Sometimes Positivity Is Just Denial

You all know how I feel about toxic positivity.

I just started listening to this podcast: “Julie.” It’s about a woman living and dying with stage 4 colon cancer. This woman’s perspective is something else. I was seriously moved after 5 short minutes (shared it in my stories).

She’s raw, honest, practical, and supportive all at the same time. She really got me thinking.

Positivity is nice. It’s pretty. And sometimes much easier to swallow than what’s really going on.

But sometimes positivity is denial wrapped up all pretty with a bow. It’s our mind stopping us from addressing what’s really going on.

There are many things people do to soothe their discomfort in the moment. Maybe you drink, use drugs, shop, or cry.

But then there are the not-so-obvious things we do. These are the things we think are supposed to be good for us, like positivity and happiness immediately after something bad happens.

It’s saying “everything is great!!!” when deep down we know it’s not or the fact say otherwise. On the surface, it may seem like a good way to cope.

But being positive as a way to ignore your experience instead of dealing with it can really harm you.

I want you to know that worry, joy, fear, happiness, pain, rage, anger, sadness (and more) are all part of the human condition.

Being a warrior, a fighter, or a survivor means feeling all of those things. It means acknowledging that whatever you or your loved one is going through is hard AND you’re going to do the best with what you’ve got. Then…moving on to a positive reframe.

Send me an email to schedule an appointment, we can discuss exactly how to do that.