You've probably been told something along the lines of "Cheer up," "Just smile," or "Stay positive" before. On the surface, these may sound like normal ways to support someone who's feeling low or in a bad mood, but looking just a bit deeper, you'll see how toxic such phrases really are.
These are just examples of a whole culture referred to as "Toxic positivity," which is the act of appearing happy at all times regardless of the situation, often shaming other people for showing their genuine emotions. You'll find it everywhere, especially in "motivational" quotes, where toxic positivity is probably the main narrative.
What gives toxic positivity its toxicity is how it devalues emotions and sees them from an outdated, degrading, and outright abusive viewpoint, as it's been repeatedly proven that suppressing emotions isn't good to our overall health at all.
It is well known that suppressing emotions has a physiological impact on the body. Much of the time this is short-term and causes no lasting problems. But longer term, the continual suppression of emotions can have detrimental physical and psychological effects.
So, if saying "cheer up" is toxic, what should we be using instead? The answer is emotional acceptance. Which is accepting that not being okay is okay. This is the first step towards deepening our overall understanding of each other's emotions. For example, instead of saying "Just smile," try saying something along the lines of "It's alright to take time for yourself."
The good news is that toxic positivity is becoming less and less prevalent. That's probably due to increased mental health awareness among the general population.