When you face difficult challenges and crises, you tell yourself to stay positive. You try not to think about the painful events you are experiencing so you can focus on your goals and your life. Things seem to move forward despite the challenges surrounding you, and you keep walking ahead. Yet you feel that you are not moving with your natural weight, as if you are carrying heavy loads wherever you go. As challenges pile up and you continue insisting on positive thinking, you walk with mountains on your shoulders without realizing it, because you are determined to stay positive and keep progressing in life. Then you begin to ask yourself: Why do I feel that I am not enjoying life? Why do I feel that my physical health and energy are declining? Why? If this describes you, then you are someone who has entered the cage of negativity in the name of false positivity. What Is Meant by Toxic Positivity? The term positivity is often misused. You hear phrases like stay positive, be positive, keep being positive, without enough awareness of what positivity truly means. It then becomes an anesthetic that allows toxins to accumulate inside us while we refuse to look, feel, or think. Three Steps to Protect Yourself from Toxic Positivity First: Allow Yourself to Feel Negative Emotions It is natural to feel sadness, anger, or frustration. Do not ignore these feelings just to appear positive. Allow yourself to express them in healthy ways. Remember that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, cried and grieved, and he had an entire year known as the Year of Grief. Healthy ways to express your emotions: Writing in a journal Speaking with someone you trust, and not your children Confronting the person who is hurting you Setting boundaries with those who harm you Seeking a mental health specialist if needed Second: Understand and Name Your Emotions When your negative emotions rise to the surface and you recognize them, you can begin to understand their causes and work toward real solutions. Examples of emotions that may need to be named: Loneliness Psychological pressure Feeling unvalued Accumulated anger Fear or anxiety Patience does not mean ignoring what you feel. It means acknowledging your vulnerability with faith and continuing to strive forward. Third: Set Clear Boundaries in Your Relationships If your struggle is connected to people around you, learn to set boundaries. Do not justify hurtful behavior under the excuse of kindness or the desire for peace. True positivity includes self-respect. Phrases that help you express yourself and set boundaries: It is my right not to be insulted and to feel respected It is my right not to have decisions made on my behalf It is my right to have others stay out of my private matters It is my right that the person I speak to truly listens to me Also use this simple structure: I feel… and I need… Examples: I feel discouraged when you mock me, and I need you to encourage me I feel lonely when you do not reach out, and I need you to call me every day I feel exhausted, and I need you to work with me Conclusion Life will continue to shift between its seasons. Some moments call for gratitude, and others call for patience. Accepting your different emotions and growing through them is part of living a true and full life.