How Toxic Positivity Impacts the Stress Response
youtu.be
The content segments discuss the concepts of toxic positivity and emotional suppression and their impact on the stress response system or the HPA axis. Toxic positivity refers to being overly optimistic and ignoring what is actually going wrong, while emotional suppression involves avoiding or coping with feelings without addressing them. Both toxic positivity and emotional suppression can have negative consequences.
Toxic positivity can lead to feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, as it fails to acknowledge areas where individuals may struggle. It is important to identify strengths and find alternative ways to approach challenges. Similarly, in life, toxic positivity involves only focusing on the positive aspects and ignoring areas that need improvement. It is crucial to embrace the big picture and recognize both the positives and areas that require attention.
Emotional suppression represents a reaction to a threat, and by suppressing emotions, individuals may fail to develop a plan to feel safe and empowered. It can also lead to emotional clutter and leakage, where unresolved emotions accumulate and become difficult to manage. Suppressing emotions hinders the ability to process and grieve losses, which can lead to underlying anxiety and fear.
The content also discusses the technique of hardiness, which involves commitment, control, and challenge. Commitment involves being aware of what is going well and what needs improvement. Control is about using distress tolerance skills to interact with emotions without feeling overwhelmed and recognizing strengths and resources. The challenge aspect of hardiness involves exploring difficult situations with curiosity and hope, seeking tools and options to manage them.
Toxic positivity disrupts the stress response system and can lead to an increase in stress-related physical and mental health issues. It is important to develop tools to feel safer and more secure and to acknowledge both the positive and negative aspects of life in order to cope with challenges effectively.
The content segments discuss the concepts of toxic positivity and emotional suppression and their im