Detoxifying Positivity

The Art of Staying Optimistic While Facing Reality

This was first posted on my original Substack, “What It’s All About”. Just in case it looks familiar, I promise it wasn’t plagiarized.

Lately, you might have heard buzz around "toxic positivity." That's the idea that we should always keep a sunny outlook, even when life throws us curveballs. But let’s be real. This all-or-nothing mindset can often lead us to ignore our true feelings and deeper issues.

From my own experiences, I’ve found that positive thinking is more of a quick fix than a long-term solution. If we don’t confront the fears and doubts that hold us back, they’ll just keep popping up. This creates a frustrating cycle where we end up battling our own minds and feeling guilty for not just flipping a switch on our thoughts.

While positive vibes are nice, they’re not the magic key to real growth. Sure, telling ourselves to “stay positive” can help in the moment, but true transformation comes from adopting a growth mindset—a concept beautifully laid out by Carol S. Dweck in her book, "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success".