Many people started the coronavirus pandemic with plans to learn a new skill or improve as quarantine forced us to lock up. However, some have discussed how the mind of focusing on the positive can sometimes slip into an unhealthy pattern.
Here, we break down the meaning of toxic positivity and how it can affect us.
Is Toxic Positivity a Real Thing?
Talk to News weekNeuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) coach Rebecca Lockwood said toxic positivity is a real thing that forms when we ignore or brush up against negative situations.
She said: “It’s when something negative happens like losing a job or breaking up from a partner and people just tell you to look on the bright side, or stay positive and don’t let yourself go. not fully feeling what you are feeling. “
Clinical psychologist Dr Glen Hong said News week it is a real phenomenon which has a scientific basis.
He said: “This is a real phenomenon and because our brain is hardwired for survival and is more negative, it leads to unhealthy emotional suppression.”
What is toxic positivity?
Toxic positivity is the tendency to focus or rely heavily on optimism in all situations and aspects of life, denying the emotions associated with negative situations.
Boston-based psychotherapist Angela Ficken said: “Toxic positivity is of no use because it leaves little room to process or acknowledge how you are feeling, and” pretend until you get there. “does not apply in all situations.
Hong said it has an effect on our physiology as well: “There have been important findings that show that people who force positivity have higher blood pressure, decreased well-being, and poorer social adjustment.
“Toxic positivity can manifest in a person when they don’t empathize with themselves. When they judge negative emotions that they don’t like and force themselves to feel positive, it leads to emotional suppression and in an emotionally restrictive state. “
How toxic positivity affects us
Ficken explained how toxic positivity can be especially difficult for people in the workplace.
“Toxic positivity at work can create a negative work environment and increase stress levels,” Ficken said. “Imagine if you struggled with your workload and told your coworker that you were struggling to keep up, and their response was’ I don’t think the workload is that bad.
“You might feel even more overwhelmed because they aren’t struggling and told you it’s not that bad. This response can increase negative thinking, leave you more alone, and make it even more difficult to do your work on time. “
Lockwood said, “Toxic positivity can manifest itself in situations where something is wrong, not acknowledging what is really going on and trying to erase it with positive thoughts or positive affirmations.
“It can then make us feel guilty when we feel negative or depressed about situations, because we are not always able to think on the right side, because real situations do happen and need to be acknowledged.”
Hong also explained how mental health issues like depression and anxiety can get worse with this coping method.
“The result of toxic positivity is decreased mental health which leads to increased depression and anxiety, decreased physical health, and difficulty forming meaningful relationships in your life,” Hong said.
“The actor in the relationship will often be dishonest and angry, while the receiver will feel anxious because of the lack of empathy that is being conveyed.”
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Update 6/30/21: This article was updated with expert comments.
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