the most genuine way possible.
“Toxic Positivity” can make you repress your emotions without internalizing them and it only seems to get worse with time. If you keep ghosting your emotions for long, it’ll come back and haunt you for sure.
A positive outlook on life really does help but only if it’s rooted in reality and doesn’t feel misplaced.
“Toxic positivity is positivity given in the wrong way, in the wrong dose, at the wrong time.”
The whole fix-it-fast culture of winning the race of life makes us resent being vulnerable or giving ourselves the time to acknowledge our feelings or even others when they come to you which can make one feel alienated.
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Toxic positivity is rooted in denial and often works by invalidating or dismissing the feelings as something that can cause discomfort to us or others. This differentiates it from genuine optimism which mainly aims to bring hope from reality and acknowledges it.
The whole point of this is to feel okay about not being okay and not be guilty of wasting others time or even gaslight your own emotions involved in it.
Mostly, toxic positivity can be dealt with by hearing what your grieving friend has to say. Or by offering advice if you can but also allowing yourself to be empathetic to others and patient in the most organic way without rushing the process.
Next time when you’re down or somebody asks for help, remember to acknowledge and treat the emotions with genuine care by being a good listener to others and being patient with yourself.
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature Image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: The Wall Street Journal, Right As Rain, Psychology Today
Find the blogger: @Drishti Shroff
This post is tagged under: Toxic Positivity, Genuine Optimism, Mental Health, Process, Emotions, Feelings, Mental Health Organization, Invalidating Opinions, Mental State, Feel Your Emotions
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right, copyright over any of the images used, these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly mail us.
