It’s a difficult time for empaths. Whether we’re reading the news with slackjawed horror, hearing about yet another acquaintance who’s tested positive, or attempting to maintain social distancing at Trader Joe’s, we’re inundated with people’s icky feelings. The stress and despair are palpable, hanging in the air like some Lovecraftian mist.
We want to escape it, and we can’t.
So, it’s relatively easy for empaths to tell when someone is bullshitting us with Pollyanna vibes.
“Just get some sunshine and drink lots of water, and your immunity will go up!”
“Everything will be fine. 536 AD was the worst year in history — this is nothing!”
“Think positive. Don’t let the scare tactics get to you.”
Aside from being a bit inaccurate and dangerous, these statements reflect a deeper problem with society, one that’s made it harder for people to effectively process their feelings about the pandemic, the wildfires, the riots, the vaguely fascist tendencies of the Trump administration, and so on. When people feel guilty about negative feelings, they turn to extreme measures to resolve them, including conspiracy theories, science denial, and general lunacy.
The problem is toxic positivity, and it’s something that I, as an empath with a history…
