There is a dark side to the whole ‘positivity culture’ that we can see nowadays. Toxic positivity lies on the boundary of self-realization and mere acceptance. It generally occurs when we try to mask our true feelings. We can’t keep a catalogue to guide our behaviours, reactions, or expressions. “You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming” I would like you to remember these words of Pablo Neruda before we dig deeper!
What is toxic positivity?
Toxicity occurs when someone tries to make you calm bogusly! Everyone needs a space to open up and discuss their feelings. When it is dealt with in a toxic way, an issue that need to be addressed meticulously will be overturned as a fate!
Toxic positivity be like “Everything happens for a reason If I can do it, so can you”
Non-toxic acceptance is like “How can I support you during this hard time, Everyone’s story, abilities, and limitations are different and that’s okay!”
We cannot force ourselves to be happy by saying “just think good things” or pretending so!
In fact, ‘happiness seekers’ have zero-tolerance for anything they feel as negative, and also have a false belief that they only surround themselves with happy and upbeat peoples.
Signs of toxic positivity.
- Hiding your true feelings
- Trying to just get on with it, by ignoring emotions.
- Feeling guilty for what you feel!
- Minimizing other people’s experiences with “feel good” quotes.
- Shaming others for expressing frustration or anything other than positivity in their perspective.
- Negative emotions are also a part of human feelings.
Everyone has a shadow!
Suppressing your emotions will be like trying to survive yourself within a gas chamber. Everyone has a different spectrum of emotions, watch yourself and if you feel ‘the need of help’, never feel shy to seek medical help. Toxic positivity will become a big problem if you never address what makes you unhappy. A study has found that accepting and not rejecting our natural emotions actually help us better defuse them and lead to less negative emotions gradually. Being stable with your emotion is not just a simple task, though there are multiple ways to channel your emotions without being hindered anywhere! No one wants to be portrayed as a negative person, and it never meant that we have to suppress what we feel from our gut.