When does positivity become toxic?

This week, I am super excited to revisit and share Whitney Goodman’s work with you. As someone who is drawn to the beauty inherent in sadness, I have been on a crusade against silver linings since the pandemic started. It is not that I want to deny that we can and do learn from things, but do they always have to make us stronger/better?People tend to have strong reactions when I say that I am not sure about silver linings, and if they make you feel better, please keep finding them. But for me, sometimes things just suck. And there is a reality in that that I feel is denied when I have to sometimes force myself to see the “good” in every situation - even the most horrible.Whitney’s book helps us locate our authentic selves by taking the labels of “good” and “bad” off of emotions. Emotions are not inherently negative and they can be used however we want to. We talk about productive ways to complain and also ways that you can support people without forcing everything to be positive.Whitney started as a therapist because she loved giving out advice, and she’s learned over the years that what a therapist really does is listen. This book will help you listen - to yourself and others - in a more genuine, reality-based way.Thank you for reading BAD AT KEEPING SECRETS. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit peopleiveloved.substack.com/subscribe