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Good vibes only? When positivity becomes toxic and how to deal with it
Updated On: 14 July, 2021 08:58 PM IST | Mumbai | Anuka Roy
Given the uncertainty that surrounds us, it is important to find ways to be cheerful. However, if one suppresses their true emotions to look happy, that can prove harmful, both mentally and physically. Two Mumbai-based mental health experts explain a healthy approach to positivity
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“Look at the brighter side”, “You have to be strong”, “Focus on the positives” — these are just a few of the ‘uplifting’ messages you get to hear or see often today. It is understandable that people need to take care of themselves and not be bogged down by negativity, but too much of anything is bad. That is the case with positivity as well.
Mumbai-based psychiatrist Dr Chinmay Kulkarni shares the example of one of his patients who had lost her mother when she was 18 years old . At the time, the patient’s father did not allow her to cry because according to him she was a “strong” person just like him. Her father did not allow other relatives to visit them either, as he said all these customs were signs of being “regressive and old fashioned”. So Kulkarni’s patient suppressed her emotions then. But later they started overpowering her. “For eight years, she would cry alone every day. So an emotion that would have lasted from a few weeks to a few months lasted for years because of ‘toxic positivity’,” says Kulkarni.
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