positivity Archives - Ivory Mist

As Told To Us by a Mental Health Professional

When the lockdown period began, I noticed that social media was flooded with posts about ‘staying positive’ and ‘being productive’ while staying at home. From a word here, to a post there – before I knew it – this concept of ‘positivity and productivity during a pandemic‘ snowballed into entire pages, campaigns and challenges! It spread through Instagram and Facebook like wildfire.

When I saw this, my first thought was: sure, this approach could lead to a temporary spike in motivation and optimism, but in other words – it could also be a distraction from allowing us to completely acknowledge and process how immensely challenging this period truly is. And on the days that we potentially struggle to cope with these ‘socially acceptable’ methods, we can end up feeling either guilt or shame – if not both.

Continue reading “The Other Side of Positivity and Productivity During a Pandemic”

At the end of 2017, I wrote an article about what that year taught me about life. A little over two years now – in the wake of a new decade – here I am, reminding myself of, and implementing those lessons, through a year of gratitude.

The beginning of 2019 was very different from the beginning of 2020; for one, back then, the new year’s messages poured in till almost the 10^th. This year, its been barely few days in, and I can already see that the messages and merriment has phased out.

A small part of me believes it’s because people have matured and moved on from the hysteria of overplaying it. But a more dominant part of me believes, it’s because of a universal decline in enthusiasm. I can’t speak on the behalf of the entire world population – but as I see it, and as Joan Didion once said ‘the world as I had understood it, no longer existed.’

Continue reading “For Me, 2020 is a Year of Gratitude”