WTF is Positivity Glitter and Why Are You Using It?

Positivity Glitter Isn’t as Fun as it Sounds

You know what regular glitter is. It's those tiny, brightly colored pieces of plastic or foil used in art projects, wrapping paper, greeting cards, and just about anything else that could use a spattering of fun and whimsy.

Well, Positivity Glitter is what you heavy-handedly sprinkle on your uncomfortable and vulnerable feelings to cover them up. It's forced, and fake, positivity. The kind that sounds like "good vibes only" and "everything happens for a reason" when you're actually drowning.

Sometimes, you may even throw a Positivity Glitter Bomb at those feelings to keep as much distance as possible between you and them.

Why?

Because no one wants to deal with uncomfortable feelings. And Positivity Glitter makes you feel warm and fuzzy.

Until it doesn't.

The Problem with Positivity Glitter

Here's what most people don't understand about Positivity Glitter: It doesn't do anything to address the underlying feelings or issues you're dealing with.

It's a temporary Band-Aid. A distraction. A way to pretend everything's fine when it's not.

Once the glitter wears off, you're going to fall right back to where you started. And honestly? You'll be even worse off.

Because all those uncomfortable and vulnerable feelings you buried underneath all that glitter? They've had a chance to fester while you weren't looking.

They were growing. They were getting stronger. They were thriving in the dark corners of your mind where you shoved them.

Think about it like this: If you have a wound and you just slap some glitter over it instead of cleaning it and treating it properly, what happens? The wound gets infected. It gets worse. It spreads.

Your emotions work the same way.

What Positivity Glitter Actually Looks Like

Positivity Glitter shows up in a bunch of different ways, and you've probably used at least a few of these tactics without realizing it:

The toxic positivity phrases:

• "It could be worse."
• "Just think positive!"
• "Good vibes only."
• "Everything happens for a reason."
• "At least you have your health."

The avoidance behaviors:

• Scrolling through motivational quotes instead of sitting with your feelings.
• Forcing yourself to smile when you're miserable.
• Plastering on a happy face at work when you're falling apart inside.
• Telling yourself you're "fine" when you're not.

The comparison trap:

• "Other people have it worse than me."
• "I shouldn't complain because someone else has real problems."
• "I need to be grateful for what I have."

None of these things are inherently bad. Gratitude is good. Positive thinking can be useful. But when you're using them as weapons against your own feelings? That's Positivity Glitter.

Why We Use Positivity Glitter in the First Place

Dealing with uncomfortable feelings sucks. I'm not going to sugarcoat that.

Sadness, anger, disappointment, fear, shame, guilt. These feelings are heavy and messy and inconvenient. They don't fit neatly into your schedule. They don't care that you have a meeting in 20 minutes or that you're supposed to be productive today.

So, you reach for Positivity Glitter because it's easier. It's faster. It doesn't require you to stop what you're doing and feel something difficult.

Plus, there's this cultural pressure to always be happy, always be positive, always be okay. Social media shows you everyone else's highlight reels. Your coworkers ask, "How are you?" but they don't actually want to know if the answer is anything other than "fine."

You've learned that negative feelings make people uncomfortable. So, you've learned to hide them. To cover them up. To sprinkle them with glitter and pretend they don't exist.

But here's what nobody tells you: Suppressing your feelings doesn't make them go away, it just makes them grow stronger underground.

The Real Cost of Emotional Avoidance

When you consistently avoid dealing with your uncomfortable feelings, you pay a price. A big one.

Physically: Your body keeps the score. Suppressed emotions show up as tension headaches, digestive issues, chronic pain, fatigue, and a weakened immune system. Your body is trying to tell you something, but you're too busy covering it in glitter to listen.

Mentally: You can't selectively numb emotions. When you shut down the uncomfortable feelings, you also shut down joy, connection, and fulfillment. You end up feeling flat. Disconnected. Like you're going through the motions but not actually living.

Relationally: When you can't be real with yourself about what you're feeling, you can't be real with other people either. Your relationships stay surface-level because you're too afraid to let anyone see the messy parts. You end up feeling isolated and alone even when you're surrounded by people.

Professionally: Unprocessed emotions leak out in weird ways. You snap at a coworker over something minor. You avoid difficult conversations that need to happen. You make decisions based on unacknowledged fear or resentment instead of clear thinking.

All because you tried to cover your feelings with glitter instead of dealing with them.

What To Do Instead of Using Positivity Glitter

If you want to address and alleviate the burden of those uncomfortable and vulnerable feelings, you'll have to meet them head-on.

You'll have to not only acknowledge them, but you'll have to accept them and own them. Once you do that, then and only then, will you truly be able to move on from them.

So, here's your action plan.

Step 1: Notice when you're reaching for the glitter

The first step is awareness. You can't change what you don't recognize.

Start paying attention to the moments when you automatically reach for Positivity Glitter. What situations trigger it? What feelings are you trying to avoid?

Common triggers include:

• Conflict or confrontation
• Criticism or negative feedback
• Disappointment or failure
• Grief or loss
• Feeling overwhelmed or anxious

When you catch yourself about to say "It's fine" or "I'm okay" when you're clearly not, pause. That's your cue.

Step 2: Name the actual feeling

You can't deal with "I don't know, I just feel bad." That's too vague. Get specific.

Are you angry? Sad? Disappointed? Scared? Ashamed? Jealous? Frustrated? Hurt?

Use real emotion words, not watered-down versions. Don't say "I'm a little stressed" when you mean "I'm fucking terrified." Don't say "I'm disappointed" when you mean "I'm pissed off."

The more accurately you can name what you're feeling, the better you can address it.

If you're not sure what you're feeling, here's a simple question: If this feeling had a voice, what would it be trying to tell you?

Step 3: Allow yourself to feel it without fixing it

This is the hard part. Your instinct is going to be to make the feeling go away as quickly as possible.

Resist that urge.

You don't need to fix it. You don't need to solve it. You don't need to make it stop. You just need to let it exist for a little while.

Find a quiet space. Set a timer for 10-15 minutes. Sit with the feeling. Feel it in your body. Notice where it shows up. Is there tightness in your chest? A knot in your stomach? Tension in your shoulders?

Breathe through it. You're not drowning in it. You're observing it. There's a difference.

The feeling will peak and then it will start to subside. Feelings are like waves. They rise, they crest, they fall. If you don't interfere with the process, it completes itself naturally.

Step 4: Ask yourself what the feeling needs

Once you've sat with the feeling and let it exist without judgment, ask yourself: What does this feeling need from me?

→ Does it need acknowledgment? ("Yes, this situation sucks and it's okay to be upset about it.")
→ Does it need action? ("I need to have a conversation with that person about what happened.")
→ Does it need protection? ("I need to set a boundary here, so this doesn't happen again.")
→ Does it need expression? ("I need to tell someone I trust how I'm really feeling.")
→ Does it need rest? ("I need to stop pushing myself so hard and take a break.")

Not every uncomfortable feeling requires you to do something. Sometimes feelings just need to be felt and then they're done. But often, your emotions give you important information about what needs to change.

Listen to them.

Step 5: Take one small action based on what you learned

Don't just sit with your feelings and then go back to business as usual. That's just a fancier version of Positivity Glitter.

Based on what your feeling told you it needs, take one small, concrete action.

→ If it needs acknowledgment, write it down. Journal about it. Say it out loud to yourself in the mirror.
→ If it needs action, identify one tiny step you can take today. Not next week, not when you feel better, but today.
→ If it needs protection, set one boundary. Have one difficult conversation. Say no to one thing that's draining you.
→ If it needs expression, reach out to one person you trust. Tell them the truth about what you're feeling.  No glitter. No "I'm fine." Just honesty.
→ If it needs rest, clear one thing from your schedule. Take one hour for yourself. Go to bed early tonight instead of scrolling on your phone.

One action. That's it. You're not trying to fix your entire life in one day. You're just honoring what the feeling told you it needs.

The Difference Between Positivity Glitter and Actual Optimism

Here's what you need to understand: Dealing with your uncomfortable feelings head-on doesn't mean you have to wallow in negativity or become a cynical, bitter person.

Actual optimism isn't about pretending bad things don't happen or that difficult feelings don't exist. It's about believing you can handle whatever comes your way, including the hard stuff.

Positivity Glitter says: "I'm fine! Everything's fine! Good vibes only!"

But actual optimism says: "This sucks right now, and I'm capable of getting through it."

See the difference?

One is denial, the other is resilience. One is avoidance, the other is courage. One leaves you stuck, the other moves you forward.

You're Allowed to Not Be Okay

This might be the most important thing I tell you: You're allowed to not be okay.

You're allowed to have bad days. You're allowed to feel sad, angry, disappointed, scared, or frustrated. You're allowed to struggle. You're allowed to not have your shit together all the time.

Those feelings don't make you weak. They don't make you broken. They don't make you a failure.

They make you human.

The goal isn't to never have uncomfortable feelings. That's impossible. The goal is to stop running from them and start dealing with them like the capable adult you are.

So, the next time you reach for Positivity Glitter, pause. Put it down. And ask yourself what's really going on underneath all that sparkle.

Your feelings are trying to tell you something important. Stop covering them up and start listening.