You are in a quiet café, sitting at a table. The cheerful noises from the city come from outside; the lights of the city are flickering. The person at your table is going through their phone and stops at a post: “Good vibes only! Life’s too short for negative energy.” You give a polite smile—but what is going on inside you is the opposite. Because though it seems harmless, there is something about that phrase that feels heavy. This is the paradox of toxic positivity: a consta