“With a coffee and a smile you will conquer the world.” Whatever the day and time. THE motivationTHE resilience and the daily joy flood social networks with self-help mantras and slogans that promise … instant well-being. “Be the change you want to see,” says one; “You are a cactus: adapt, resist and flourish,” notes another in a trend that seeks to inspire and promote self-esteemand who has gained millions of followers on digital platforms, especially among young people, who know that “without rain there are no flowers” and that “if they want, they can”.
“Good vibes” phrases that can give a really bad vibe. And naive thinking, even if well-intentioned, can harm us. This is what many mental health experts consider, who warn against risks of accepting these messages without critical thinking. They remember that emotional well-being also requires accepting vulnerability, error, and discomfort as a natural part of mental balance.
The dangers of toxic positivism on social media
The psychologist Lorena Gascón, known on social networks as @lapsicologajaputa, addresses mental health problems without half measures and, in one of her latest posts on Instagram – where she has more than 670,000 subscribers – she talks about the the dangers of toxic positivism on social media. The author of books like “Dear Brain, What Do You Want From Me?”, “Stop Treating Yourself Like an Asshole”, or the most recent “How to Survive the Bullshit of Life” affirms that life is not always a unicorn or glitter, and directly and without filters dismantles what she considers. “10 Crappy and Cheap Self-Help Phrases”.
This starts by highlighting the influencer in the field of Psychology. ‘Everything happens for a reason’an idea he considers to be a mistake because “many people who have suffered an accident or the death of a loved one feel guilty if they do not find meaning in what happened.” The list continues with the “To move forward, you have to forgive”a motto in which the broadcaster emphasizes that “it is more important to protect ourselves and continue to live far from our aggressors; forgiving in many cases can be re-traumatizing.
And who hasn’t been told “You attract what you think”, “You are strong, do it without help” or what “Time heals everything”. “Don’t believe this bullshit,” says the psychologist, who maintains that the important thing is learn to take responsibility for our emotions and come to terms with how we feel. “The strong person is the one who can recognize that they need help, not the one who hides their vulnerability under a shell of ‘I can do anything’,” explains the expert, who delves into the fact that believing this literally can increase frustration and anxiety in the long term.
The popular content creator details in both the Instagram post and her latest book the grief myths and false beliefs that prevent us from healing. “Time doesn’t heal shit, it heals what you do with that time; “There are a multitude of factors that influence our recovery and that we cannot control,” notes Gascón, who is clear that if it were true that “Every crisis is an opportunity”“We psychologists would have disappeared.”
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