What is Toxic Positivity?
There is a trend to force yourself to view all things positively far beyond looking for the silver lining or cracking a joke. It may be true that all things work out for our good, or come round right eventually, but when emotions are not honored or even repressed you may be causing yourself harm by being too positive. Consider when you may be grieving and you repress your feelings to be strong, or when something goes wrong you take an apathetic and forced gratitude about being okay with it. Sometimes well intentioned words or positive affirmations might emphasize or add to the underlying strife instead. It is more important to honor each feeling, move through and flow with it, and when it is positive follow through with positive action. When it isn’t allow the feeling to be, take a moment to recall a happy thought or time, and do something that brings out some better feelings. It is okay if you need rest that day instead of action. Rest is an action, and so is prayer. You shouldn’t push yourself without first allowing for the self care. We live in a world that causes us to feel guilty for taking any time for ourselves, that doesn’t encourage healthy boundaries or limits, and convinces us that if we are not in active pursuit constantly, we are somehow not doing enough. These are very unhealthy notions.
Positive Faith is Different
Having positive faith is more about trust, believing that the best is possible, and allowing space to expect the positive to happen. It isn’t about repressing, it is just believing, trusting, and relaxing in good faith. Positive faith teaches to pray through upsetting feelings, giving them space to exist in our lives, to be honest and accepting, but allow for better to come. Positive Faith is about promoting time to rest and allowing for letting go of a need for control, or hanging on to the stress and tension. It is a healing focused, mindful, and self honoring approach. With positive faith, affirmations are more reaffirming in belief, and are better used as part of prayers to support focus, clarity, and intent for yourself. It is okay to be angry, sad, frustrated, irritated, or confused. When there is fear or doubt, you can take power over it through acknowledgement and positive prayer affirmations, that way you are not controlled by your negatives in life. Positive Faith is centered, balanced, and supportive, but too much positivity mindset might add frustration, stress, feelings of failure, further doubt, and exaggerate all the negatives you can’t control.
Stay in Faith and Honor your Feelings, and Positivity May Increase for You…
~ Love, Reverend Priestess Amy Chris of the Covenant of Olana, the Covenant of Ramiel, and the Covenant Flourish Church
