21 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: Being grateful for your job
This is pretty much textbook toxic positivity.
People can both recognize the aspects they love about their job, and still struggle with the negatives. And sometimes letting people vent and be honest about a situation that doesn't meet their needs is healthier and more efficient at even making sure the feeling can be felt and released instead of trying to suppress it, often leading into resentment.
I understand you mean well. But truly helping people means sometimes being comfortable with things not being all sunshine and rainbows, and making space for people to share whatever their true feelings are instead of trying to filter out all things perceived as "bad". Even "negative" emotions can be more of a check engine light and still be helpful to indicate to us when adjustments might need to be made, like lessening hours, delegating more tasks to coworkers, discussing inaccurate labels and salary ranges with management, etc.
People recognizing when they are unhappy doesn't mean they aren't grateful too, which is a lot of black and white thinking. People can be grateful for some aspects of their job AND need to share elements of it that aren't working well for them. Both can be and often are true, as life is often nuanced and rarely lives in absolute extremes.
Comment by Athaia at 01/03/2025 at 11:42 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I'm rereading OP's post trying to find where they said you should suppress your awareness of things about your job that suck, or that you shouldn't vent. Or that you should stay in a draining, awful job pretending that everything is sunshine and roses.
Acknowledging the good aspects of your situation isn't toxic positivity. Nothing is ever all good or all bad, and it's everyone's choice where you put your attention. You can feel like a victim in your shitty job, or you can be proud of your resilience and perseverance, and also realize that looking for a better job while being on a regular income is way better than being jobless and desperately trying to find a job without having an income at all.