Challenge Entry: From the Shadows
Inspired by
My preferred form of toxic positivity has been “Fake it till ya make it.” Since I wasn’t allowed to express feelings in public, I learned to use that unfair rule to hide my feelings. If I didn’t want to wallow anymore, I’d get out in public and fake a smile until I felt better. It felt like a healing, but turned out to be only a burying.
My mother had taught me this coping mechanism. In her youth, her mother was sick in the hospital, and Mom’s teachers got tired of seeing her moping mental breakdown, so instead of getting Mom the help she needed, they forced her to sit in front of the class and smile.
We’ve come a long way from those olden days!