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Before January 1, 2020, I brimmed with optimism. I remember murmurs of a virus quickly spreading in China in December 2019, but I didn’t think the pathogen would cross continents and bring movement—literal movement—to a halt across the entire earth.
I had high hopes for the year. On March 7, 2020, I finished the Snickers Marathon in Albany, Georgia, and qualified for the prestigious Boston Marathon.
And then movement stopped courtesy of shelter-in-place orders from the state governor. Life stopped.
Life resumed, naturally. Slowly at first, though present-day feels like the status quo again. Not the “new normal” I read about for months and months.
We changed though. I changed. For better and for worse. 6,596,542 deaths (as of this writing) crushed my wide-eyed optimism.
In retrospect, 2020 is a bit of a blur for me. The only vivid memories I have are staying at home to avoid viral exposure and the brutal murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. I ran with a heavy heart month after month.
I came across the phrase “toxic positivity” sometime in 2021 and decided to examine the phenomenon from a running perspective as my runs (and races) typically end with sheer exhaustion. Not overflowing positivity.
“Indeed, many distance runners feel merely drained or even nauseated at the end of a long race, not blissful,” writes Dr. David Linden, a professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, about the mental benefits of running. So, what’s behind the proclivity to be excessively upbeat?
According to clinical psychologist Dr. Jaime Zuckerman, “Toxic positivity is the assumption, either by one’s self or others, that despite a person’s emotional pain or difficult situation, they should only have a positive mindset or—my pet peeve term—‘positive vibes.’”
Yes, positive vibes, the mentality that downplays difficulty, minimizes hardship, and rebuts the expression of pain.
Though the pandemic devastated my long-standing optimistic outlook toward life, I never succumbed to “positive vibes only” as a runner or a human. I refrain from talking about my runs or races much on social media, but when I do, I won’t hesitate to tell others if I came undone at some point.
I think the toxic positivity highlight reels on Instagram are bullshit as no runner, professional and amateur alike, achieve limitless breakthroughs and recurring cardiovascular euphoria. “Running sucks sometimes,” writes David Melly.
Yep. I have good runs for sure, but others simply end with delight that the miles finally ended.
Conversely, I’ve discovered that many runners bend towards toxic negativity. Instead of curated images about exotic runs, sculpted bods, or a recycled quote from Tony Robbins or Zig Ziglar, they repeatedly return to their shortcomings. Messages like, “I ran fast but not fast enough” or “I set a new personal record but left some extra minutes on the course.”
I’m a firm believer in disclosing failures as it highlights the reality of being human. Others can sympathize and empathize with that. But a personal record in any distance is a momentous accomplishment. Celebrate the successes and don’t fret over the lost minutes or seconds that can’t be reclaimed.
Running is a dance between positivity and negativity. Both are beneficial and provide lessons for future endeavors. But toxic extremes on both sides poison the well of mental and cardiovascular health. Drink wisely.
I hope you have a great day. We’ll talk soon.
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Photo courtesy of Ahmed Zayan