Toxic positivity

In an article titled “When positivity turns toxic and 4 was to combat it,” the Canadian Mental Health Association reminds us that good mental health comes from feeling a full range of emotions including comfortable and uncomfortable, “positive,” and “negative.” Toxic positivity is when someone acts and is aligned with being positive at all costs. This mindset is displayed even in times of hardships because we believe we should always maintain a positive attitude. This Canadian Mental Health Association article reminds us that even though we all want positivity at all times, having this mindset can shut down opportunities for authentic connection. See below for four ways that explain why naming and feeling our feelings instead of numbing them is better for ourselves in the long run: 

1. Suppressing unpleasant feelings can lead to poor mental health 
2. Blind optimism can actually be dangerous
3. Pain is part of the human experience 
4. Compulsory happiness uploads oppression 

Check out our next post for a deeper dive into toxic positivity!