Toxic Positivity - Why it can be a danger to your mental health

As mentioned so many times already, the past year and a half has been a difficult time for every person alive on this planet. There are many ways to try and cope while living through a global pandemic, and blogs on self-care, positive thinking techniques and many other therapeutic approaches have been shared to try and help. 

 

One idea that has grown popular since the lockdowns started is the concept of taking this time being stuck at home not knowing what to do with yourself as an opportunity to be more productive. This idea in itself isn’t a bad thing, but it has devolved into this rhetoric that you HAVE to stay busy and be productive, even if it feels like the world is crumbling around you.

 

Permanently feeling like you have to be productive in trying times can take a toll on your mental health, because no one can constantly be productive and positive, but seeing that kind of rhetoric online on a daily basis and not feeling like you can live up to this standard can break you down mentally.  

 

It’s important to remember that we as humans have a range of emotions. If you’re having a bad day, week, month or year, don’t forget that you are allowed to take some time just to process your feelings. Toxic positivity perpetuates the idea that if you’re not busy, productive and positive, then you’re doing something wrong. 

 

You are not doing anything wrong if you take time for yourself to deal with what you’re feeling, rest and even be a bit lazy. If taking a day or two off to be lazy will help you feel better and recover, then it’s not a negative thing. Having an obsession with constant positive thinking is the definition of toxic positivity. We are not meant to feel only one emotion, and suppressing every negative emotion, instead of processing and dealing with it, can lead to deep-rooted emotional distress. 

 

Instead of trying to ignore and bury our feelings when we don’t feel okay, it’s good to take time for ourselves and to try and learn how to cope with all our emotions: the negative and neutral ones, and even the positive ones. None of these last forever, and it’s important for us to learn how not to get swept away by any of them; to deal with them while they’re there, and to deal without them when they’ve passed. 

 

The main point to take away from this is that it’s okay not to be okay, and it’s okay to take some time to take care of yourself.

 

 

 

 

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