As born-and-raised (but recovering!) people pleasers, we have experienced first-hand how this habit can contribute to burnout, resentment, getting taken advantage of, and appeasing people who don’t respect our boundaries. But it’s time to break the cycle, because the key to happiness and success isn’t trying to please everyone… that’s actually the key to failure.

If you experience feelings of overwhelming anxiety, existential dread, panic sweats and heart palpitations… welcome to the anxious girlies club. But seriously, we’re finally learning that while occasional stress and worry is normal, if those feelings start to impact our day-to-day lives, it’s time to take a closer look at our brains and bodies.

Unpopular opinion: It’s NOT always healthy to find the silver lining in everything. Some things just suck, and we don’t always need to look on the bright side, at the expense of *actually* processing hard feelings.

Our culture is obsessed with a “good vibes only,” and “everything happens for a reason” state of mind that makes us feel like we’re failing if we’re not happy 100% of the time. Trying to see the positive isn’t always positive, sometimes shit happens that doesn’t make us stronger, and we’re ready to break up with toxic positivity so we can fully experience our emotions AND our loved ones’ feelings. (Because nothing is worse than platitudes.)