‘The definition of positivity is not present in any online article, it is within you.’
We must all have heard about positivity, but what is forced positivity? And what is meant by positivity per se?
True positivity comes from within. It is when your mind asks you to jump, to dance, to know and believe. But the broad smile and the show of optimism you put up when someone else tells you that you should always be positive- that is forced positivity.
Good mental health is that situation, where you can express your emotions, whatever they might be, at any time without any inhibitions.
The pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have limited physical Social interaction, so all we have is social media. Everyone is somewhere hesitant to express their true selves on Social Media. They feel, an outward show of glamour and happiness, of success and of a blissful life is what they need to exhibit, even if they are slowly dying inside. This is because it also fuels their feeling of superiority.
This can become potentially harmful for both the one who is involved and others who are connected to the person and hence are seeing it. If someone is feeling mentally low in real life but on social media is trying to show her life as picture perfect, that is trying to maintain a double standard, then it is a problem. Keeping up this facade can become quite tiring and troublesome, and the person might either have a breakdown, or start living in an alternate universe altogether, which does not actually exist.
When we talk about the people who are connected to this person via social media, such outward show of fake positivity may have an adverse effect on them as well. If one them who is going through a particularly low time is exposed to such posts, he/she might feel that talking about the problem is not the best option. Instead, that person might choose to wear a mask as well because of which the problem gets even more suppressed and he/she spirals down faster in the web of despair.
Such posts might also inspire feelings of jealousy and envy, because of which other people might feel the need to do the same, no matter what their real situation is. In short, the vicious cycle continues and might also be fatal for someone.
Positivity is a good thing, but how we are applying it and the manner in which we are talking about it has to be thought through. Especially in these troubled times, when we can never really be sure of what is a person is thinking or what he/she is
going through, we should be extra careful about how we express ourselves. We must always remember that Social Media, if used correctly and judiciously is a boon, but otherwise, a bane.
Something that is forced can never really be helpful or even successful in the long run. Everyone is sometime or the other stretched to their breaking point. And when you continue doing something post your breaking point, that is when things go awry. The same goes for positivity, even though it considered to be something “good” by general consensus. But what is the meaning of positivity, if it cannot really do what it is supposed to, make you feel better from within? Does positivity remain positivity anymore, if it simply becomes a tool to show off and build an emotional barrier?
What will be the use of positivity, if we keep speaking about it but do not really understand the true meaning, the true essence of it? In this situation, are we really ‘positive’? Or are we slowly inching towards something that is just the opposite? I think it’s high time we gave thought to it.