I am not an advocate of positive thinking, 100% of the time. Sometimes shit happens. To ignore that is to ignore a part of our humanity, to ignore life.

Toxic positivity is a real thing. But toxic negativity is real too. We can allow negativity to control our thoughts and actions. We can become so mired in “what if?” that we lose sight of what is. We can focus so much on what’s going wrong that we are blind to what’s going right. Yes, we need to be realistic, but keep in mind that the positive is real, too.

We need both the positive and the negative to balance our lives. The negative to appreciate the positive. The positive to find hope within the negative.

Negativity exists to teach us. Allowing ourselves to feel the negative, to see it, to acknowledge it, allows us to find the lessons in it. Once we find the lessons, we can allow ourselves to apply the lessons. Then, the negativity is free to go. We can release it with no guilt or remorse.

I hope these affirmations help us remember that.