POSITIVITY
We live in a swirling cultural climate with mixed messages about positivity ranging from “Smile! It takes fewer muscles than frowning and will improve your mood.” to “Toxic positivity is everywhere and is impacting our ability to be honest.”
At FIT4MOM Fort Worth, creating safe spaces for women to show up authentically is important to us. If a mom is feeling down, we hope she chooses to bring her whole self to class, knowing she can come with her tears, disappointment, and grief. Frustration is inevitable in motherhood. Moms don’t need to swap out their furrowed brows and tense shoulders for smiles before working out with us. Parenting can be filled with worry. Our community members are welcome to bring their concerns about milestones, jobs, relationships, etc to F4M instead of pretending they are burdenless for the sake of positivity.
So what role does Positivity play as a FIT4MOM Value?
Positivity is a telescope for us to see hope, no matter how far away it feels. It’s a tool we can use to acknowledge our current circumstances while also keeping our eyes and hearts open to new beginnings. Positivity allows us to hold “AND” instead of “OR”. We can feel defeated in motherhood AND know that our current season of parenting won’t last forever. We can have a grueling morning AND find comfort in tomorrow’s sunrise bringing a fresh start. We can feel stuck AND press forward with the hope that things will change.
As Spring approaches, we can anticipate the growth and renewal of the world around us. Trees lay bare in the winter in the same way that some seasons of motherhood can feel empty or vulnerable. Yet, there is always a new seed planted, fresh leaves, and vibrant flowers ready to make their debut if we just wait long enough to see it. Negativity would tell us that a new beginning will never come, that Winter is forever. On the contrary, positivity can be the catalyst for restoring things we’ve lost, building new pathways in our lives, and courageous hope that this wild, beautiful life has more wondrous layers to be revealed.
You’ve got this, Mama. Take a deep breath, make a tiny step forward, and we are here for you along the way.
