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What Is Toxic Positivity? (And How to Avoid It as a Freelancer)

What Is Toxic Positivity? (And How to Avoid It as a Freelancer)

By Bethan McGloin
Jan 13, 2023
4 min read

While it might seem like an oxymoron at first, toxic positivity is a very real – and potentially harmful – phenomenon. Let’s take a look at what toxic positivity is, how it manifests in the workplace, and what you can do to avoid it as a freelancer.

What Is Toxic Positivity?

Toxic positivity refers to the concept of ignoring difficult emotions and experiences in favor of acting positive, regardless of how you may actually feel.

For example, a coworker might tell you to look on the bright side after a bad day at work, a friend could say that something upsetting happened for a reason, or a family member might insist that sadness is a choice.

While having a positive outlook on life is beneficial to your mental health, toxic positivity takes optimism to an unhealthy extreme. Living and working in an environment that promotes toxic positivity can result in people:

Failing to acknowledge when something is wrong or needs to change.
Going without the help they need.
Brushing off others’ concerns, problems, or issues.
Hiding emotions that aren’t deemed positive enough.
Feeling guilty when they experience sadness, anger, or insecurity.
Being unable to grow or learn from difficult experiences.

Identifying toxic positivity can be difficult at first, but there are ways to spot it.

Toxic Positivity at Work

In typical workplaces, toxic positivity can manifest as:

A “good vibes only” approach to workplace culture.
Prioritizing positivity over honesty.
Dismissal of employees’ and coworkers’ concerns.
Failing to acknowledge important issues, such as missed deadlines, layoffs, or financial troubles.

While freelancing comes with more freedom and flexibility than a traditional job, freelancers can still fall victim to toxic positivity. The main difference is, rather than a boss or office’s approach to workplace culture, it could be fellow freelancers or yourself that are pushing a toxic positivity mindset. If you find that you hide real but difficult emotions to appeal to clients, fit in with the freelance lifestyle, or avoid bringing down the mood, then you might be struggling with toxic positivity.

As a freelancer, particularly a proofreader or editor, you’ll need to navigate negative feedback, rejection, and other difficult situations. If you operate under a “positive vibes only” mindset, you won’t be well equipped to deal with these issues when they arise. This can result in increased stress and burnout, which is why spotting and avoiding toxic positivity is essential when freelancing.

How to Combat Toxic Positivity as a Freelancer

We’ve seen that toxic positivity can be harmful, particularly at work, but how do you combat it as a freelancer without going too far in the other direction? Here’s our advice:

Set clear boundaries. Appearing always available and happy to help clients might seem like the best way to operate, but you need to be able to take breaks and shut off from work regularly or you’ll risk burning yourself out. Setting boundaries, such as contact hours and which services you can and can’t provide, will help you to achieve this.
Aim for emotional validation. Emotional validation is the act of accepting your emotions and the emotions of others as they are without trying to change or attach blame to them. While toxic positivity might be expressed with statements such as “anyone can choose to be happy,” validation is represented by phrases like “it’s okay to not always be okay.” Try approaching your feelings with a sense of validation rather than dismissal.
Express yourself. It’s important to acknowledge the initial emotional reaction you have to work-related challenges and experiences, even if it’s painful, rather than covering it up or ignoring it. You might find it helpful to write down your negative feelings or share them with someone else (provided you aren’t breaching any confidentiality agreements).
Identify your mistakes to improve. Rather than ignoring your failures and mistakes for the sake of positivity, use them to work out why things went wrong and what you need to do to improve your skills or change your approach to work.

Looking after your mental health in these ways will allow you to thrive as a freelancer and help you to achieve your career goals.

Becoming a Proofreader or Editor

The freelance lifestyle has its challenges, but it also comes with many benefits, such as the freedom to work from home and be your own boss. If you’re thinking of starting a freelance career, why not try our Becoming A Proofreader and Becoming An Editor courses? We’ll teach you everything you need to know to launch your own proofreading or editing business. Get started with a free trial!