A few weeks ago I was dog sitting for this sweet creature:
She had…a digestive emergency. It happens to the best of us, eh? She took a rottweiler-sized dump on a rug that said “No Bad Days.”
That’s a dog who agrees with me about toxic positivity and isn’t afraid to express it.
Now every time I see something that says “no bad days” or “good vibes only” I find myself smirking.
I’m a fan of the podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking, so of course I loved last week’s episode on toxic positivity.
Their guest, Susan David, said: “Discomfort is the price of admission to a meaningful life.”
She described the “good vibes only” as an avoidant coping strategy.
We’ve had very different experiences this year, but I feel safe in assuming 2020 has been a particularly challenging year for everyone.
It’s understandable if your emotional range looks a little bit like this right now:
The harder we push away our difficult feelings, the harder it is to welcome those little moments of joy.
Sometimes embracing bad days can help us get back to being able to experience a full range of emotions.
Like so many things in life, no emotion is inherently “good” or “bad.” They just are.
As my friend Tal-Or said earlier this week, the moment we express a value judgement about something is the moment we stop being open to understanding it.
So, how’s your week been?
You can comment in our private Facebook group or here on Substack.
Since my retirement to care for hubby in year #21 of Parkinson's Disease, since the pandemic struck, since Hospice comes to the house 4 times a week, I don't think of time in weeks any more. I think of days sometimes, but more often I refer to time in minutes. So here's my answer to your question. Every day is a gift. In some moments of the day I cringe because my activity is interrupted, or I have to clean the bathroom floor for the 3rd time that day. But these are merely inconveniences, and they are temporary. I have life - a blessing. I have hubby for one more minute - a blessing. And those have to supersede any inconveniences I encounter. If I don't think of these blessings, I give in to depression and despair.