Dr. Jess Taylor does a thing with these phrases that all survivors of child abuse, or adult survivors of abuse and assault, should take a few minutes to read. Also, if you have ever been tempted to say one of these to a survivor, go take a look too. (And that includes just about everyone.)<\/p>\n
“The positive thinking phrases I will discuss in this blog are:<\/p>\n
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\u2018It made you stronger\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018You had something positive from it\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018It made you who you are today\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018Everything happens for a reason\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018You get back what you give\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018Positivity attracts positive people\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018We can\u2019t change what happened, but we can change how we feel\/respond to it\u2019<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Whilst some of these sound brilliant, they can harm us in ways we don\u2019t realise. Especially if we begin to believe some of the connotations of these phrases and their underlying beliefs \u2013 which are often linked to victim blaming.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I enjoyed the details Jessica gets into, because, as I’ve said many times, when we start to say these things, and believe these things, it’s a short jump to full-on victim blaming, and that should also be a clue that you are in the wrong when you suggest these things.That should also help you understand what we mean when we talk about Toxic Positivity. Because these phrases are classic examples.<\/p>\n