Why it’s OK not to feel OK right now (or ever, really).
If you’re struggling with COVID-anxiety, climate grief, or general worry about the state of the world — then that’s healthy.
The other day, one of my dear friends posted something like this on Facebook: “I am a mess right now. But, you know, being a white, educated, privileged member of society, I will just get over it”.
Yesterday, I spoke to a couple of other friends who were doling out an extra portion of stress onto themselves — firstly, the stress of dealing with social isolation, uncertainty over the future and all the other stress that the coronavirus is causing — secondly, the pressure they pile onto themselves about how they should be happy right now.
Being a Positive Psychology graduate who works as a coach and is generally known for having a sunny, bubbly personality, I sometimes think people have the idea that I spend the majority of my day bouncing through the house, singing and dancing, and spinning every news story I see into something positive.
People ask me “how can I think more positively?” or “ohh, you studied Positive Psychology, is that all about positive thinking?” — and, internally, I cringe. Because I actually hate the cult of ‘positive thinking’ and the pressure it puts on people to be ‘happy’ all the time.
