Hi, welcome back to Radio Headspace.
It's Dora, it's Tuesday, and today we're talking about toxic positivity in the workplace.
I recently had a student of mine share with me in a mentorship session how her company that she worked
for experienced a round of layoffs,
and she was just expected and told to just be happy she still had a job.
And she felt deeply dismissed.
If you're new to this term toxic positivity,
it's the expectation that we should always have a positive outlook on life,
even when we're experiencing something painful or distressing.
In my own quest to better understand the flavorful dynamics of corporate America,
I've been doing my own research,
and I came upon an interesting writer and speaker, Barbara Enright,
who spoke about the function of positive thinking in the workplace.
It has two purposes.
To encourage people to continue working and be productive.
And to distract people from the reality of how despairing it can feel when there's constant change and uncertainty in the workplace.
Now, I'm all for positivity, but as a mindfulness teacher, I'm also all for balance.
And the pendulum swing to only focus on being optimistic,
even in moments where we should feel upset, sad, or angry, is quite harmful.
There's research that shows how repressed emotions can lead to various physical and mental illnesses.