Episode 67: Toxic Positivity

Toxic positivity is the belief that no matter how dire or difficult a situation is, people should maintain a positive mindset. It's a "good vibes only" approach to life.

While there are benefits to being an optimist and engaging in positive thinking, toxic positivity instead rejects difficult emotions in favor of a cheerful, often falsely positive, facade.

Toxic positivity takes positive thinking to an overgeneralized extreme.

We all know that having a positive outlook on life is good for your mental well-being. The problem is that life isn't always positive. We all deal with painful emotions and experiences. Those emotions, while often unpleasant, are important and need to be felt and dealt with openly and honestly.

This attitude doesn't just stress the importance of optimism, it minimizes and denies any trace of human emotions that aren't strictly happy or positive.

In today’s episode we talk about toxic positivity in relation to personal wellness. 

In today’s episode we talk about toxic positivity in relation to personal wellness, including:
* what TP looks like, sounds like, and feels like
* forms TP takes
* how TP is undesirable & harmful to wellness
* how to recognize TP
* what you can do instead
* importance of valuing the individual
* becoming comfortable with negative emotions
* how to handle anger
* how gender stereotypes can be toxic (shoutout to Marlo Thomas)
* what to do to promote your personal well-being and the well-being of the people you love