not sure if this will make sense to anyone besides me but: the antidote to negativity is not positivity, its warmth
positivity tells a sad person that there is no reason to be sad. warmth asks the sad person if they want to go get some ice cream
When a friend of mine broke up with her first boyfriend, no amount of “there are plenty more wish in the sea!” made her feel better. Instead, when she reached out to me I held her tight and said “It’s okay to be upset. It will get better, but I know you feel awful now and that’s okay” and I will never forget the relief in her voice and body language when she burst into tears, hugged me tighter and said “thank you!”
Negative emotions need validation too.
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