06/08/2023
We’ve all heard the phrases “good vibes only, everything happens for a reason.” We all know the value of an encouraging word when we’re feeling down. But being in a rush to will away the negative emotions can actually cause more harm than good. It’s known as toxic positivity. Toxic positivity has become the new numbing tool to escape reality and repress emotions. Toxic positivity is the pressure to only display positive emotions, suppressing any negative emotions, feelings, reactions, or experiences. It invalidates human experience and can lead to trauma, isolation, and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Of course, positivity on its own isn’t toxic. It’s healthy to find the silver lining and lessons in difficult situations. But there’s an entire range of emotions and experiences that we experience, and the positive lessons don’t come from suppressing them. We all want to feel positive and optimistic, but it’s just not realistic to expect ourselves (or others) to feel this way all the time. Making space for ourselves and our feelings (all of them, not just the nice ones) helps us build our emotional regulation skills. And that helps us become more resilient, and better able to find ways through our challenges. Nothing’s lost by facing the truth of a difficult situation. And when you do finally get to the other side, no one will need to tell you how to feel.