This week we’re focused on how toxic positivity can ruin the satisfying feeling of persevering
Let Yourself Feel
I used to be one of those friends that would drown you in positivity if something went wrong in your life (yes, I’m so ashamed!!!). It wasn’t until a friend did the exact same thing to me, when it made me realize that positivity in difficult situations isn’t always helpful. Sure it helps to keep a positive outlook on life in general. However, we should all be realists and stop playing ourselves. If you’re upset or going through a trying time your allowed to feel the emotions that come with that.
Don’t Oversimplify Your Emotions with Toxic Positivity
When we stuff positive quotes like “everything will be fine” or “stay positive, things could be worse”down our throats, it makes us forget what reality really is. If you’re truly upset about something saying positive phrases isn’t going to make you okay again. Don’t try to oversimplify the way you’re feeling. You feel how you feel, and that’s it.
Negative feelings and emotions need to be felt and dealt with when they appear, not whenever your positive phrases lose relevance. Negative thoughts can happen just as often, if not more than positive ones. It isn’t fair to your body and mind to keep stuffing your true emotions down, and replacing it with positive bullshit.
Be Real With Yourself
Persevering isn’t something that we all jump at the chance to do. While the concept seems positive, it is also trying. In order for you to actually persevere you need to have something to persevere through. Which means that struggling and feeling unmotivated in inevitable. Be real with yourself about it, it makes the process easier. The journey getting tough and the feeling of wanting to quit is perfectly normal, shit gets rough. Let’s all normalize that shit gets rough instead of being toxically positive about it.
We act like we can handle everything, and we’ll be fine even when we truthfully aren’t sure. You are not the only person who feels this way. Thinking this makes us feel lonely, when the truth is we’re all just trying to wing it. We deserve a better award for persevering other than the satisfaction of it because it takes a lot of strength. But we won’t know how much strength it truly took if we act like the hardships and struggles that we went through weren’t real.
The next time you feel like you’re in a trying or difficult place in your life, tell yourself that. This is a trying and difficult time, and although you know you’ll come out on top because you’re determined to persevere. It’s okay to admit that getting through life right now is proving difficult. Let me know how this goes for you✨