January 1st 2024.
It's a new year and with it comes a new trend on social media. It's a list of ins and outs for the year ahead, similar to a new year's resolution. It's a form of cancel culture, but in a positive way, where people are trying to stop bad habits and promote healthier practices into their day to day lives. And one of the big outs for 2024? Toxic positivity.
Gone are the days of always looking on the bright side, believing that everything bad happens for a reason and reminding ourselves that somebody else always has it worse. This year will be the year where we allow ourselves to feel all our emotions, without judgement or criticism.
Toxic positivity is something that has been around for a while now, with entrepreneur influencers and 'hustlers' online telling us that any feelings of sadness, disappointment, or anger is doing a disservice to ourselves. But according to Senior Therapist Sally Baker, this expectation to be happy all the time is actually causing people to lose touch with their own feelings.
Jeff Guenther, a TikToker and therapist, shared five phrases that are actually toxically positive. These include 'Everything happens for a reason', 'Some people have it a lot worse', 'What lesson are you learning?', 'Positive vibes only' and 'You'll get over it'. He explains that these phrases are invalidating and minimise all the negative emotions which are just as important to process healthily.
So, if all these things are out the window for 2024, what's in? Social media has proclaimed this year to be the year of mental health days, screen time limits, setting boundaries and simple living. So maybe it's time to switch off the laptop and phone, and to spend time outside living sustainably.
So what are your ins and outs for 2024? Let us know in the comments below. Do you have any stories to share? Get in touch by emailing us.
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