Toxic Positivity and Gaslighting? Really, What is That?
Let's start first with t oxic positivity…seems like an oxymoron? How can being positive possibly be a bad thing? Perhaps there can be too much of anything GOOD or BAD. Perhaps being positive has to a point a moment of negativity. Where does the term toxic positivity come from? Is this a word that has existed and has surfaced since the pandemic? Perhaps as with the pandemic, wounds surface and the microscope has uncovered the band aids that we use for comfort. Positivity to a point where it becomes toxic is one of those aids. Toxic positivity is a form of communication that can be harmful as it can cause shame, feelings of guilt, and the prevention of human emotional growth. We all need reassurances in our lives, but it makes sense that too much can undermine how someone is really feeling at the moment. It is perfectly okay and natural to be SAD, FRUSTRATED UPSET and ANGRY at times. Feelings, all of them, are valid. We shouldn't dismiss them when