WEEKEND WONDER

Toxic Positivity Is Dead: The Raw Truth About What Actually Helps Depression

I'm so fucking tired of being told to "look on the bright side."

You know what I'm talking about, right? That friend who responds to your honest admission of struggling with depression by saying "just think positive thoughts!" Or the family member who hits you with "everything happens for a reason" when you're literally in the darkest place you've ever been. It's everywhere: this relentless pressure to slap a smile on your face and pretend everything's fine when it's absolutely not.

This toxic positivity bullshit has had its moment, and I'm here to tell you that moment is over. We're done pretending that forcing ourselves to be happy all the time actually helps anyone. Because spoiler alert: it doesn't. In fact, it makes everything worse. (read more)