Member-only story
Other People Have It Worse Than You Is Not Some Type of Litmus Test
Your problems still matter if others have it worse than you. Stop telling people this. It’s asinine!
There’s war in Ukraine. People are dying from COVID and cancer. There are people with no food or running water are also statements that don’t help.
Maybe this fits in with toxic positivity in some type of way. In the sense that you can’t deny your own problems or feelings for any reason. You can’t deny them because you want to be positive all the time. You also can’t deny them because there are people in the world who are worse off than you.
When will there not be someone out there who’s doing worse than you?
Never.
Also what constitutes a real problem? If it matters to you, then it matters.
I’m no longer ashamed to feel this way. One of my mother’s favorite sayings is that I once felt bad because I didn’t have a pair of shoes, then I saw a man who didn’t have any feet. You need shoes and you need feet. Who does this way of thinking help?
No one.
Don’t get me wrong. You should have perspective. Ask yourself if it’s a big problem or a small problem…to…
