04/21/2026
đź TOXIC POSITIVITY
It sounds nice on the surface.
Encouraging, upbeat, hopeful.
But sometimes⌠itâs just avoidance in a prettier outfit.
Toxic positivity is what happens when reality is too uncomfortable to face,
so it gets softened, filtered, and wrapped in a quote that sounds good but lands flat.
"Just stay positive."
"Everything happens for a reason."
"It could be worse."
And suddenly thereâs no room left for grief.
Or anger.
Or the very real, very human experience of this actually hurts.
It teaches usâquietly, persistentlyâ
that only certain emotions are acceptable.
That sadness needs to hurry up.
That pain should be edited into something more palatable.
But healing doesnât come from skipping over the hard parts.
It comes from meeting them.
From telling the truth.
From letting things be messy, unresolved, and real.
You donât need to force a silver lining.
You donât need to reframe your pain into something inspirational.
Youâre allowed to say:
this is hard
this hurts
this matters
And my favourite: THIS FU***NG SUCKSâ¨
Not everything needs a silver lining. Some things need honesty. Gaslighting another person's reality doesn't help them, it hurts them.
Not everything needs rainbows and sparkles; some things need truth and "I'm here" - even when it's dark and ugly outside
