Mental Health Care: When You’re Learning to Be Okay With Yourself - 5 “Empowering” Advice That’s Actually Toxic

Now more than ever, influencers and pages on the internet are offering life advice that claims to be motivational and uplifting. But is the “empowering” advice from the internet, TikTok, and influencers actually helpful or toxic? Obviously, there is no definitive answer to that. Things are more nuanced than they seem, which is why we want to explore this topic and share our perspective on it. In our opinion, if taken the wrong way, these examples of misleading, toxic quotes and bad advice can negatively impact personal growth, mental health, and self-improvement. We will discuss advice you shouldn't follow and explain how it can derail your journey toward genuine self-love and self-development. Do you agree or disagree? Let us know in the comments below. #advice #selfhelp #personalgrowth Writer: Dylan Swanepoel Script Editor & Manager: Kelly Soong Voice Over: Amanda Silvera www.youtube.com/AmandaSillvera Animator: Suu YouTube Manager: Cindy Cheong REFERENCES: Saltzberg, E. A., & Chrisler, J. C. (2006). Beauty is the beast: Psychological effects of the pursuit of the perfect female body. Moral issues in global perspective, 2(2), 142-150. Putra, R. P., Ramadhanti, A., Sasanti, A., Fadil, A., & Salsyabila, N. (2023). Toxic positivity in adolescents: An attitude of always being positive in every situation. Journal of Psychology and Instruction, 7(1), 11-21. Tanasugarn, A. (2023, June 24). Hyper-independence: Is it a trauma response?. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/za/blog/understanding-ptsd/202306/hyper-independence-is-it-a-trauma-response Vu, L., Soraperra, I., Leib, M., van der Weele, J., & Shalvi, S. (2023). Ignorance by choice: A meta-analytic review of the underlying motives of willful ignorance and its consequences. Psychological Bulletin, 149(9-10), 611. Jensen‐Campbell, L. A., Knack, J. M., & Gomez, H. L. (2010). The psychology of nice people. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 4(11), 1042-1056. De Cremer, D., & Stouten, J. (2003). When do people find cooperation most justified? The effect of trust and self–other merging in social dilemmas. Social Justice Research, 16, 41-52.