I am Dr. Hassan, a Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own profitable practices so they can achieve financial independence and live without limits.
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Is positivity really so daunting?
We think little of the person who insists on facing every day with brightness and good cheer. After all, their mood is their own. But the situation changes when this same person turns this mood in our direction and all but demands we share the same false enthusiasm regardless of the trial we’re facing. This becomes false positivity, and it’s a brutal force to behold.
False positivity attacks self-worth and creates many problems that can tear people down and fill them with doubt. But is this as damaging as we think?
Definitely! Consider these facts:
Toxic Positivity Has a High Emotional Cost
It’s never good to only focus on one or two emotions while ignoring the rest. When we suppress our emotions, we start feeling as though we’re doing the wrong things. We become guilt-ridden when things like sadness or anger rear up their ugly heads and try to force out positivity. This, in turn, breeds anxiety. You start to live in a state of worry and stress until the feelings you keep trying to blot out eventually explode in a way that cannot be ignored.
Toxic Positivity Makes it Hard to Process Grief
How is one supposed to work through the various stages of grief or to understand even what they feel from significant loss if they keep denying these feelings and instead grasp after states of toxic positivity? Telling people their loved one ‘is in a better place’ can be painful on many levels and gives no room to feel lonely or sad, both of which are normal and even healthy emotions.
Toxic Positivity Can Lead to Dangerous Situations
While trying to look on the bright side seems harmless, this kind of positivity can lead us to think better of others even when we probably shouldn’t. Consider what happens when someone hurts you. This kind of positivity will make you more inclined to trust them again. Now imagine an abuser given the same absolution. Unfortunately, this isn’t an uncommon scenario. Toxic positivity can cloud your judgment when you insist on only seeing things in the best light.
Toxic Positivity Makes it Hard to Talk to Others
Why would you trust your thoughts or feelings with someone else when you feel they’re being insincere by always being upbeat and happy no matter the circumstance? Being vulnerable enough to allow for intimacy is difficult when toxic positivity holds everyone at arm’s length.
While there are many other reasons to avoid toxic positivity, this sampling should give you some idea of the variety of ways this attitude can prove damaging to everything from self-esteem to how you relate to others. In the most extreme cases, it can even prove dangerous. It is no wonder toxic positivity should be avoided at all costs.
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I’m Dr. Hassan, a Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own profitable practices so they can achieve financial independence and live without limits. Please go to businessofrehab.com/contractnegotiations to pick up the free guide to help you negotiate the contract of your dreams.
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