Chapter 1
NCERT: Class 1, English textbook (Marigold-I)
“I laugh and play the whole day long. I hardly ever cry”
The sentence “I laugh and play the whole day long, I hardly ever cry”, propagates toxic positivity and dissuades the child from crying or expressing emotions. This prompts the instant categorisation of emotions into ‘negative’ and ‘positive'. It teaches children to be dismissive of their emotional experiences, silencing and stigmatising grief, anger and pain.
This ideology is such a big contributor to diminishing mental health as a concept - I have seen this growing up and among people around me so much. Thanks!