Society is obsessed with positivity. It is often presented as the ultimate solution to our complex mental struggles. Feeling sad? Just think positively. Feeling hopeless? Be grateful—at least you’re alive. Lost your job? Everything happens for a reason. At first glance, this advice seems harmless. But in reality, it often forces us to suppress our true feelings, thoughts, and emotions under the guise of positive thinking. The result? We become more anxious, stressed, and depressed. In striving for an idealized state, we stop being true to our authentic selves.
To become whole again and find meaning in our lives, we must embrace our negative thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Negative emotions can bring us closer to understanding who we are. Sometimes, we even need to deliberately think negatively to see reality as it truly is.
In this book, you will learn:
• How the obsession with positivity can harm our mental health
• Why meaning is more important than happiness
• How regrets, mistakes, sadness, and longings can foster deeper connections with others
• Why accepting unavoidable realities, like death, grounds us and inspires us to act with urgency
• How trauma disrupts emotional regulation and ways to restore it
• Why embracing your unique self is more fulfilling than conforming to societal expectations
