Toxic Positivity

Feeling good, positive and having good vibes is perfectly fine. What does toxic positivity have to do with seeing a glass as half full?

What does toxic positivity actually mean? 

From the Urban Dictionary, toxic positivity is the belief that, "if you just stay positive, you will overcome any obstacle," to such a degree that you invalidate natural emotional responses and the person having those feelings.

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Toxic%20Positivity
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Toxic%20Positivity

I've had my dose of toxic positivity in my almost 39 years of life. At home it was, "just smile everything is going to be OK," at school it was, "you have nothing to be sad about, you have everything you need," at uni it was, "just have fun you're young," at work it was, "you have nothing to complain about, be happy, at least this that or other." 

None of the above made me feel better, grieve faster, heal quicker  or feel better about my life while drowning myself in gratitude.

Acknowledging my feelings, sitting with them and being OK with not being OK made me feel a lot better. I know I'm not the only one who has experienced toxic positivity, whether it was with good intentions or maliciously. 

I'm sure you've experienced this during lockdown. Please don't invalidate what you're going through just because you're doing your bit by being at home.

The sticky sweet even sickly positivity can on the surface seem harmless, but once you're flailing on the fly trap, unable to move due to pushing down all your feelings, all the time and wondering why filling yourself with, "good vibes only", didn't work, you succumb to depression or what you were going through. 

Looking after your mental health is really important. Whether you spend a day filled with self-care or self-love or sit with yourself for a few minutes everyday, your emotions are valid. You are valid. You are worth it. All your emotions are valid.

I'm not an expert on mental health. I hope you're well and are staying safe.

Wonder Woman XXX 💜 

The Magic

The Magic by Rhonda Byrne is all about gratitude.

She goes into how using gratitude every day can make you more positive, help with manifesting and becoming healthier.

The Magic of gratitude may help your relationships, improve your health, heal past or present relationships, attract more money to you and change the way you see yourself.

The main thing that I got out of it is that being thankful made me more positive and grateful for the small things in life. Try it, you may like it.

Wonder Woman,

XXX

Follow Your Dreams

Dear Thursday,

Today you were amazing.
I had an excellent day. Something changed between last night and this morning. I felt blissful, optimistic and extremely positive. I'm going to change the layout of the blog today. As a writer, I wanted to tell you the realness of it. Confessions and all.

You probably heard this before. People say it a lot. Follow your dreams. Achieve your goals. Never give up. Keep going. It's true. Why would you want to slog away every day at work then slump down to whatever Netflix had for you to watch?

Something to live for. Hope. Expectations and the glimmer of a better life.

Follow your dreams. Never give up.

I'm writing this after editing 2 chapters. It doesn't seem like much, but compared to the last few days, that's 1 more chapter. A step forward. Hopefully in the right direction.

In this notebook, I give myself a goal that I try to meet. A number of chapters to edit and I try to achieve it. I would say at first I did really well, then nothing. I reminded myself about my goals and ambitions. From that day, any extra chapter I did was a bonus. Another step forward towards my dream. 

What is your dream?

If you're a writer like me, it's important to keep track of your accomplishments. One foot in front of another. A step closer to your dream.

I hope today's blog has helped you in any way to get you moving towards your life's ambitions. You dream, because nobody is going to do it for you.

Good Night.

Wonder Woman.

XXX