Whilst a positive mindset is so important, I recently became aware of the risk of going too far with what I have learnt to be ‘Toxic Positivity’. It is something I have wanted to talk about for a while, but an interesting post from Blackhill Eventing on Facebook promoting the difference between ‘Validation and Hope’ and ‘Toxic Positivity’ prompted me to get my thoughts together!
I hate to admit, but I have previously been of a toxic positive mindset, not realising what it was and having felt guilty for feeling negative when I had so much to be positive about. It felt like being overly positive would be the better of the two. However, there is a time to accept that things may not be so positive, and that’s OK.
With the current situation what it is, the need for honesty seems to be more important than ever. Social media is the most frequent “connection” that so many people are experiencing, but it is so easy to hide behind a screen and keyboard and claim how wonderful everything is. The reality could be completely the opposite, leading to a guilt over the real emotions and feeling a lot worse for it!
I was once told, just because someone else is going through a bad or worse situation, it doesn’t invalidate your feelings or what you’re going through. So start the conversation, be honest, and know that it’s OK not to be OK ♡
#mindfulriding #teaminspire #ratherbewearingwellies
Rather Be Wearing Wellies ♥ 