“Good Vibes Only” is Toxic BS

I have seen this all over social media, on bumper stickers, and coffee mugs and I cringe every time.

While I 100% believe “you reap what you sow,” and “what you project you attract,” I cannot buy into the notion of “good vibes only” for the sole reason that it does not allow space for us to feel the full range of our humanness.

It is a completely unnatural message in our world; even physics tells us every object or energy has an equal and opposite, and Traditional East Asian Medicine is based on the principles of yin and yang, opposites which cannot be separated.

“Good Vibes Only” leaves no room for anyone to examine their “bad,” or their shadow, where their insecurities, fears, and jealousies lie.

“Good Vibes Only” asks people to ignore those parts and allow for only pleasantries or surface-level positivity.

It means we won’t be accepted if we have anything other than good vibes. And that is bullshit. Sure, nobody likes someone who is a constant pessimist, but that’s not what we are talking about here. We are talking about suppressing a whole side of us when we are capable of a range of feelings.

If we focus on the good and ignore the bad, not only is this harmful, but we miss out on so many opportunities to grow. If there’s one thing I know about humans it’s that we were put on earth to grow, however messy and uncomfortable that may be.

So do the work- embrace the twinge that creeps in when you’re secretly jealous of your best friend’s accomplishments, ask yourself why you are feeling that way, and what you can change so that you can feel happy for your friend and better about yourself.

Here’s a parting thought: are things really good or bad, or do we make them that way through our past experiences?