Have you ever struggled to find the right words to say to someone navigating disease or chronic illness? Perhaps you want to be supportive but nothing sounds quite right? Or maybe you have a chronic illness or disease or something you're grieving and you've been on the receiving end of comments from others that miss the mark and leave you feeling more alone? If you answered yes any of these questions, you'll want to listen to this conversation I have with Susie "Learning about Negative Positivity".
In this conversation Susie and I explore the term "Negative Positivity" and how it might be a better term than "Toxic Positivity". Susie will share common Negative Positivity comments people say, how that can be felt by chronically ill/ grieving people, and what someone could say instead. I think this recording is a gentle way to explore these ideas. Especially if you don't feel up to having a more direct conversations with people, this could be a less threatening first step.
Susie is a Canadian author, public speaker and singer-songwriter currently living in the UK. She was diagnosed almost dying with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 9, and has been collecting illness ever since. With a regular column called, 'Expert Patient Here to Help!' in six Manitoba newspapers, Susie is passionate about helping people go from being a patient (just a number), to a person at the doctor's office. She also aims to help people reframe their language when it comes to being supportive to those hurting. ‘Negative Positivity’ is real. You can find multiple articles Susie has written about living with illness in The Mighty, an online health community supporting people facing health challenges and disabilities. She has just finished a manuscript called, 'Help the Doctor Help You! 25 tips for getting the BEST at your Appointments' and it will be released April 18, 2023. She is also working on a memoir about her chronic illness life.
Website www.lesshealthstress.com
Instagram: @medicalmiss_stress
TikTok: @Susie_Schwartz
Weekly support to your inbox: 'Convos with Carlos - 1 Care, 1 Quote, 1 Question' Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/SusieSchwartz
Susie and I both wanted to reiterate that we're all learning as we go. We've all said Negative Positivity statements before. (I'm going to share one of my misses on my social media and no doubt, I know I will likely accidentally say them again!) However, my hope is that with openness and reflection, we can be more aware of the words we're using and how they might be received. Words matter.
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💙 Erin
#negativepositivity #toxicpositivity #chronicillness #nvc #selfawareness