#toxic-positivity — Public Fediverse posts

What toxic positivity looks like... "It could be worse..." "Stay positive!" "Happiness is a choice" "It happens for a reason" "Good vibes only!" "You will get over it"
#healthyhabits #toxicpositivity #healthypositivity #emotions #feelings #mentalhealth #mentalwellness #ymhc

It's human to...
#healthyhabits #boundaries #healthyboundaries #toxicpositivity #healthypositivity #emotions #feelings #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #mentalwellness #mentalwellbeing #ymhc

Things that can be equally true
#healthyhabits #boundaries #healthyboundaries #toxicpositivity #healthypositivity #emotions #feelings #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #mentalwellness #mentalwellbeing #ymhc

Saying someone can't be sad because someone else may have it worse is like saying someone can't be happy because someone else may have it better.
#healthyhabits #boundaries #toxicpositivity #healthypositivity #emotions #feelings #mentalhealth #ymhc

Tired of pretending everything’s “fine”?

https://de320.isrefer.com/go/LUYDFREE/Stuartn/
 
#toxicpositivity #authenticity #healing #selfawareness #emotionalhealth #ThinkandGrowEducation #RayBehan #Mindset #Meditation

Nobody was going to do it for me, I had to figure it out for myself.

I thought that maybe if I got it just right, I could be loveable. I had to have the right mindset, and it was going to be POSITIVE dammit. #toxicpositivity #manipulation #scripttheory #survivor #writer

https://survivorliteracy.com/2026/04/28/90-weaponization-of-the-benign-and-beneficial-5/

I had an idea to make a photobook with some of my landscape photos ... many of them are ideal for the kind of motivational/spiritual posters you see 🤮, so I wanted to make a kind of 'spiritual parody' book.

Would love some feedback on my first 3 examples ....

#photography #toxicpositivity #spiritualparody #landscapephotography

While positivity can be a good thing, going too far can create a toxic environment where other's feelings are not taken into consideration. As with all things, balance is key. #toxicpositivity #feelings #balance #environnement #life

I think there is pressure on people to turn every negative into a positive, but we should be allowed to say, 'I went through something really strange and awful and it has altered me forever.' By Marian Keyes

#healthyhabits #toxicpositivity #healthypositivity #emotions #feelings #mentalhealth #mentalwellness #ymhc

When I was actively traumatized for over a decade and was constantly in fight-flight-freeze-mode, all my teachers called me lazy.

When I had a 4 year long depression with anhedonia, my mom called that tiredness.

When I had a PAIS two times for 3 months with fatique syndrome, my mom called that tiredness.

Now I have a burnout my mom tells me "just make sure you don't fall back into that tiredness".

All my life I am an extrovert with social phobia and people keep telling me to get out of my comfort zone.
How do I get out of something that doesn't exist?

#mh #ph #ToxicPositivity #NotJustSad #NotJustTired #NotJustShy

Toxic positivity

#toxicpositivity #healthypositivity #mentalhealth #mentalwellness #emotionalhealth #selfcare #healthyhabits #feelings #emotions #mentalhealthawareness #studentmentalhealth #ymhc

@marquito

So hast du mehr vom Wochenende.
#toxicpositivity

Nobody was going to do it for me, I had to figure it out for myself.

I thought that maybe if I got it just right, I could be loveable. I had to have the right mindset, and it was going to be POSITIVE dammit. #toxicpositivity #manipulation #scripttheory #survivor #writer

https://survivorliteracy.com/2026/02/27/90-weaponization-of-the-benign-and-beneficial-3/

#healthyhabits #boundaries #healthyboundaries #toxicpositivity #healthypositivity #emotions #feelings #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #mentalwellness #mentalwellbeing #ymhc

Nobody was going to do it for me, I had to figure it out for myself.

I thought that maybe if I got it just right, I could be loveable. I had to have the right mindset, and it was going to be POSITIVE dammit. #toxicpositivity #manipulation #scripttheory #survivor #writer

http://survivorliteracy.com/2026/01/28/90-weaponization-of-the-benign-and-beneficial-2/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=jetpack_social

Self-help articles be like:

"Friends who are currently struggling are a drain on your personal peace. Cut them off entirely! Ideally after you've taught them you're dependable. That'll really show those toxic, suffering friends."

Their comfort > your basic needs

That's the lesson. I guess I'm learning it now.

#Sarcasm #Satire #WellnessCulture #ToxicPositivity #DisabilityJustice #CommunityCare #MentalHealth #Loneliness #Friendship #LateStageCapitalism

The only people who have tried giving me unrequested, unwanted advice about how I should be cheerier & more positive - are hella privileged white folks with #ToxicPositivity & who don't really know me well at all.

If they knew me better - they'd not be trying to shove their toxic positivity crap towards me whatsoever. They'd understand that I'm a pretty happy person, despite all my ongoing life struggles. They'd know I've already lived through multiple living nightmares, survived to still smile & find pockets of simple joys, daily. They'd realize that I can deal with harsh realities & still find/hold rays of hope. They'd recognize that they're in need of realistic grounding help & to cease pushing their toxic, unrealistic, 24-7 positivity shit on others around them.

#CognitiveDissonance

Warum machen Menschen Dinge, die sie eigentlich nicht wollen oder im Nachhinein zutiefst bereuen? Wie funktioniert dieser Mechanismus der Manipulation? Wie agieren Sekten und toxische Gemeinschaften? Diese Fragen werden von der neuen Folge von #Wiewirticken beantwortet:
👉 https://www.ardaudiothek.de/episode/urn:ard:episode:409b16e5aee1b015/
#ARD #ARDAudiothek #Podcast #Deutschland #Sekte #Sekten #Seelenfänger #Yoga #Psychologie #Manipulation #gaslightning #Scientology #Lovebombing #Kult #spiritualbypassing #ToxicPositivity #coercivecontrol

Insisting vegans "agree to disagree" with, excuse, ignore or even facilitate carnists and their behavior is I feel a poignant example of toxic positivity

Treating all disagreement as harassment or all criticism as an attack is not healthy, conflict is messy but it is not inherently bad conflict is an inevitable part of life and dealing with it healthily creates personal growth

#Vegan #Carnism #Psychology #ToxicPositivity

When Gratitude Doesn’t Erase the Drowning

I’ve been thinking a lot about survival mode lately; that state where you’re technically functioning, but everything feels like walking through heavy water. You wake up, you move, you smile when needed, but underneath, you’re just trying to keep your head above the current.

And the thing is… we know we’re not the only ones struggling.
We know someone out there has it worse: the single mom working three jobs, the friend grieving someone they can’t bring back, the family facing eviction. So we tell ourselves, I should be grateful.

But gratitude doesn’t make the drowning stop. It just means you’re aware you’re lucky to still have air, even if you’re gasping for it.

Survival Mode Is Still a State of Emergency

In psychology, survival mode happens when your body and brain shift into constant stress response. Cortisol stays high, focus narrows, and emotions flatten. You’re not lazy or dramatic. You’re literally wired for crisis.

That means even “small” problems — like bills piling up, unstable Wi-Fi, or family tension — can feel like tidal waves when your nervous system is already fried. Your body doesn’t rank problems by global importance. It only knows that you’re overwhelmed.

When people say, “Well, at least you have food on the table,” what they often mean is “I don’t know how to hold your pain, so I’ll minimize it.” It’s not cruelty; it’s discomfort. But it still invalidates the very real emotional weight you’re carrying.

The Trap of Comparative Suffering

Researcher Brené Brown calls it comparative suffering: the idea that pain must be measured, ranked, and justified.

• “I shouldn’t complain, others have it worse.”
• “At least I’m not homeless.”
• “It’s just stress; people go through worse.”

But emotions don’t operate on a hierarchy. There’s no prize for “Most Deserving of Sadness.”

When we compare pain, we disconnect — from ourselves and from others. We silence empathy instead of expanding it. Brown says the antidote is emotional generosity — acknowledging that my pain and your pain can coexist without comparison.

Gratitude and Struggle Can Coexist

Gratitude doesn’t mean gaslighting yourself into silence. It means holding both truths: I am thankful and I am struggling.
You can love your life and still feel tired of fighting for balance.
You can appreciate your home and still feel crushed by instability.
You can be aware of your blessings and still feel like you’re drowning.

That duality is what makes you human, not ungrateful.

What Helps Me When I’m in Survival Mode

• Naming the truth. I literally say it out loud: “I’m overwhelmed, and that’s okay.”
• Radical rest. Even ten minutes of stillness helps remind my nervous system that I’m safe.
• Connection over comparison. Reaching out to someone who listens without fixing.
• Journaling without judgment. Letting the thoughts be messy and unfiltered.

When we stop ranking pain, we create room for collective healing. We move from “At least you—” to “I hear you.” And that one shift can feel like coming up for air.

Closing Thought

You’re not weak for struggling when others have it worse.
You’re human for feeling the weight of your own life.
We don’t have to win the pain Olympics.
We just have to survive it — together.

#comparativeSuffering #emotionalHealth #gratitudeAndStruggle #healingJourney #mentalWellness #selfCompassion #survivalMode #toxicPositivity

I don't really bring up this with the students, it will panic them, because they all expect me to make it - easily.
Other #postdocs are equally stressed out, so the prevailing strategy is #toxicpositivity #mentalhealth. And it's surprising how many days a man can go without being asked "How are you?" That said, I am still happy when underrepresented folks get the jobs ... there are some great people out there. #AcademicChatter #Astrodon

After accidentally #doomscrolling for 3 hours:
#memes #thisisfine #toxicpositivity