What is toxic positivity? 5 signs you could be suffering from it

Positivity is necessary during many situations in our lives. But one must know the difference between positivity and toxic positivity. If you are forcing yourself to stay positive all the time even if you don’t feel like it, then you might have taken it too far. Toxic positivity is all fun and games until it isn’t. If you are going to keep repressing your negative emotions by not allowing yourself to feel them, then you will only invite more distress and sadness. The term “toxic positivity” was first coined by the psychiatrist Gayani DeSilva. She called it “an insincere positivity” that causes harm, needless suffering, or misunderstanding.

Here are the signs you could be suffering from toxic positivity:

You feel guilty for getting upset or angry.
With so many toxic positivity quotes floating on social media these days, your mind has been conditioned to believe that feeling down is wrong or abnormal. Some may even believe that it is a sign of weakness if you get sad over something. Well, as human beings, we are allowed to feel all kinds of emotions. So, if you feel guilty about being sad or angry, then you might be suffering from toxic positivity.

You scold people who are not positive.
People who are going through a serious tragedy, or a mental illness like depression, can find it almost impossible to get affected by some motivational or positivity speech. It is not their fault that they can’t feel happiness at certain moment. So, instead of scolding them for their lack of positivity, you can try to resolve their issue, or suggest professional help if they are going through a mental issues.

You hide your true feelings.
If you have started to hide your real feelings from your loved ones and your friends, then it’s a sign of toxic positivity. Not opening up about how you feel is only going to cause more harm to your mental health.

You invalidate the emotions of others.
If you often find yourself saying phrases like “it could be worse” to your friends or family members when they feel sad, then you are probably suffering from toxic positivity. This is true that there might be people who are in worse situations than them, but it doesn’t mean that you should invalidate the feelings of anyone.

You dismiss all the feelings which are negative.
According to a study from the University of Texas, when people try to avoid feeling their negative emotions, then those suppressed emotions get stronger eventually. This can cause great harm to their mind and body.

Their negative emotions may explode and manifest in various ways. For example, people can end up becoming alcoholics or drug users or stop paying attention to their diet or work-life balance.

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