To begin with, toxic positivity is the belief that no matter how dire or difficult the situation, people should maintain a positive mindset. While optimism and positive thinking bring benefits, toxic positivity dismisses all difficult emotions in favor of a cheerful and often falsely positive facade. Although, a positive outlook on life is good for your mental well-being. The problem is that life is not always a bed of roses. We all have painful emotions and experiences. These emotions, although often uncomfortable, need to be felt and dealt with openly and honestly in order to achieve acceptance and greater psychological health.
How toxic positivity takes positive thinking to overgeneralized extremes
Besides, toxic positivity takes positive thinking to an overgeneralized extreme. This attitude not only emphasizes the importance of optimism but also minimizes and even denies any trace of human emotion that is not strictly happy or positive. Too much positivity is toxic because it can hurt people who are going through hard times. Rather than being able to share real human emotions and receive unconditional support, people struggling with toxic positivity find that their feelings are dismissed, ignored, or downright devalued.
Subsequently, the “positive vibes only” mantra can be especially jarring during times of intense personal suffering. When people are dealing with situations such as financial hardship, job loss, illness, or the loss of a loved one, they may be told to look on the bright side, downright cruel. Moreover, some even consider toxic positivity a form of gas lighting. This is because it creates a false chronicle of reality, often causing you to catechize what you think and feel.
Why it is important to give ourselves permission to feel all our emotions
In conclusion, give yourself permission to feel your feelings. These feelings are real, valid and important. They can also provide information and help you see things about the situation that you need to work on to change. This does not necessarily mean that you should act on every emotion you feel. Sometimes it’s important to sit with your feelings and give yourself time and space to process the situation and accept your emotions before taking action.
