Toxic Positivity and Its Role on College Students' Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Toxic positivity as defined by Lukin (2019) is the practice of constantly displaying yourself as optimistic while rejecting anything that could be perceived as a negative emotion. This research was carried out to understand the role of toxic positivity on college students’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This qualitative research utilized a phenomenological approach to identify the influences of toxic positivity and factors that lead college students to engage in it. Data collection techniques included a 10-item pre-survey that helped select college students from various universities, regardless of gender, course, and year levels, who exhibited a high tendency to experience toxic positivity during this pandemic. Subsequently, purposive sampling was applied to picked respondents who scored seven or higher from the pre-survey to be the actual participants for the interview. A 10-item interview guide with follow-up questions was used to elicit responses from the chosen 15 participants, and since the research happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, interviews are held virtually through Google Meet and Zoom. The collected data were then analyzed through the guide of Colaizzi’s method, which according to Morrow et al. (2015), is a clearer and more systematic approach used in phenomenological studies in creating exhaustive descriptions. The findings revealed that toxic positivity has psychological influences on the college students, wherein their cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects are impacted, caused by various psychosocial factors, internal and external causes.

Full text

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TOXIC POSITIVITY AND ITS ROLE ON COLLEGE STUDENTS’
MENTAL HEALTH DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
An Undergraduate Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the
College of Arts and Sciences
Rizal Technological University
In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Bachelor of Science in Psychology
BERMEJO, MARIEL S.
ELEAZAR, EISEN C.
QUINTO, KATHLEEN LEIGH M.
VILLAREZ, ALLIYAH L.
December 2021

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Iris Cristelle D. Destura
Adviser
Approval Sheet
This thesis entitled “Toxic Positivity and Its Role on College Students’
Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic”, prepared and submitted by
BERMEJO, MARIEL S., ELEAZAR, EISEN C., QUINTO, KATHLEEN LEIGH M. and
VILLAREZ, ALLIYAH L. in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
Bachelor of Science in Psychology, has been examined and is hereby
recommended for Oral Examination.
November 2021
Date
PANEL OF EXAMINERS
Approved in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Bachelor of
Science in Psychology (BS) with a grade of _______________.
Mrs. Elena T. Paragas
Chairman
Ms. Kathleen A. Ryan Besonia Mr. Emeraldo A. Sabit Jr.
Member Member
Accepted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Bachelor of
Science in Psychology (BS)
December 2021 DR. RODRIGO DP. TOMAS
Date Dean,CAS

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Acknowledgment
The completion of this study would not have been possible without the
participation and support of a significant number of people, many of whose names are
not included. Their contributions are gratefully acknowledged and truly appreciated.
The research team, on the other hand, wishes to express their thanks and debt to the
following individuals:
To their research team adviser, Ms Iris Cristelle D. Destura, their thesis
professor, Ms Russelle Ane A. Vitales, the experts who validated their interview guide,
and their other professors, who did not hesitate to lend a hand in developing their
research. They'd also like to express their gratitude to the study's participants.
To the research team’s family and friends, as well as those who supported them
in some manner, whether morally, physically, or financially.
Above all, thanks to the Great God Almighty, the author of wisdom and
knowledge, for His selfless love.
Thank you very much.
B.M.S., E.E.C., Q.KL.M., V.A.L.

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Abstract
Toxic positivity as defined by Lukin (2019) is the practice of constantly
displaying yourself as optimistic while rejecting anything that could be perceived as a
negative emotion. This research was carried out to understand the role of toxic
positivity on college students’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This qualitative research utilized a phenomenological approach to identify the
influences of toxic positivity and factors that lead college students to engage in it. Data
collection techniques included a 10-item pre-survey that helped select college
students from various universities, regardless of gender, course, and year levels, who
exhibited a high tendency to experience toxic positivity during this pandemic.
Subsequently, purposive sampling was applied to picked respondents who scored
seven or higher from the pre-survey to be the actual participants for the interview. A
10-item interview guide with follow-up questions was used to elicit responses from the
chosen 15 participants, and since the research happened during the COVID-19
pandemic, interviews are held virtually through Google Meet and Zoom. The collected
data were then analyzed through the guide of Colaizzi’s method, which according to
Morrow et al. (2015), is a clearer and more systematic approach used in
phenomenological studies in creating exhaustive descriptions. The findings revealed
that toxic positivity has psychological influences on the college students, wherein their
cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects are impacted, caused by various
psychosocial factors, internal and external causes.
Keywords: toxic positivity, covid-19, qualitative, phenomenological, purposive
sampling, psychological influences, psychosocial factors

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
APPROVAL SHEET
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ABSTRACT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES
CHAPTER
I. THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction ................................................................................................ 1
Research Objectives .................................................................................. 5
Theoretical Framework .............................................................................. 5
Conceptual Framework .............................................................................. 6
Scope and Limitation .................................................................................. 7
Significance of the Study ............................................................................ 8
Definition of Terms ..................................................................................... 9

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II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Defining toxic positivity ............................................................................. 10
Signs of Toxic Positivity ........................................................................... 11
Toxic positivity and Cognition ................................................................... 12
Toxic positivity and Emotion ..................................................................... 13
Toxic positivity and Behavior .................................................................... 17
Toxic positivity amidst the COVID-19 pandemic ...................................... 18
III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Method ..................................................................................................... 24
Sampling .................................................................................................. 25
Participants .............................................................................................. 26
Research Setting ...................................................................................... 27
Instrument ................................................................................................ 28
Data Collection ......................................................................................... 29
IV. PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND DISCUSSION ............................... 31
V. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMEDATION
Conclusion ............................................................................................... 46
Recommendation ..................................................................................... 47

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VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................... 50
VII. APPENDICES .......................................................................................... 54
List of Tables
Interview Transcript
Audiovisual Recording
Reflection
Photos of Actual Fieldwork
Signed Communications
Interview Guide
Informed Consent
Curriculum Vitae

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Significant Statement and Formulated Meanings ....................... 56
Table 2. Formulated Meanings ................................................................. 65
Table 3. Clustered Themes and Emergent Themes ................................. 66
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Conceptual Framework ............................................................... 6
Figure 2: Thematic Map ........................................................................... 31

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Chapter I
The Problem and Its Background
Introduction
With the accelerating number of deaths brought by the coronavirus, many
people became anxious not only about how to avoid being affected by the virus but
also about how to cope up with the new normal. Since COVID-19 has been declared
as a pandemic, and the lockdown was implemented, people’s daily routine drastically
changed into something no one has been prepared for. Everyone, all over the world
was required to adopt wearing a face mask, physical distancing, teleworking, and
hand hygiene as a preventive measure in COVID-19 breakouts. Embracing all these
habits as part of one’s daily life is how the new normal has been defined (WHO, 2020).
Along with this change, many have struggled to provide for their financial needs inside
the home, health has been more at risk, and students grappled in online classes. With
this kind of challenge, individuals often hear phrases such as, “Kaya natin ‘to,”
“Matatapos din ang lahat,” “Think positive lang,” that are believed to influence the
mindset of people. During this tough time, the term “toxic positivity” has also
emerged.
Filipinos are known for being collectivist, which means they often accept the
opinions, feelings, and circumstances of others. They think so much about others that
they often put aside themselves. Literature written by Shapiro (n.d.) claimed that
Filipinos have a strong sense of belonging to their families, regional associations, and
peer groups. Additionally, Scroope (2017), stated that “Kapwa” is linked to Filipino

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society’s collectivist nature. What is excellent for one person is thought to be good for
the entire group and should be shared with others. With this being said, Filipinos have
always been each other’s company during triumphs and difficult times. As a comforter
to other people, they cannot avoid imposing positive words to uplift a fainthearted
person, giving words of affirmation such as, “Kaya mo ‘yan,” “Tahan na,” “Look on the
bright side,” and other more. In this context, toxic positivity enters. Lukin (2019)
defined toxic positivity as a concept that staying positive, and only staying positive, is
the right way to live your life. Edwards (2020) provided two forms of it; first is when a
person receives or gives it to someone, and second is when they inflict it on
themselves.
Furthermore, resilience must be noted as the ability to recover from and adapt
to adversity while not succumbing to negative emotions such as fear, sadness, and
rage. Wu, et al. (2013, as cited in Holahan and Moos, 1987; Moos and
Schaefer, 1993) stated that individuals who typically use avoidant coping are more
likely to experience psychological suffering and unfavorable consequences whereas,
active coping have long been linked to adaptability and psychological resilience.
Active coping is a coping strategy that employs behavioral or psychological
approaches to decrease or eliminate stress (Wu, 2013, cited in Feder et al., 2009).
On the other hand, since everyone must adhere to the implementation of
lockdown, schools resorted to online classes as a medium of education. Over 28
million Filipino students across all academic levels are among those who are forced
to stay at home and adhere to the Philippine government’s quarantine regulations

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(UNESCO, 2020). With this, every student will not only take the responsibility of being
a student but also the responsibility of being a child or sibling inside their home. It is
believed that students who took online classes had more time to spend with their
families and more time to learn at their own pace. However, not everyone has the
same peaceful environment to study in, not everyone has a good relationship with
their family, and not everyone has a secure Internet connection. Online classes have
benefits, but also drawbacks, and with these disadvantages, students’ frustrations
have not been addressed, since everybody must continue regardless of the
circumstances.
Resilience has been tapped again in the wake of the pandemic, as well as
students’ academic resilience. The term academic resilience has been used to define
students’ academic success despite life adversity, stress, and pressure (Eva, et al.,
2021, as cited in Sari and Indrawati, 2017). During this tough time, even more, that
mental health should be given focus as everyone struggles with coping with the new
normal. Eva, et al. (2021), concluded that the online learning brought about by the
pandemic causes stress and frustrations to students. Since classes have been
resumed through online mediums, even if they are suffering from other household
responsibilities and personal issues, many students have still managed to enroll in the
school year. According to the study conducted by Fernanda (2015), one of the
predictors of academic success is the quality of the immediate caregiving
environment. But what if the only support a student is receiving is just the positive

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words inflicted on them? With this challenge, there are so many emotions that have
been suppressed because of the idealization of positivity.
Suppression is one of the strategies people use to manage their fears,
sadness, or any emotions that they do not want to show to other people. But
suppressing emotions will not help people to alleviate the fear, it instead increases the
fear. In a study conducted by Dillard, et al. (2018), they concluded that suppression of
emotion is failing to eliminate fear. The study focuses on pregnant women in the
United States who are vulnerable to the Zika virus. Researchers discovered that
pregnant women who attempted to suppress their fears later were reported to
experience higher levels of fear. Additionally, a study conducted in 2018 examined the
relationship between emotional acceptance and psychological health and found out
that people who habitually avoid acknowledging their negative emotions can end up
feeling worse (Ford et. al, 2018). A diminished emotional response builds up pressure
and leads to a more extreme emotion later (Toxic Psychology, 2020). Suppressing
negative feelings, such as fear, will not help people overcome a pandemic, as is the
case now with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The current study wanted to understand the role of toxic positivity on college
students’ mental health. Why do they rely on it as a coping strategy despite knowing
that it is indeed “toxic” as the name suggested? Are the reasons students engage in
toxic positivity are due to the influence of their peers, environment, family, or other
factors? During this tough time, is it the only thing they could do to keep going? These
questions fueled the researchers’ interest in knowing the role of toxic positivity on

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college students’ mental health. Also, the lack of related studies is a reason why the
researchers are determined to conduct this study. This paper could serve as a source,
which the current study is lacking; specifically, a local one, to future researchers that
are planning to study the same construct.
Research Objectives
This study determined the role of toxic positivity on college students’ mental
health during the pandemic. Specifically, it sought to answer:
1. What are the influences of toxic positivity on college students’ mental health?
2. What are the factors that lead college students to engage in toxic positivity?
Theoretical Framework
Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory explains psychological functioning in
terms of triadic reciprocal causation. This system assumes that human action is a
result of an interaction among three variables – environment, behavior, and person.
By “person” Bandura means largely, not exclusively, such cognitive factors as
memory, anticipation, planning, and judging. It also includes how they think and feels
(Cherry, 2021). Because people possess and use these cognitive capacities, they
have some capacity to select or to restructure their environment: that is, cognition at
least partially determines which environmental events people attend to, what value
they place on these events, and how they organize these events too. Cognition itself
is determined, being formed by both behavior and environment.
This theory was applied to support the current study that involves toxic positivity
– what are its impacts on a person and why do they engage in it. In this study, the

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behavior (toxic positivity) can be affected by a personal factor (cognition: no matter
how difficult the situation has become, they should only maintain a positive mindset.)
and environmental factors (family, friends, or situation that makes a person engage in
toxic positivity). People have this tendency to reframe their environment and to
possibly choose what they want to attend to, through cognitive aspects. In the case of
people who engages in toxic positivity, whenever they encounter a negative emotion,
instead of addressing it, they are inclined to positivity – thinking that negative emotions
are harmful and should be avoided at all costs, which then reflect on their emotion
(e.g., suppressing emotions), behavior (can be a tendency to isolate their self from
others), and environment (shaming other people or disregarding other’s feelings).
Conceptual Framework
Figure 1. Conceptual Framework
The main objective of this study was to determine the role of toxic positivity on
college students’ mental health during the pandemic. The conceptual framework
shows the information the researchers gathered to achieve the said objective. The
first circle refers to the factors that lead college students to engage in toxic positivity,
the second one is its influences on college students, and the last one is the findings;
the role it has on their mental health.
Factors to
engage in
Toxic
Positivity
Toxic
Positivity
Mental
Health of
the College
Students

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Scope and Limitation
This study primarily focused on the influences of toxic positivity on college
students, and the factors that lead them to engage in it. This has been explored to
determine the role of toxic positivity on college students’ mental health.
Since the research was held when COVID-19 is still present and face-to-face
classes are not allowed, the researchers used social media platforms such as
Facebook, Discord, Messenger, Instagram, and Twitter to acquire participants, and
used video conferencing software, Google Meet, and Zoom, for the individual
interview. The data gathering lasted for two weeks, starting on the 24th of September
2021, and ending on the 7th of October 2021. The needed participants for this study
are Filipino college students regardless of their gender, course, and year levels.
Upon conducting this qualitative study, the researchers first utilized a pre-
survey that filtered out participants who qualified to the predetermined criteria the
researchers were looking for. After that, the researchers invited them for an individual
interview, wherein a 10-item semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect
responses from them. The collected data are then analyzed using Colaizzi's method.
However, due to the lack of previous research studies concerning the subject
matter, since it is still an emerging topic, a call for further analysis is recommended.
Considering the interviews were conducted through video conferencing applications,
as part of following the COVID-19 safety and health protocols, the strength of the
respondents’ internet connection became a limitation for a stable, continuous interview

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session. Moreover, small details such as expressions, nervousness, mannerism, and
other non-verbal cues of participants are not given focus.
Significance of the Study
The study focused on determining the role of toxic positivity on college
students’ mental health during the pandemic. Moreover, the results of this study are
beneficial to the following:
Respondents. This will help our respondents, who are college students, to be
aware of what toxic positivity is. Once they know the variable, they will gain insights
into the influences of toxic positivity that will give ideas on how to cope with their
negative emotions.
Parents. This study will help parents understand the impact of words they are
exposing to their children as the research will gather personal responses from children
towards their parents regarding toxic positivity. Furthermore, they will gain awareness
of the usual words their child has been hearing that affect them positively or negatively.
Filipino mental health advocates. The outcome of this qualitative study will
serve as a foundation for Filipino mental health advocates on raising awareness
among Filipino citizens about the role of toxic positivity.
Rizal Technological University and other Universities. This study will give
awareness to universities about the influence of inducing toxic positivity towards
students. Additionally, professors will gain consciousness of the words they must and
must not repeatedly inflict on students that are covertly affecting their mental health.

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Future Researchers. The variable, toxic positivity, has only limited studies. In this
sense, the outcome of this study can serve as a reference for those future researchers
who plan to conduct the same construct.
Definition of Terms
The following terms shall be understood in context with the study. The
researchers provided this section to introduce the meaning of various terms in relation
to the current research endeavor.
College Students – Operationally defined as the respondents of this study. These
are the young adults who are currently in university.
Coping Mechanism – Operationally defined as the ways of how the respondents
manage their stress and negative emotions.
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic – is our time’s defining public health
crisis and the greatest threat we’ve ever faced (UNDP, 2020).
Functionality – Researchers defined this as the ability to do usual activities without
impairing students’ behavior amidst life stresses and toxic positivity.
Mental Health – Operationally defined as a state of well-being, with the individual
being able to cope up with life stress and still can work productively; and the state of
having the ability to properly respond and address such adversity.
Toxic Positivity – a novel concept in psychology; it is defined as the tendency to
portray oneself as being happy no matter what (The Psychology Group, 2019). In this
study, the respondent tends to engage in behaviors, specifically on a positive mindset,
that made them set aside their difficult feelings.

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Chapter II
Review of Related Literature
Anchoring on the objectives of this study, the researchers reviewed related
works of literature that are significant to the following concepts: what is toxic positivity,
what is its impact on people, and its relevance to today’s pandemic.
There were no studies found that are directly about toxic positivity. Most of the
related literature that the researchers found were articles published on the internet.
Online journals and scholarly articles were retrieved from online sources such as
ResearchGate.
This chapter was organized based on the researchers’ grouping of general to
specific topics, narrowing down the main topic of the study. The subtopics are as
follows: (a) defining toxic positivity, (b) signs of toxic positivity, (c) toxic positivity and
cognition, emotion, and behavior, (d) toxic positivity amidst the pandemic and its toll
on our mental health.
Defining toxic positivity
The demand for a positive attitude when it is not needed is a phenomenon
called “toxic positivity” (Solaris, 2019).
The term toxic positivity refers to the concept that staying positive, and only
staying positive, is the right way to live your life (Lukin, 2019). It is the practice of
portraying yourself as happy all the time, which means rejecting anything that might
be perceived as a negative emotion. It forces you to act as if everything is going well,
regardless of the situation. The Psychology Group (2019) defined toxic positivity as

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an excessive and ineffective overgeneralization of a happy, optimistic state across all
situations that results in the denial, minimization, and invalidation of the authentic
human emotional experience. Supplementary, an article from Medical News Today by
Villines (2021) defined toxic positivity as “an obsession with positive thinking,” a belief
that all experiences, even the most terrible, should be viewed in a positive light.
Gail Saltz, MD, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the New York-
Presbyterian Hospital, Weill-Cornell Medical College, notes that toxic positivity is not
a clinical term, but a kind of made-up layman term for “using the defense mechanism
of denial or repression so extensively that you refuse to acknowledge anything that
might cause a negative feeling – like sadness, anxiety, anger” (McLendon, 2020). In
addition to this, California-based psychiatrist Gayani DeSilva, MD described toxic
positivity as an “insincere positivity that leads to harm, needless suffering, or
misunderstanding” (Gillespie, 2020).
It can take several forms: (a) it can be a family member who scolds you for
expressing frustration rather than listening to the reason why you are upset, (b) a
comment to “look on the bright side” or “be grateful for what you have,” (c) a meme
who tells you to “just change your outlook to be happy,” (d) a friend who repeatedly
displays how productive they are during the lockdown, and (e) your feelings that you
should not dwell on – feelings of sadness, anxiety, loneliness, or fear (Scully, 2020).
Signs of Toxic Positivity
The Psychology Group (2019) listed seven common expressions and
experiences of toxic positivity to help us understand how it manifests itself in daily life.

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1. Hiding or masking your real emotions
2. Stuffing/dismissing an emotion(s) in order to "Please get on with it."
3. Feeling bad about feeling what you feel
4. Minimizing other people’s experiences with "feel good" quotes or comments
5. Attempting to provide perspective (e.g., "It could be worse") rather than
validating someone’s emotional experience.
6. Shaming or chastising someone for showing disappointment or something
other than optimism
7. Ignoring stuff that annoys you with an “It is what it is” attitude.
Toxic positivity and Cognition
Wibowo (2020), differentiated the context of toxic positivity and healthy
positivity in her literature review. Whereas the researcher stated that toxic positivity is
likely to develop when someone is fixated on optimism which encourages unrealistic
expectation and a fixed mindset that makes it difficult to consider other options
presented (Wibowo, 2020, as cited in Primastiwi, 2020). The toxic positivity is forcing
you to see the positive side even when faced with difficulty at the moment. On the
other hand, the researcher defined healthy positivity as cited in Aronson, Wilson, &
Akert (2012), as a product of a growth mindset wherein, the individual sees setbacks
as an opportunity to learn and cope with them. In short, healthy positivity is seeing
problems as a means of growth that doesn't suppress any emotions. In this
comparison, we can view that positivity, either toxic or healthy, is a cognitive
mechanism that people engage in when confronted with challenges.

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Toxic positivity and Emotion
Toxic positivity does not welcome the feelings of negativity; positivity or always
being happy is the only answer when coping during hard times, it encourages
emotional suppression (Toxic Positivity, 2020). Emotional suppression is a form of
emotional regulation that is used to attempt to handle unpleasant, overwhelming
thoughts and feelings (Salters-Pedneault, 2019).
When exposed to unfamiliar situations, people often tend to suppress their
emotions. Fontaine, et al. (2014), conducted a correlational study testing the
relationship of emotional suppression to the well-being of different ethnic groups in the
Netherlands whereas, this study aims to test 4 Hypotheses. On the first hypothesis,
the researcher wants to find out if non-Western immigrants will yield higher scores on
emotional suppression tendency compared to Western immigrants and Dutch groups.
The second hypothesis tests to find out if non-Western immigrants would have higher
scores on suppression of specific emotional experiences, and lower scores on well-
being compared to Western immigrants and Dutch groups (Hypothesis 3). Lastly, the
researcher wants to test if suppression of specific emotional experiences would be a
moderator in the relationship between emotional suppression tendency and well-
being. A total of 1236 participants were gathered as a sample of the study, consisting
of 344 immigrants from non-Western countries specifically, in Turkey and Morocco;
465 immigrants from Western countries such as Germany and Belgium; and 427
Dutch majority group members. Results show that when it comes to the dissatisfaction
of life, all ethnic groups are significantly different from each other. The high scores on

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emotional suppression tendency were found to have a significant relationship with
lower well-being. Moreover, the study found that only if the specific emotional
experience is considered, then, emotional suppression tendency will also be weakly
related to well-being. Supporting the first hypothesis, data yields that non-Western
immigrants have higher scores on emotional suppression tendency compared to all
groups which indicates that the former immigrants have a high tendency of
suppressing emotions apparently because expressing such emotions would cause
disturbance of social relationships. Hypothesis 2 wasn’t confirmed by the study.
Additionally, supporting the third hypothesis, data showed that non-Western
immigrants yielded lower scores on well-being compared to other groups and as for
the last hypothesis, results indicate that suppression of specific emotional experiences
acts as a great moderator on the relationship between emotional suppression
tendency and well-being. Researchers concluded that suppressing emotions harm
well-being.
Acknowledging negative emotions has been challenging for people assuming
this would only lead to imprisoning oneself for sadness. A recent study proposed that
accepting mental experiences would allow an individual to have greater psychological
health, permitting them to feel fewer negative emotions because they are aware of
what they feel. In the study conducted by Ford, Lam, John, and Mauss, (2018), they
provided three studies to examine the benefits of accepting negative emotions and
thoughts. In the first study, participants were undergraduate students with the final
number of 459 participants for Sample A, 336 for Sample B, and 208 for Sample C.

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Different measures were utilized such as Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire
(FFMQ) to assess the degree of acceptance of participants’ emotions and thoughts;
Scales of Psychological Well-Being to measure psychological health and well-being
of the participants; and demographic status such as gender and ethnicity through self-
report, stress and rumination were also evaluated.
Results of the mentioned study indicate that accepting feelings and impulses is
related to psychological well-being through various measures of well-being and ill-
being, including greater psychological well-being and life satisfaction, as well as lower
depressive and anxiety symptoms. Researchers emphasized that people are capable
of accepting their emotions and thoughts even without accepting the events that
triggered the experience and it is the acceptance of emotions and thoughts that is
beneficial to psychological health. Study 2 on the other hand, addressed the potential
confounding influence of life stress through utilizing standardized laboratory stress
induction. A total of 156 sample sizes were gathered whereas, half of the sample has
a recent life stressor within six months. Participants were asked to complete a survey
questionnaire regarding demographics and acceptance and afterward, were tasked to
rate the extent to which they experience negative emotions while watching a film and
delivering a speech. Findings show that embracing feelings and thoughts regularly
makes people feel less negative emotion in response to stress. Furthermore, while
acceptance reduces negative emotion, it imposes no “collateral damage” in terms of
reduced positive emotion.

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Study 3 looked at whether people who embrace their feelings and thoughts
regularly feel less negative emotion in the face of everyday stressors, and whether
lower levels of emotion were associated with better long-term psychological health
through a longitudinal design that included a daily diary component. This study had a
final sample size of 222. Participants were tasked to complete a series of diaries each
night for 14 consecutive days wherein, through a prompt, they should list which
stressors they had experienced within 24 hours. Study 3 provided a foundation for the
results of Studies 1 and 2 by demonstrating a mechanism in the correlation between
acceptance and better psychological health: people who acknowledged their emotions
and thoughts regularly reported less negative emotion during everyday stressors.
Suppressing emotions has a higher probability of feeling negative emotions.
Ruan et al. (2019), carried out a grounded theory examining the effects of naturally
occurring suppression of negative emotions and if such emotions would lead to higher
negative effects in the next signal with the use of two experienced-sampling studies.
468 participants were drawn from the existing studies, with 167 patients aged 16-50
years old on the first study and 301 participants aged 28-86 years old on the second
study. State-Trait Anxiety was utilized to measure the trait anxiety of the participants
and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale was used to assess the participants’
baseline positive and negative effects. Experience Sampling Method (ESM) was also
used to assess temporary suppression and affect. Participants in both studies were
plugged into a different device that would vibrate and give an auditory signal once a
report is detected. With the ESM protocol, each study was asked at every signal,

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“Since the last signal, have you felt negative emotions that you’ve kept bottled up?”
and were also asked to rate the level to which they had experienced effects.
Researchers found that for both high-arousal and low-arousal negative
emotions, suppressing negative emotions at one signal significantly predicted more
negative emotions at the next signal. Data indicates that time did not relieve the high
activation associated with negative affect brought on by suppression within the
maximum 2–3 hours’ time frame of our ESM protocol. Researchers concluded that
once negative emotions were suppressed, it would certainly result in a more negative
emotional experience that is likely to last.
Toxic positivity and Behavior
Toxic positivity, according to Brodsky (2021, cited in Cleveland Clinic, 2021),
comes from a misinterpretation of ‘positive framing’ and it also affects one’s behavior,
one of the risks of toxic positivity is imposing isolating behavior and stigma. People
who are under pressure to smile at difficulties are less likely to ask for help (Cleveland
Clinic, 2021). They may feel isolated or ashamed of their emotions because toxic
positivity imposes that a person should be happy all the time, which can discourage
them from finding support. And the stigma, according to the American Psychiatric
Association (2012), may discourage people from receiving mental health care.
The person who has a toxic positive mindset will isolate and disregard receiving
mental health care because they keep on denying their negative feelings; and on the
side of the person who has been inflicted with toxic positive advice, they will feel
isolated because they may feel that their feelings were not necessary – the invalidation

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of the authentic human emotional experience (the University of Minnesota, n.d.).
Another behavior of an individual who engages in toxic positivity is creating internal
dissonance. According to Pinelands Recovery Center of Medford (2021), a pattern of
artificial positivity will separate a person from their true desires and needs, causing
long-term division in your relationships with yourself and with others. Without
experiencing negative feelings, the highs may become dull, and people may then have
a more difficult time feeling genuine happiness.
Toxic positive people’s behavior also affects people that surround them
because they have this behavior of shaming people who do not have a positive
attitude. An example of it is emotional bullying of others by telling others that they must
be optimistic, or that they are exaggerating a situation, or that they have no reason to
experience negative emotions. And an inability to respect the personal experiences of
others by telling people not to be pessimistic about an experience and encouraging
them to be optimistic and constructive, even if they show strong emotional reactions
(Gaba, 2021).
Toxic positivity amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and its toll on our mental
health
In the age of social media, no matter the situation, we are used to seeing
messages about maintaining a good mentality that are all manifestations of a concept
called “toxic positivity.”
The term "toxic positivity" has been around for some time, but it took a global
pandemic to make many of us aware of its subtle effects (Gillespie, 2020).

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Toxic positivity has gone overdrive amidst the COVID-19 pandemic (Wong,
2020). Given the collective distress that we are all facing due to the pandemic, the
nature of toxic positivity has been observed in people’s social media publications
during this quarantine period; posts or comments that show that if you are not being
positive or posting positivity online, then, what you are doing is wrong or is
disrespectful to others.
Zuckerman (2020, as cited from Renton, 2020), a clinical psychologist explains
that we are undergoing systemic trauma as a result of a worldwide pandemic. It is
unpredictable, anxiety-provoking, and sometimes sorrow-inducing. Pressure and
obligation to be ‘happy’ during a crisis invalidate a person’s feelings. This can lead to
resulting feelings of humiliation, remorse, and discomfort for possessing destructive,
but highly acceptable, emotions.
The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the unexpected things that happened to us
in the early months of 2020. We experienced a strict lockdown that made millions of
Filipino workers lose their job and forced Filipino students to do flexible learning
(Commission on Higher Education, 2020), wherein students do synchronous or
asynchronous modes of learning in order to cope up with the pandemic. Because of
unexpected changes in the mode of education, some Filipino students were not able
to adjust immediately to the changes. Many encounter difficulties such as slow internet
connection, lack of equipment to use in synchronous class (e.g., laptop, cell phone,
and computer), and some are mental health-related concerns (Inquirer, 2020).

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As days go by, online class and this pandemic cause people to feel various
emotions such as anger, disgust, fear, and the likes, which is normal to feel during this
time. What is not normal is when an individual says, “always be positive” or “always
look on the bright side,” because it is a way of suppressing emotions. Dr. Leela
Magavi, a psychiatrist, explains that the tendency to toxic positivity often derives from
the discomfort in having unpleasant or negative emotions and emerges especially in
those who have an orientated solution or "how do we fix it now?" personalities. "When
it comes to emotions, though," she says, "Emotions ebb and flow. It does not work so
fast that you can just tell someone to be positive and they will feel better right away
(Noll, 2020).”
According to the study of Son, et al. (2020), in higher education, student mental
health has become an increasing concern. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought this
vulnerable group into a new focus. The study focuses on the effects of the COVID-19
pandemic on college students’ mental health. In the gathering of the data, the
researchers conducted interview surveys to 195 students at a university in the United
States using a semi-structured interview survey guide in assessing the mental health
status of college students. They used various themes such as concerns for own health
and the health of a loved one, difficulty in concentration, sleeping habits, social
relations/social isolation, academic performance, eating patterns, changes in a living
environment, financial difficulties, class workloads, depressive thoughts, and suicidal
thoughts. The findings of the study focus on the negative impact of the COVID-19
pandemic especially in academic-, health-, and lifestyle-related outcomes. The

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majority of the respondents were experiencing stress and anxiety. The prominent
effects were the concerns for the loved ones and followed by the difficulty in
concentrating.
While students who returned to their parents’ homes expressed concerns about
distractions and independence, they could have benefited from family support and
fewer social obligations (Hedge et. al., 2020). Half of the participants have lower stress
levels on academic pressure and class workload. It was also found out that some of
the participants have a high level of depressive thoughts. Other outcomes that were
considered to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic could also serve as contributors
to depressing thoughts and suicidal ideation, as participants explicitly reported
feelings of isolation, powerlessness, as well as financial and academic uncertainties.
The findings also uncovered several coping strategies that differ between adaptive
and maladaptive behaviors. Participants mentioned a lot of barriers in seeking
treatment, including lack of trust in therapy services and lack of ease discussing
mental health problems with others, which may indicate stigma. Researchers
concluded that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown and stay-at-home orders
have negative impacts on higher education. It shows the critical need to implement
approaches and prevention measures to address college students’ mental health.
In an article written by Bello (2020), a medical student named Regina Geli
stated that besides the time pressure, the “Kaya mo ‘yan” culture is one of the
hindrances in choosing to take a break from school for a much better quality of
education and good mental health. The “Kaya mo ‘yan” culture is similar to toxic

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positivity because it does not address the students’ sentiments and just compares
generational experiences and expects their students’ to overcome similar challenges
in different times and contexts. Some may say that the “Kaya mo naman ‘yan” culture
is not toxic at all and just merely a mindset, a motivation to be academically resilient,
but resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy,
threats, or significant sources of stress (American Psychological Association, 2012),
it is done with an action or a solution and not just an unrealistic optimism.
Long (2020, as cited from Smith, 2020), a clinical psychologist in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida stated that there is nothing wrong with being cheerful. An
optimistic mindset can be a blessing for those around you, but it should not replace
thoughtful listening to others’ viewpoints. Having an optimistic mindset is not the only
option to feel better; hearing out the reason behind people’s frustration,
acknowledging that sometimes we feel sadness, fear and other unpleasant feelings
are better and healthier options. Furthermore, Millie (2019) in her blog, “Is there such
a thing as ‘toxic positivity’?” stated that when it comes to mental health, maintaining a
positive attitude does not overlook the fact that sometimes our mental health makes
us depressed or anxious. It is important to understand these emotions so that people
do not feel bad about feeling bad.
At first glance, toxic positivity could be seen as a concept or idea that is not as
bad as people think. But it is because toxic positivity discredits people’s deep concerns
about their health, the health of their families and friends. It is important to
acknowledge that experiencing numerous, complicated emotions all at once is

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completely acceptable. Gallagher (n.d.) emphasized that emotions help our body to
understand what is going on. Not allowing yourself to feel all your emotions, run the
risk of having an unhealthy outburst later on.
Being positive during difficult times is possible, yet the constant promotion of it,
however well-meaning it may be, can become toxic (Gillespie, 2020). People must be
sensitive and mindful of the things that they say to avoid turning genuine concern into
toxic positivity.
With the help of the literature review, the researchers were able to provide a
comprehensive definition of toxic positivity, articles that show consequences with
engaging in it, and its relevance with the current pandemic. There are also related
studies that demonstrated how embracing negative emotions is more beneficial for
the mental health of an individual in the long run, rather than avoiding or dismissing
them. However, since toxic positivity is still a relatively new topic, the researchers were
not able to include studies that are directly about toxic positivity, as there are none
during the research, specifically a local one. This paper attempts to be the first to study
the phenomenon known as "toxic positivity," which went into overdrive during the
pandemic.

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Chapter III
Research Methodology
Method
This research used a descriptive phenomenological approach in understanding
the essential role of toxic positivity on college students’ mental health wherein, a
sample of 15 students was interviewed individually. A phenomenological approach
was applied because the researchers explored the impact of receiving too much
positivity (toxic positivity being the phenomenon) from other people, as well as to
oneself during the pandemic. Smith (2013) defined phenomenological study as the
study of "phenomena," or the manifestations of objects in our experiences, or the ways
we perceive things, and of conscious experience from a subjective or first-person
perspective.
Responses from the interview were then transcribed for the researchers’
reference. Researchers of this study made sure to have read the collected transcripts
numerous times to carefully extract the significant statements of the respondents. In
analyzing the data gathered, researchers utilized Colaizzi’s Method whereby, as
explained by Morrow et al. (2015), is a clearer and more systematic approach used in
phenomenological studies in creating exhaustive descriptions with each step staying
close to the data.
Colaizzi’s Method comprises seven steps which are mentioned in the following
(Sanders, 2003; Speziale & Carpenter, 2007, as cited in Shosha, n.d.):

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1. Each transcript should be read and re-read to obtain a general sense of the
whole content.
2. For each transcript, significant statements that pertain to the phenomenon
under study should be extracted. These statements must be recorded on a
separate sheet noting their pages and lines numbers.
3. Meanings should be formulated from these significant statements.
4. The formulated meanings should be sorted into categories, clusters of themes,
and themes.
5. The findings of the study should be integrated into an exhaustive description of
the phenomenon under study.
6. The fundamental structure of the phenomenon should be described.
7. Finally, validation of the findings should be sought from the research
participants to compare the researcher's descriptive results with their
experiences.
The above-mentioned steps were used as a guide for the researchers in
developing categories from the significant statements and in generating codes and
themes. The researchers also made sure that the transcripts with the formulated
meanings were given back to the participants to ensure that the findings correspond
to their experiences.
Sampling
Given that face-to-face is not applicable in conducting the study, the
researchers invited participants through social media platforms; Discord, Facebook,

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Messenger, Twitter, and Instagram, regardless of gender, course, and year levels.
The invitation consisted of a poster with a caption regarding the topic that students
had read to help them decide whether to participate or not in the study and a pre-
survey, powered by online software, Google Forms, was also included. In totality, 72
students from various universities participated in answering the pre-survey. The
scores obtained were sorted out to identify participants who scored 7 or higher. Of the
72 participants, 30 of them scored 7 and higher; however, only 15 of the students were
interviewed.
This process of purposive sampling was done to choose who among the
respondents are potential for the construct that is being explored. Purposive sampling
is an intentional selection of respondents who could explain the theme, concept, or
phenomenon being studied (Robinson, 2014).
Participants
For the respondents to be gathered, researchers generated a pre-survey which
was posted via social media means such as Facebook, Instagram, Discord, and
Twitter. Upon the data gathering, a total of 72 students from different universities took
part in answering the survey. Thirty out of 72 participants got 7 or higher scores which
qualified to be the respondents hence, they were purposely chosen to be the
participants of the study. However, only 15 of the 30 participants agreed to be
interviewed on their free schedules after being contacted.
In the 15 gathered participants, there were 10 females and five males. It was
noted that there was only one participant aged 18, three who are 20 years old, four

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who are 21, and five who are aged 22. The gathered data also revealed that there
was only one 1st year college student, three 2nd year students, six 3rd year students,
and four 4th year college students. These participants came from different universities
such as Rizal Technological University, both from Pasig and Boni Branch,
Technological University of the Philippines, Central Bicol State University, Far Eastern
University, Our Lady of Fatima University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines,
Partido State University, Xavier University-Ateneo De Cagayan, Pamantasan ng
Lungsod ng Maynila, Ateneo De Naga University, and Taguig City University.
The chosen participants voluntarily participated in the pre-survey and interview
and were not referred by their schools/institutions to take part in the study.
Research Setting
The collection of data happened during the pandemic wherein face-to-face
classes were not allowed, and strict health protocols such as wearing a face shield,
face masks and observing social distancing were implemented. Due to the
uncertainty, the pandemic has brought, the researchers conducted individual
interviews with each participant through video conferencing software, Google Meet,
and Zoom. In this way, the researchers and the participants prevented having contact
with the virus and did not violate any health protocol. Throughout these individual
interviews held in Google Meet and Zoom, there were two researchers present who
alternately asked the questions from the interview guide that they have generated and
a respondent who was relaying information that could be used for the study. Two
researchers were assigned at the meeting in case the other researcher encounters an

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internet connectivity interruption, the other researcher can take over interviewing the
respondent. Also, by doing this, the other supervising researcher can think of a follow-
up question that is in line with the current question.
Instrument
In collecting the data needed, the researchers first rolled out a pre-survey which
contains 10 questions. The generated survey was based on the IDRlabs 3 Minute
Toxic Positivity Test (IDR-3MTPT) founded from the work of Samara Quintero and Dr.
Jamie Long (2019) who identified and quantified signs of toxic positivity. This IDR-
3MTPT includes 10 questions that reflect life experiences of those who have
experienced toxic positivity which is answerable by “not me,” “describes me
somewhat,” and “definitely me.” The current study also comprises 10 questions, with
Tagalog translation, providing participants with “yes” or “no” choices. The “yes”
indicates that the participants have engaged/experienced the situation given and the
“no” indicates them, not doing it.
The pre-survey served as a tool to filter out the potential respondents of the
study. Scores 7 and above were chosen by the researchers as the scores qualified to
be the respondents of the interview. Additionally, a semi-structured 10-item
questionnaire was generated by the researchers of this study. The questionnaire was
prepared for the individual interview of the participants in gathering the actual
information about the experiences of college students regarding toxic positivity. The
questions were open-ended that allowed the participants to share and describe their

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experiences regarding the phenomena whereby, in between the interview, follow-up
questions occurred.
Data Collection
The data gathering procedure of this study started by disseminating the pre-
survey with the help of the researchers’ social media accounts, Facebook, Twitter,
Discord, Messenger, and Instagram Story Function. The pre-survey sorted out the
respondents who did and did not exhibit toxic positivity, wherein, those who scored
seven and higher are the ones who were invited for an individual interview. The
presurvey was answered by 72 students and gathered 30 qualified participants from
them, but only 15 of the qualified participants responded to the researchers’ invitation,
along with informed consent. After the researchers had received the informed consent,
they set a virtual appointment with the participants. In this virtual interview, two
researchers alternately asked questions following the semi-structured questionnaires.
There are two researchers at the meeting so one can take over the interview once the
other researcher encounters trouble, connecting to the internet. The other supervising
researcher can also come up with a follow-up question that relates to the current
question. The data collection of this study ended by closing the Google Forms for the
pre-survey and informed consent. Each interview lasted not more than an hour; it was
agreed upon that as soon as the respondent answered all the questions, the meeting
would come to an end, as to not take up too much of their time.

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The virtual interview was conducted individually through video conferencing
applications, Google Meet, and Zoom. The data collection process lasted for two
weeks, starting on the 24th of September 2021, and ending on the 7th of October 2021.

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Chapter IV
Presentation, Analysis, and Discussion
This study aimed to determine the role of toxic positivity on college students’
mental health during the pandemic. Specifically, it sought to answer.
1. What are the influences of toxic positivity on college students’ mental health?
2. What are the factors that lead college students to engage in toxic positivity?
The researchers used a descriptive phenomenological approach to understand
the significance of the phenomenon being studied. Furthermore, to better extract the
answer to each question, the researchers utilized Colaizzi's method.
Below is the thematic map, for the readers to have an overview of the data.
Figure 2. Thematic Map
Psychological Influences of Toxic Positivity
on College Students
Psychosocial Factors that Led College
Students to Engage in Toxic Positivity
Cognitive Impact
▪ Ambivalence
▪ Minimization of
subjective
experience
Emotional Impact
▪ Ashamed
▪ Bottling up
emotions
▪ Frustration
▪ Invalidation
▪ Masking
emotions
▪ Sadness
Behavioral Impact
▪ Avoidance
coping
▪ Isolation
▪ Academically
unmotivated
Internal Causes
▪ Habitual
practice of
positive
thinking
▪ Individualistic
mindset
▪ Misconception
about Toxic
Positivity
External Causes
▪ Academic
pressure
▪ Ignoring stuff
that annoys
them with an
“It is what it is”
attitude
▪ In a state of
hopeless
despair
▪ Dismissing
their emotions
in order to
“please get on
with it.”
▪ Social circle
(e.g., Family,
Friends, etc.)
▪ Social media

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For the first step of data analysis, the researchers had studied the transcript
numerous times to find significant statements from which meanings could be
formulated. Table 1. Significant Statements gives the page number where the
statements can be found for the readers’ reference (See Appendices, List of Tables,
Page 56).
The significant statements gleaned from the participants’ interviews were used
to create the formulated meanings. To determine the number of formulated meanings,
the code FM was used. The participants’ responses resulted in a total of 20 formulated
meanings. Statements that appeared to be headed in the same direction were
grouped under a predetermined formulated meaning. The 20 formulated meanings
that were utilized as a guide in determining the themes which emerged in the study
are listed in Table 2. Formulated Meanings (See Appendices, List of Tables, Page
65).
The mentioned formulated meanings are yet to be classified into a category
that indicates the role toxic positivity has on college students’ mental health. To better
grasp each of the formulated meanings, the researchers recognized the themes that
each of the meanings was referring to and created clusters of themes that will help
readers understand what the emergent themes are (See Appendices, Table 3, Page
66).
From the presented formulated meanings, one of the emergent themes
revealed that toxic positivity has a psychological influence on college students
wherein, it impacts their cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects. Because of

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engagement/exposure to toxic positivity, respondents were found to be in a state
of ambivalence (FM1) whenever they receive positive comments from other people,
as they try to accept it to be helpful (cognitive) but oppose it with how it truly affects
their emotions and behaviors. This was reflected in the response given by one of the
participants, saying, “Kaya ‘yong sinabi niya na ‘yon ano, tinanggap ko talaga na
although s’yempre offensive pero ano eh… iniisip ko na may point talaga ‘yon kasi
s’yempre affected, nakikita ko sa sarili ko na affected ‘yong health ko.” Another
participant admitted, “Siguro po kahit papa’no gagaan ‘yong pakiramdam, pero kasi
‘yong word na okay lang ‘yan, ‘pag sinabi mo sa isang tao ano... ewan ko, basta ang
pangit kasing sabihin na okay lang ‘yan kasi ‘di naman talaga okay ‘yong pakiramdam
ng isang tao.”
Responses such as, “‘Ang dali lang naman niyan,’ pero at the back of my mind,
ayon kasi naranasan naman niya and I can say that he experienced a lot worse than
mine but, not entirely we’re the same.” “Meron din no’ng time before our event and I
was really downfall the whole week, sabi ng mentor ko, ‘Okay lang ‘yan, bro,’” lead to
the minimization of the respondents’ subjective experience with “feel good”
quotes or comments (FM9). Another participant shared, “Kumbaga, kumukuha sila
ng mga quotes sa bible, ginagamit pa nila ‘yong mga gano’n. ‘Yong parang sa bible
po nagmula nasabi nila na hindi naman dapat na maging malungkot or gano’n. Parang
sinasabi nila na hindi ako dapat malungkot sa problema ko, kahit na gano’n naman
‘yong nararamdaman ko...” This minimization of subjective experience and being in a
state of ambivalence impacts the cognitive aspect of the participants.

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Toxic positivity on the other hand affects the behavior of the respondents as
this results in them wanting to be isolated, to avoid negativity, as well as to become
academically unmotivated. Researchers arrived at the formulated meaning, the
respondents use avoidance coping (FM3) when respondents commonly respond,
“turning negative into positive,” and not allowing themselves to deal with their negative
emotions rather avoid it. “…As long as may time na nakakaramdam ako ng negative
thoughts or anything, mas pinipili kong lumayo sa gano’ng bagay,” one of the
participants mentioned. This prevents them from resolving their current issues which
soon lead them to feel discomfort at a later time. Their avoidance of negativity found
to have recurrence of negative emotions which was evident when another participant
answered, “May times po na ilang araw, biglang maaalala mo ulit ‘yong problem tapos
biglang masasaktan ka ulit.”
Another impact of toxic positivity on the behavior of the respondents is the urge
to isolate (FM7: respondents want to be isolated). Their minimized subjective
experience and invalidated feelings when sharing their problems/receiving “feel good”
comments made them want to not interact with other people anymore. This also made
them academically unmotivated (FM10) by which responses commonly fell to,
“nawawalan ako/kami ng gana,” when asked about how their professors’ words affect
their motivation in the study.
It is also found that toxic positivity caused the respondents to feel a variety of
emotions such as feeling ashamed, sad, frustrated, invalidated, and bottling up and
masking their feelings, which negatively impacts their emotions. Respondents

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expressed, “Kasi nahihiya ako ‘pag ku-kuwento ko mga sad problem, feel ko kasi baka
sabihin nila malungkot masyado.” “…kasi ang hirap din magkuwento, kasi minsan
baka husgahan ka na iba ‘yong mindset nila.” “…sinisisi ako sa kung ano ‘yong choice
ko, ‘yong… ‘yong maling pagpili ng nagawa ko.” “…parang nakakahiya rin na mag-
open masyado ng emotions sa ibang tao. Parang may boundary lang kung ano ‘yong
nae-express mo sa kanila,” which all shows that they are afraid to be laughed at, to
be judged, to be blamed, and to be disregarded that all leads the respondents to feel
ashamed of sharing their emotions (FM2). The emerging feelings of the
respondents as well as the responses of those with whom they are sharing their
problems with, unveiled a common response from them, “di ko na lang tinutuloy,” or
“ayoko na lang i-share.”
As a result, respondents tend to bottle up their emotions (FM4: respondents
are bottling up their emotions). By bottling up, respondents are shown to keep what
they truly feel. This was reflected on the responses given by the respondents,
“…tumango na lang ako pero sa loob-loob ko, I really am not okay.” “…pero deep
inside nasasaktan ako, parang ‘di ko lang masabi.” “…tumatahimik ako eh,
tumatahimik na lang ako.” "…ini-endure ko na lang ‘yong nangyayari sa’kin.” Along
this bottling up, respondents are found to mask/hide their real emotions (FM8). In
this situation, respondents are aware of their negative emotions but try to appear okay.
“’You’re going to face the new normal, kaya mo ‘yan, kaya mo ‘yan,’ pero deep inside
umiiyak ka na. ‘Yong parang pinipilit mo sabihin na ‘Kaya mo ‘yan, kaya mo ‘yan.’”

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“…dapat hindi ko ipakita ‘yong negative parts na nakakaapekto talaga sa sarili ko,”
respondents shared.
The positive words that the respondents received subsequently arose to
another formulated meaning which uncovered that because of these “feel good”
comments, their emotional experiences are being invalidated (FM6). This was
demonstrated when respondents recounted their experiences, “‘Yong word lang na
kakayanin. Kasi kapag breakdown ka na, tapos ‘yon ‘yong lalabas sa messages mo,
parang hindi mo na alam kung pumapasok ba siya sa utak mo, kung nagsi-sink in pa.”
“Parang nakakadown sa’kin, kasi hindi nila alam ‘yong halaga no’n sa’yo.” “Yong
feeling po na parang ‘yong problema ko hindi kasing-bigat ng sa iba, parang kino-
compare pa nila kumbaga ‘yong problema ko sa problema nila, or sa ibang tao, na
hindi ko dapat binibigyan nang pansin ‘yong own problems ko kasi nga hindi siya
kasing-bigat sa ibang problema ng mga tao, so parang gano’n po.” Furthermore, it is
found that respondents are seeking words and responses that would make them feel
acknowledged, for them to freely share their problems. If this expectation is not met,
they feel frustrated which also prevents them from fully disclosing how they feel. These
emotions lead to the formulated meaning number five (5) where respondents feel
frustrated. “…may hinahanap akong word pero ‘di nila masabi.” “…parang
madidismaya ako nang konti, kasi hindi niya pinakinggan ‘yong problema ko.” “hindi
‘yon ‘yong sagot na gusto ko makuha kaya siguro parang natatamad na ako i-share…”
“…mas ginagawa nilang parang tungkol sa kanila ‘yong problema, so they think na
they’re actually trying to like give advice po, pero at the same time parang they actually

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just stating their own thoughts and perspective sa problema ko,” some of the
respondents disclosed.
Respondents are also shown to be afraid of allowing themselves to feel sadder,
which is why they attempt not to share and simply avoid expressing their feelings to
others., but upon analyzing their responses, it revealed that they are already
expressing feelings of sadness (FM11). This was reflected on their responses such
as, “…dumadalas na naman ‘yong bigat ng emosyon, maging malungkot ka.”
“…ayoko na lang i-share ‘yon, dahil feeling ko mas lalong bibigat ‘yong nararamdaman
ko.”
Moreover, an emergent theme that answers the research objective factors
why college students lead to engaging in toxic positivity was labeled as
psychosocial factors that lead college students to engage in toxic positivity. The
researchers classified it as psychosocial influences because the clustered themes
were related to the interrelation of social factors and individual thought and behavior.
Table three reveals the two clustered themes under this emergent theme, internal
causes, and external causes of toxic positivity.
The first clustered theme; internal causes of toxic positivity was defined as
the factors that lead college students to toxic positivity within themselves. The tables
show that one of the reasons why college students engage in toxic positivity is
because of their habitual practices of positive thinking (FM12). This was reflected
in participants’ responses, “…nakasanayan ko din naman na palaging tumitingin sa

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bright side,” “…ako kasi ‘yong tao na mas gugustuhin kong piliin ‘yong positibo kaysa
sa negatibo.”
Another formulated meaning that belongs with this clustered theme is due to
their individualistic mindset (FM13) when encountering difficulties. This was
supported by the respondents’ statements, “‘Pag may problema ‘ko, solo ko na lang
talaga.” “...‘pag may problema ako ano, ako lang din ‘yong makakasagot…”
Furthermore, having misconception about toxic positivity (FM20) also contributed
to the factors why they engage in it. It was revealed when respondents were asked
regarding their views about toxic positivity, and they stated, “Depende sa tao, kung
sensitive, or ano. Pero para sa’kin, helpful naman. Kasi ano, at least ‘yong mga
nagsasabi sayo ng, “Kaya mo ‘‘yan,” “Meron pa namang next time,” at least ‘di ba na-
try nilang i-comfort ka, kaso nga lang hindi do’n sa in-expect mong pag-comfort sa’yo.
Kaya para sa’kin, helpful naman kahit papa’no.” “Nakakatulong s’ya sa sobrang saya
mo, parang may ano s’ya… may negative sa sobrang saya… Mayro’n naman times
na sobrang lungkot ng buhay mo, and nakakaapekto ‘yon dahil… oo, nagbibigay ‘yon
ng ano… kasi sabi may mga pagkakataon na nahihirapan tayo sa buhay.” “Oo naman,
kasi mas maganda kung tumingin ka sa positive side, kaysa sa mga negative side.”
For this formulated theme, researchers clearly stated that respondents had
experienced or is experiencing toxic positivity based on their result from the mini/pre-
survey, however they interchange it with genuine positivity.
The second clustered theme under the ‘psychosocial factor that led college
students to engage in toxic positivity’ is the external causes of toxic positivity,

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39
defined as a cause that is due to their environment/surroundings. Six formulated
meanings were established under this clustered theme. Tables show that
experiencing academic pressure (FM14) is one of the factors why college students
engage in toxic positivity, derived from the respondents’ responses, “…ang nagiging
kadalasan kong problema is sa school lang, tapos ‘yon, kapag madami ng activities,”
“Dito sa online class kasi sobrang… eh pa’no kasi, ako lang naman ‘yong nagp-put
ng pressure sa aking sarili, tapos ‘pag madaming activities, tapos ‘pag parang, ‘pag
hindi ko na naiintindihan ‘yong lesson, sumusuko talaga ako ng sobra. Tapos ayon,
sasabihan ko na ang sarili ko na, “Kaya ko ‘to,” “Karaniwan ko pong mino-motivate
‘yong sarili in terms of mga academic works po talaga,” It reveals that academic
pressures such as deadlines after deadlines of school activities and requirements,
lead them to engage in toxic positivity.
FM15 revealed that ignoring stuff that annoys you with an “it is what it is”
attitude can also contribute to engaging in toxic positivity. One of the respondents
admitted that they do nothing when they are feeling down, stating, “It’s okay, kung
wala kang ginagawang paraan kaya minsan ginagawa mo nalang uhm… tanggapin
‘yong katotohanan na magiging okay din lahat.” They also tend to be involved in toxic
positivity when they are in a state of hopeless despair (FM16). Many of the
respondents admitted to doing so, “I often motivate myself when I am feeling
negativities in life.” “Siguro kapag hopeless... hopeless na ‘yong situation, gano’n.
Sobrang… sobrang parang wala na akong kayang gawin. Ginawa ko na ‘yong end
ko, pero wala pa ring nangyayari, gano’n. Sa mga hopeless situation na gano’n.”

RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY College of Arts and Sciences
40
Moreover, the table revealed that the respondents dismiss their emotions in order
to “please get on with it” (FM17) whenever they feel down and that it also
contributed to the emergent theme. Several respondents stated, “…parang kasiyahan
lang, ayoko ng mga may problema na pinag-uusapan.” “…sinasabi ko sa sarili ko na
kung puro negative ‘yong iisipin ko then, ako din ‘yong mahihirapan. Iniisip ko na,
“Lilipas din ‘yon, lilipas din ‘yon.” “…pinapasa-Diyos ko na lang, “Lord kayo na pong
bahala,” They dismiss their emotions by making themselves busy, waiting for
someone to understand their unexplainable feelings, and/or completely ignoring the
negative emotions they experienced.
Other factors why students tend to engage in toxic positivity are due to their
social circle (FM18). The researchers include the family, friends, fellowship, mentors,
and professors as the respondents’ social circle in the formulated meanings. The
respondents’ responses showed that they were indeed affected by words that came
from their social circle, “Kaya mo ‘yan, ako nga kinaya ko.” Pero ano ‘yan ah,
depending on the situation. Minsan kasi gano’n, eh. Gano’n ang views ng parent,”
“Siguro ‘yong tanging parang support system ko po ‘yong friends ko, pero ‘yon nga
lang, as I’d said earlier parang toxic positivity nga,” “…hindi po parang directly na
sinasabi ng mga professors namin ang mga masasakit na salita, pero parang implied
lang po na parang wala silang kumbaga pake sa mga negatibong nararamdam namin
po,” “…like worshiping, worshiping God, fellowship like that mae-encounter ko do’n
na, “Okay lang Yuriko, ayos lang ‘yan. And’yan si Lord.”

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Lastly, the table revealed that social media (FM19) also is one of the external
factors why college students engage in toxic positivity. The respondents use various
social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest, and then
there they encounter words of positivity, either purposely searching for it or seeing it
in their timeline/newsfeed as they spend time scrolling through it. One of the
respondents mentioned, “…sa Facebook news feed, ayon… kasi more of mga share
ng ibang tao ‘yong mga positive vibes or words of encouragements.”
Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory which explains that human activity is
a result of interaction on the environment, behavior, and person – the triadic reciprocal
causation, was applied to support the study that involves toxic positivity. A person,
with their cognitive capacities (Cherry, 2021), has the control to restructure the
environment they want to attend to. In this study, the researchers used the behavior
(toxic positivity) to further understand how the personal factor (cognition: maintaining
positive mindset) and environmental factor (family, friends, or situation) impact a
person.
Through the gathering of data, questions asked to the respondents only
revolved around their experiences during the pandemic. Along with this, the findings
of the study revealed two emerging themes: (1) Psychological influences of toxic
positivity to college students; and (2) Psychosocial factors that lead college students
to engage in toxic positivity.

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Psychological influences of toxic positivity on college students
Responses resulted in finding that toxic positivity has a psychological influence
on college students which, specifically impacts their behavioral, emotional, and
cognitional aspects. Concentrating on toxic positivity and cognition, Wibowo (2020),
differentiated toxic positivity and healthy positivity in a way whereas the former is
developed when someone has a fixed mindset especially on optimism that
encourages unrealistic expectations while the latter, is a product of growth mindset
which sees setbacks as an opportunity to grow. Furthermore, California-based
psychiatrist Gayani DeSilva, MD, described toxic positivity as an “insincere positivity
that leads to harm, needless suffering, or misunderstanding (Gillespie, 2020). In this
study, formulated meaning, the respondent is in a state of ambivalence, falls under
cognition as the infliction of positivity to oneself/receiving it from others causes them
to have mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about the effect of positivity towards
them. Formulated meaning, the respondent’s subjective experience is being
minimized with “feel good” quotes or comments on the other hand, is an action done
by another individual to inflict positivity to another’s mind which in turn, minimizes their
experiences.
It has been discovered that toxic positivity has an emotional influence on
college students as the formulated meanings revealed that exposure/engagement to
this makes them feel ashamed with sharing their emotions, makes them feel
frustrated, expresses signs of sadness, masking/hiding their real emotions, and their
emotional experiences are being invalidated. These influences supported the

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conclusion of Ruan, et al., (2019), that once negative emotions were suppressed, it
would certainly result in a more negative emotional experience that is likely to last.
Moreover, it supports the assertion of The Psychology Group (2019) where the
authors claimed that toxic positivity results in the denial, minimization, and invalidation
of the authentic human emotional experience.
McLendon (2020), stresses that toxic positivity is a defense mechanism of
denial or repression to refuse to acknowledge anything that might cause negative
feelings such as sadness, anxiety, and anger. This study revealed that toxic positivity
also impacts the behavioral aspect of respondents as this causes them to isolate,
become academically unmotivated, and use avoidance as their coping mechanism.
This supports the assertion of Brodsky (2021, cited in Cleveland Clinic, 2021), where
he stated that toxic positivity comes from a misinterpretation of positive framing and
one of its risks is imposing isolating behavior and stigma. According to the American
Psychiatric Association (2012), toxic positivity encourages people to be happy all the
time which in turn, discourages them from finding support. Subsequently, a pattern of
artificial positivity distances a person from their true desires and needs, resulting in a
long-term division in one's relationships with oneself and others (Pinelands Recovery
Center of Medford, 2021).
Psychosocial factors that led college students to engage in toxic positivity
Factors that lead college students to engage in toxic positivity arose to be
influenced by two causes: internal and external. Internal causes come from the
mindset and habits of the respondents towards positivity. This study revealed that

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44
respondents habitually practice positive thinking, have an individualistic mindset, and
have misconceptions about toxic positivity. Scully (2020) asserts that one form of toxic
positivity is your feelings that you believe you should not dwell on, such as sadness,
anxiety, loneliness, or fear. Furthermore, Wibowo (2020) emphasized that toxic
positivity is likely to develop when someone is fixated on optimism which encourages
unrealistic expectations. External causes on the other hand are manifested when the
respondents experienced academic pressure, are in a state of hopeless despair, are
ignoring stuff that annoys them with an “It is what it is” attitude, are dismissing their
emotions to “please get on with it,” and because of their family, friends, fellowship,
professors, and their engagement in social media. These factors were supported in
the literature written by Scully (2020), whereby he listed several forms of toxic
positivity: (a) it can be a family member who scolds you for expressing frustration
rather than listening to the reason why you are upset; (b) a comment to – look on the
bright side or – be grateful for what you have; (c) a meme who tells you to – just
change your outlook to be happy, and (d) a friend who repeatedly displays how
productive they are during the lockdown.
From the analyzed data, it is found that (a) toxic positivity has psychological
influences on college students, it impacts their cognitive, emotional, and behavioral
aspects. It especially impacts their emotional state resulting in unhealthy coping such
as bottling up emotions (FM4) and masking/hiding their real emotions (FM8).
Gallagher (n.d.) emphasized that emotions help our body to understand what is going
on. Along with this, Stupar, S., van de Vijver, F.J.R., and Fontaine, J.R.J. (2014)

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concluded in their study that suppressing emotions harms well-being. In addition,
Ruan et al. (2019) in their study concluded that once negative emotions were
suppressed, it would certainly result in a more negative emotional experience that is
likely to last. Not allowing yourself to feel all your emotions, run the risk of having an
unhealthy outburst later. It is also found that (b) psychosocial factors, internal
causes (within themselves), and internal causes (environmental/beyond their
control) are reasons why college students are being involved in acts of toxic
positivity. From the data, it is notable that the respondents’ social circle (FM18)
greatly plays a part in causing them to experience toxic positivity. Scully (2020) in her
literature listed family members who scolds you for expressing frustration rather than
listening to the reason why you are upset, as one of the several forms of toxic
positivity.

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46
Chapter V
Conclusion And Recommendation
Conclusion
As the researchers gathered data from the 15 participants, they came up with
two emerging themes, psychological influences of toxic positivity and psychosocial
factors that led college students to engage in it, each answering the research
objectives. From the findings of this study, the following conclusions were drawn:
1. Toxic positivity affects the psychological aspects (cognition, emotion,
and behavior) of college students, especially their emotional state. In
this study, 11 formulated meanings fall under the first emergent theme, to
which six of it belongs to the clustered theme, emotional impact toxic
positive has on college students – respondents feel ashamed with sharing
their emotions (FM2), respondents are bottling up their emotions (FM4),
respondents feel frustrated (FM5), respondents’ emotional experiences are
being invalidated (FM6), respondents are masking/hiding their real
emotions (FM8), and respondents are expressing signs of sadness (FM11).
Ruan et al. (2019) in their study concluded that once negative emotions
were suppressed, it would certainly result in a more negative emotional
experience that is likely to last, which is evident from the listed formulated
meanings.
2. Toxic positivity happens to college students because of various
psychosocial factors, in most cases due to external causes. Six out of

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nine formulated meanings were grouped under the clustered theme,
external causes. These are factors that happen either because of their
environment/surroundings or beyond their control – academic pressure
(FM14), ignoring stuff that annoys them with an “It is what it is” attitude
(FM15), is in a state of hopeless despair (FM16), dismissing their emotions
in order to “please get on with it.” (FM17), their social circle (e.g., Family,
Friends, Professors) (FM18), and lastly using social media (FM19).
Furthermore, FM18 accumulated the greatest number of significant
statements, about 28, which means the participants’ social circle
significantly contributes to the reason why they are involved in toxic
positivity.
Recommendation
This study has contributed to the understanding of toxic positivity and its role
on college students’ mental health during the COVID-19 Pandemic. As the study
progressed, a few areas surfaced as suggested areas for future studies. The
recommendations are as follows:
1. The researchers suggest organizing webinars on Toxic Positivity.
Professors and friends are one of the factors that cause college students
to engage in toxic positivity, according to the findings of this study. As a
result, the researchers recommend that Rizal Technological University
and other universities consider hosting webinars for teachers and
students to raise awareness of toxic positivity. Universities can use this

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48
to educate students and staff about toxic positivity and its consequences.
This could also serve as a wake-up call to a far better academic
atmosphere, particularly in light of the epidemic.
2. The researchers recommend Filipino Mental Health Advocates to be
more vocal about Toxic Positivity. Because many Filipinos are still
unaware of the nature of toxic positivity, the researchers propose that
Filipino mental health advocates be more vocal about it. Since people
spend more time online owing to work and school obligations during this
pandemic, they might consider using various social media platforms such
as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and/or Pinterest to promote awareness
about toxic positivity in the form of text, images, and/or short videos. This
is not only about raising awareness among Filipino mental health
advocates; it is also about educating parents, friends, mentors, and social
media users about toxic positivity and its subtle effects on people.
3. The researchers urge future researchers to investigate “Filipino's
level of awareness concerning Toxic Positivity.” For future
researchers interested in exploring the same construct, the researchers
suggest the topic “Filipino's level of awareness concerning Toxic
Positivity,” as it is recommended to determine the participants' level of
toxic positivity awareness, "do they recognize the signs of toxic
positivity?" to further elaborate its actuality. The researchers discovered
that most people in the respondents' social circle are unaware that

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49
statements like, “Okay lang yan, ayos lang ‘yan. And’yan si Lord,” “Kaya
mo ‘yan, ako nga kinaya ako,” “Always be positive lang,” are prone to toxic
positivity after conducting the current study.

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APPENDICES

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List of Tables

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Table 1. Significant Statement and Formulated Meanings
Page
No.
Significant Statements
Formulated Meanings
90
“Kaya ‘yong sinabi niya na ‘yon ano, tinanggap ko talaga na
although s’yempre offensive pero ano eh… inisip ko na may
point talaga ‘yon kasi syempre affected, nakikita ko sa sarili ko
na affected ‘yong health ko...”
FM1: The respondent is in
a state of ambivalence
103
“Nakakatulong naman, pero in a way, nagd-doubt pa rin talaga
ako sa sarili ko minsan. Kasi, kaya ko ba talaga? Parang
gano’n.”
108
“Siguro po kahit papa’no uhm... gagaan ‘yong pakiramdam,
pero kasi ‘yong word na, “Okay lang ‘yan,” ‘pag sinabi mo sa
isang tao ano... ewan ko, basta ang pangit kasing sabihin na,
“Okay lang ‘yan,” kasi ‘di naman talaga okay ‘yong
pakiramdam ng isang tao,”
115
“May mga salita kasi sila na nakaka-down, at may mga salita
rin sila na mas mamo-motivate kang mag-aral nang mabuti,
para ipamukha sa kanila na kaya mo, na makakatapos ka,
malalagpasan mo lahat, gano’n.”
118
“Somehow ano... ano siya, half-half. Ang positive impact
sa’kin no’n, “Ay oo, ‘wag ko na ano, ayos lang ‘yon. Ma... Mao-
overcome ko din ‘yon.” Pero ‘yong half side naman is, “Ay,
hindi na ako magkukuwento sa taong ‘to, kasi ‘pag
nagkuwento naman hindi siya interesado.”
75
“Parang nakakahiya na lang din na mag-open up kasi mino-
motivate ka nila.”
FM2: The respondent
feels ashamed with
sharing their emotions
77
“Kasi nahihiya ako ‘pag ku-kuwento ko mga sad problem, feel
ko kasi baka sabihin nila malungkot masyado.”
86
“…‘yong para bang ino-okray lang nila, ino-okray lang nila ako,
na… “Ano ba ‘yan?” ‘yon na nga, “Drama drama, Hecate.
Umayos ka naman kasi,” ‘yong mga gano’n.”
87
“…kasi ang hirap din magkuwento, kasi minsan baka
husgahan ka, na iba ‘yong mindset nila,”
89
“…sinisisi ako sa kung ano ‘yong choice ko, ‘yong... ‘yong
maling pagpili na nagawa ko.”
103
“…pabalang sila kung mag-respond minsan. Kapag gano’n po
kasi, hindi ko na itinutuloy.”
105
“…kasi gusto nila na tignan ko lang ito nang parang positive
na way, na parang dini-disregard nila ‘yong problema ko, kaya
hindi ko na lang shinare ‘yong negative experiences ko po,”
109
“…parang nakakahiya rin na mag-open masyado ng emotions
sa ibang tao. Parang may boundary lang kung ano ‘yong nae-
express mo sa kanila.”
110
“…parang ayoko na lang ituloy ‘yong sasabihin ko, or ‘yong
nararamdaman ko na ‘di maganda. Kasi parang wala naman
silang pake, or parang hindi naman nila gusto marinig ‘yong
id-drama mo sa kanila.”
113
“…because of shy, nahihiya ako. And feeling ko kapag nag-
ano ako… I was thinking na, “Makikinig kaya sila? Baka busy

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sila?” gano’n. Baka marami silang ginagawa, makaistorbo pa
ako, gano’n.”
82
“May times po na ilang araw, biglang maaalala mo ulit ‘yong
problem tapos biglang masasaktan ka ulit.”
FM3: The respondent
uses avoidance coping
84
“To avoid negativity…”
99
“…fino-focus ko ‘yong sarili ko sa pending schoolwork
hanggang natatabunan na ‘yong emotions ko.”
102
“…prefer ko ‘yong magiging positive ‘yong magiging feedback
sa’kin.”
103
“Mas nil-look out ko pa rin ‘yong mga positive.”
105
“…nagu-unwind ako pero hindi masyado, hindi ako nag-oopen
sa kanila. ‘Yong about lang sa life, kung ano gusto namin sa
buhay, namin in the future, ‘yon lang.”
108
“…tinu-turn ko lahat ng mga negative into positive,”
109
“…as long as may time na nakakaramdam ako ng negative
thoughts or anything, mas pinipili kong lumayo sa gano’ng
bagay.”
110
“…tanawin mo ‘yong positibong bagay sa negatibong
sitwasyon.”
113
“…mag-focus na lang sa positive.”
72
“…tumango na lang ako pero sa loob-loob ko, I really am not
okay.”
FM4: The respondent is
bottling up their emotions
77
“…pero deep inside nasasaktan ako, parang ‘di ko lang
masabi.”
87
“…sinasarili ko na lang lahat.”
91
“…tumatahimik ako eh, tumatahimik na lang ako.”
94
“…so napili ko na lang sarilihin.”
96
“Kasi ‘pag advice, hindi talaga ako nanghihingi ng advice ever
since, parang kaya ko naman kasi, parang kinakaya din
naman po.”
103
“…ini-endure ko na lang ‘yong nangyayari sa’kin,”
113
“…minsan din naman po na parang tina-try ko na itago na lang
‘yong nararamdaman ko,”
116
“Ik-keep na lang lahat nang nararamdamang hindi maganda.”
77
“…may hinahanap akong word pero ‘di nila masabi.”
FM5: The respondent
feels frustrated
78
“…pero kapag ‘di nila ko naiintindihan nags-stop na ‘ko ng
conversation, dahil nga ‘di nila naiintindihan.”

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82
“…hindi mo maaappreciate ‘yong sinasabi nila na okay lang
‘yan, mayroon pang iba, o i-appreciate na lang ‘yong mga
bagay-bagay.”
93
“…hindi ‘yon ‘yong sagot na gusto ko makuha, kaya siguro
parang natatamad na ako i-share…”
94
“…parang madidismaya ako nang konti, kasi hindi n’ya
pinakinggan ‘yong problema ‘ko.”
111
“…mas ginagawa nilang parang tungkol sa kanila ‘yong
problema, so they think na they’re actually trying to like give
advice po, pero at the same time parang they actually just
stating their own thoughts and perspective sa problema ko,”
112
“…tina-try ko isipin kung bakit nila sinabi ‘yon sa akin, or baka
may iba silang perspective kung bakit sila gano’n mag-isip sa
tuwing nags-share ako.”
113
“So parang nakaka-disheartened din, pero ‘yon nga, parang
wala naman din po akong magawa.”
116
“Dapat nga mas natutuwa pa sila kasi nag-aaral, gano’n.”
79
“Wala kasi sila sa position ko, ‘di nila alam ‘yong feeling
maging fan,”
FM6: The respondent’s
emotional experience is
being invalidated
89
“…parang s’yempre feeling ko nan-neglect ‘yong ano... nani-
neglect ‘yong… ‘yong nararamdaman ko parang gano’n.”
94
“…parang nakaka-down sa’kin, kasi hindi nila alam ‘yong
halaga no’n sa’yo.”
95
“…‘di ko tinutuloy ‘yong kuwento. Nags-stop na ako, tapos
sasagot ng, “Ah, okay. Oo nga naman,”
96
“…‘yong word lang na kakayanin. Kasi kapag breakdown ka
na, tapos ‘yon ‘yong lalabas sa messages mo, parang hindi
mo na alam kung pumapasok ba s’ya sa utak mo, kung nags-
sink in pa.”
102
“…may mga problem na ‘di ko shine-share, dahil mas lalong
bumibigat ‘yong loob ko,”
112
“‘Yong feeling po na parang ‘yong problema ko hindi kasing-
bigat ng sa iba. Parang kino-compare pa nila kumbaga ‘yong
problema ko sa problema nila, or sa ibang tao, na hindi ko
dapat binibigyan nang pansin ‘yong own problems ko, kasi
nga hindi s’ya kasing-bigat sa ibang problema ng mga tao,”
118
“When I heard those words… syempre maf-feel ko na, they’re
not interested in my story…”
82
“…gusto mo na lang mapag-isa, you don’t want to share it
anymore.”
FM7: The respondent
wants to be isolated
91
“…gusto ko most of the time mapag-isa…”
77
“…in-embrace ko na lang pagiging positive, kahit ‘di ko alam
kung tama ba ‘yon,”
FM8: The respondent is
masking/hiding their real
emotions
78
“…pero kapag sa kunwari public, masayahin naman ako,
palatawa gan’yan,”
93
“Parang pinakita ko lang na okay lang, pero sa loob-loob ko,
hindi,”

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95
“You’re going to face the new normal, kaya mo ‘yan, kaya mo
‘yan,” pero deep inside umiiyak ka na. ‘Yong parang pinipilit
mo sabihin na, “Kaya mo ‘yan, kaya mo ‘yan,”
96
“…dahil ganito ‘yong gusto nila, tapos parang kailangan gawin
mo talaga, kailangan magmukha kang okay,”
101
“…dapat hindi ko ipakita ‘yong negative parts na
nakakaapekto talaga sa sarili ko.”
104
“…nam-motivate ako na kayanin na lang ‘yong gawain.”
72
“Ang dali lang naman niyan,” pero at the back of my mind,
ayon kasi naranasan naman niya and I can say that he
experienced a lot worse than mine but, not entirely we’re the
same.”
FM9: The respondent’s
subjective experience is
being minimized with “feel
good” quotes or comments
72
“Meron din no’ng time before our event and I was really
downfall the whole week, sabi ng mentor ko, “Okay lang ‘yan,
bro.”
77
“…be positive lang always, tapos siguro kapag sinabi ‘yon,
parang pa’no ‘ko titigil sa pag-iyak?”
79
“…mags-share lang ako, tapos, “Uy! Okay lang ‘‘yan, ‘wag mo
nang isipin ‘yan, kalimutan mo na ‘yan,” gan’yan, “matagal na
‘yan, eh.”
81
“…my friends tend to tell me na it is just money so, I don’t have
to overthink much about it. But for me, it is a real problem…”
90
“Bakit pa mag-aaral kung ano na, kung may job naman na?”
94
“…Okay lang ‘yan, may next time pa naman,” parang iniisip
mo na pa’no kung next time mas bumaba, or wala na palang
next time.”
95
“Itulog mo na ‘yan.” Para kasing… para kung saan pa ako
nagkuwento, tapos biglang sasabihin na, “Itulog mo na ‘yan,
pagod mo lang ‘yan.” Tapos sabi ko, “Ah, okay. Sige,” parang
mas mar-realize ko na wala kang pake, wala naman silang
time eh, gano’n.”
111
“Kumbaga kumukuha sila ng mga quotes sa bible, ginagamit
pa nila ‘yong mga gano’n. ‘Yong parang sa bible po nagmula,
na sabi nila na hindi naman dapat na maging malungkot, or
gano’n. Parang sinasabi nila na hindi ako dapat malungkot sa
problema ko, kahit na gano’n naman ‘yong nararamdaman
ko…”
115
“Parang wala s’yang pake sa’yo, or parang ang dali sabihin
sa’yo na, “Ayos lang ‘yan,” kasi hindi n’ya kasi ma-feel ‘yong
nararamdaman mo. Parang ayoko lang nang gano’n na
sasabihan ka nang ayos lang ‘yan kahit alam mo sa sarili mo
na hindi.”
78
“…nawawalan kami ng motivation makagawa ng gano’ng
activity,”
FM10: The respondent is
academically unmotivated
85
“Nakakaapekto sa akin in a way na… ayon nakakawalang-
gana,”

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95
“Nawalan po ako nang gana no’n. Kasi may output na
gagawin, tapos parang hindi ko po sineryoso gawin, gusto ko
lang ipasa.”
112
“…nawawalan ako nang gana minsan. Parang ayoko na lang
pumasok sa klase, or nakakapagod din mag-aral, so instead
na gumagawa sana ako ng assignment nung guro ko do’n,
naaalala ko ‘yong sinabi n’ya nga na gano’n nga lang, so
parang nawawalan na rin ako nang gana na umayos sa klase
n’ya…”
82
“I will feel more down.”
FM11: The respondent is
expressing signs of
sadness
85
“…dumadalas na naman ‘yong bigat ng emosyon, maging
malungkot ka,”
101
“…ayoko na lang i-share ‘yon, dahil feeling ko mas lalong
bibigat ‘yong nararamdaman ko.”
116
“…tapos gano’n pa ‘yong sinabi sa’yo, nakaka-sad lang,”
98
“…nakasanayan ko din naman na palaging tumitingin sa bright
side,”
FM12: The respondent
habitually practices
positive thinking
108
“…ako kasi ‘yong tao na mas gugustuhin kong piliin ‘yong
positibo kaysa sa negatibo.”
73
“...if you want to be helped, help yourself.”
FM13: The respondent
has an individualistic
mindset
99
“‘Pag may problema ‘ko, solo ko na lang talaga.”
99
“...‘pag may problema ako ano, ako lang din ‘yong
makakasagot…”
105
“...‘yong problema ko, ako lang talaga nagh-handle, sa
ngayon.”
105
“Sa akin lang, ako lang mag-isa.”
113
“‘yong pagkakaintindi ko na i-separate ‘yong individual self sa
ibang tao, kasi may own din naman tayong identity, kaya dapat
hindi po tayo laging nagd-depend sa iba for validation, or to
seek affirmation.”
76
“Kapag maraming schoolwork.”
FM14: The respondent is
experiencing academic
pressure
87
“…‘yong mga requirements na ‘yon, parang nagiging
pagsubok sa’kin.”
94
“Para ano, ma-motivate ako, kasi minsan tinatamad ako gawin
‘yong mga pinapagawa kasi sobrang dami.”
97
“Siguro po kapag ano, ‘pag sobrang dami na ng tasks,”
105
“…ang nagiging kadalasan kong problema is sa school lang,
tapos ‘yon, kapag madami ng activities,”
106
“Dito sa online class kasi sobrang… eh pa’no kasi, ako lang
naman ‘yong nagp-put ng pressure sa aking sarili, tapos ‘pag
madaming activities, tapos ‘pag parang, ‘pag hindi ko na

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naiintindihan ‘yong lesson, sumusuko talaga ako ng sobra.
Tapos ayon, sasabihan ko na ang sarili ko na, “Kaya ko ‘to.”
110
“…mas pinipili kong big’yan ng motivation ‘yong sarili ko na
mag-sipag mag-aral.”
114
“Karaniwan ko pong mino-motivate ‘yong sarili in terms of mga
academic works po talaga,”
116
“Pagdating sa mga pasahan, lalo na ‘pag kung sunod-sunod
‘yong reporting. ‘Yong maiiyak ka na lang kasi sa sobrang
dami, hindi mo alam ‘yong uunahin mo.”
108
“It’s okay, kung wala kang ginagawang paraan kaya minsan
ginagawa mo nalang uhm… tanggapin ‘yong katotohanan na
magiging okay din lahat.”
FM15: The respondent
ignores stuff that annoys
them with an “It is what it
is” attitude
84
“I often motivate myself when I am feeling negativities in life.”
FM16: The respondent is
in a state of hopeless
despair
92
“Siguro kapag hopeless... hopeless na ‘yong situation, gano’n.
Sobrang… sobrang parang wala na akong kayang gawin.
Ginawa ko na ‘yong end ko, pero wala pa ring nangyayari,
gano’n. Sa mga hopeless situation na gano’n.”
106
“Kapag sobra ko nang kailangan, sinasabihan ko ‘yong sarili
ko na, “Kaya mo ‘yan,”
116
“Mas okay kasi kung tatayo ka sa sarili mo. Hindi ka mags-
stay doon sa part na lagi ka na lang umiiyak, mas okay kung
nagm-move forward ka rin.”
72
“I just make myself busy,”
FM17: The respondent
dismisses their emotions
in order to “please get on
with it.”
77
“…ib-bottle up na lang siguro ‘to, okay na ‘yan, maghihintay
na lang ako sa taong makakaintindi sa’kin, gano’n.”
83
“I focus on my family and forget those problems.”
94
“…pinapasa-Diyos ko na lang, “Lord kayo na pong bahala,”
99
“‘Pag down ako, ‘yong downside ko, alam ko ano, may ways
kasi ako pa’no ko siya… na parang like, tinatabunan ko lang
talaga. ‘Pag wala pa ‘kong time i-resolba, ‘pag ano… ‘pag wala
pa ‘kong time na gawan siya nang paraan, tinatabunan ko lang
talaga s’ya… like ng mga gawain ko,”
102
“…mas sinasabi ‘ko sa sarili ko na kahit mahirap kakayanin
ko, para ma-overcome ko ‘yong online challenges na
nararanasan ko ngayon.”
104
“…parang kasiyahan lang, ayoko ng mga may problema na
pinag-uusapan.”
113
“…gumagawa ako nang bagay na makakapag-distract sa
nararamdaman ko, like ‘yong mae-enjoy kong gawin, gaya
nang makinig ng music, or manood na lang ng mga shows
para hindi ko mabigyan nang pansin ‘yong problema ko po.”
116
“Sinasabi ko lang sa sarili ko na, “Kaya ‘yan, makakalagpas
rin.” Tapos nililibang ko na lang sarili ko sa mga bagay na kung
saan ako magaling para ma-feel ko na kaya ko ‘yon,
malalagpasan ko ‘yon, basic lang ‘yon.”

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119
“…sinasabi ko sa sarili ko na kung puro negative ‘yong iisipin
ko then, ako din ‘yong mahihirapan. Iniisip ko na, “Lilipas din
‘yon, lilipas din ‘yon.”
72
“During coffee time with my mentor or during eating out,”
FM18: The respondent is
involved in toxic positivity
due to their social circle
(e.g., Family, Friends,
Professors)
72
“Kaya mo ‘yan, ako nga kinaya ko.” Pero ano ‘yan ah,
depending on the situation. Minsan kasi gano’n, eh. Gano’n
ang views ng parent.”
75
“Uhm, friends gano’n... sa mga barkada.”
77
“Nakalimutan ko makagawa ng isang activity sa kan’ya, tapos
‘pag mention n’ya sa’kin, parang feel ko na ano, napahiya
ako,”
78
“…feel ko mga nakakasalamuha ko ‘yong mga ano lang sa
tingin ko chill chill lang, wala silang problema sa buhay. Kaya
feel ko kapag kinakasalamuha ko sila, parang mini-mirror ko
‘yong mga personality nila toward sa’kin.”
79
“Kapag madaming tao, tapos kunwari ano, buong barkada sa
isang circle,”
83
“…naririnig ko po ‘yan sa friend ko and also from my family.”
86
“Madalas ko ‘yan marinig sa mga kaibigan ko,”
87
“Uhm, mayroon. Like nararamdaman ko na parang hindi nila
ako support sa mga ilang bagay,”
90
“…tapos sabi sa’min ng professor,”
90
“…‘yong nag-reach out ako ng… sa friend.”
91
“…nakakapagsalita nang gano’n ‘yong parents ko sa’kin…”
94
“Sa kaibigan ko.”
96
“mga tita ko po, and cousins.”
99
“…nanggagaling sa mga friends ko, classmates ko.”
102
“May friend ako na naga-advice talaga s’ya sa’kin ‘pag may
problema ako.”
103
“…kasama ko ‘yong ibang mga friend ko,”
105
“…may mga friends ako nag… parang sinasabi nila na kaya
mo ‘yan, fighting lang.”
109
“Sa ngayon po, sa mga kaibigan po.”
112
“…hindi po parang directly na sinasabi ng mga professors
namin ang mga masasakit na salita, pero parang implied lang

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po na parang wala silang kumbaga pake sa mga negatibong
nararamdam namin po.”
112
“Siguro ‘yong tanging parang support system ko po ‘yong
friends ko, pero ‘yon nga lang, as I’d said earlier parang toxic
positivity nga.”
113
“From my friends at family po.”
113
“…gan’yan po ‘yong linyahan ng mama ko po.”
116
“Sa ibang tao, (tulad) ng mga friends ko.”
116
“sinasabi nila na itigil na ‘yan, puro gastos lang naman,”
119
“…like worshiping, worshiping God, fellowship like that mae-
encounter ko do’n na, “Okay lang Yuriko, ayos lang ‘yan.
And’yan si Lord.”
119
“Ah… sa mga kaibigan din.”
119
“Mayro’n. Every time that they compare me to other.”
79
“…pags-scroll sa fb ng encouraging words, magagandang
word,”
FM19: The respondent
encounters toxic positivity
in using social media
86
“…tumitingin ako ng mga quotes, ng mga positive words sa
Internet. Sa Instagram, ‘yong mga self-care…”
91
“…sa Facebook news feed, ayon… kasi more of mga share
ng ibang tao ‘yong mga positive vibes or words of
encouragements,”
94
“…nags-scroll na lang sa social media.”
96
“…sa Twitter po madalas. Pero kadalasan po kasi nag-aano
ako sa Pinterest, as in nags-search na lang din po ako ng
positive words para i-motivate ‘yong sarili.”
105
“…sa social media, tapos may mga nakikita rin ako sa mga
myday ng iba,”
113
“…siguro marami-rami akong nakikita sa Facebook, na
kumbaga ‘yong mga quotes na nakaka-motivate, inspire,”
80
“Nakatulong din siya somehow na maging strong ako at
independent.”
FM20: The respondent
has a misconception about
toxic positivity
94
“Depende sa tao, kung sensitive, or ano. Pero para sa’kin,
helpful naman. Kasi ano, at least ‘yong mga nagsasabi sayo
ng, “Kaya mo ‘‘yan,” “Meron pa namang next time,” at least ‘di
ba na-try nilang i-comfort ka, kaso nga lang hindi do’n sa in-
expect mong pag-comfort sa’yo. Kaya para sa’kin, helpful
naman kahit papa’no.”
97
“Hindi ko po sure talaga, pero nakakatulong naman po.
Kunwari po ngayon mino-motivate ko ‘yong sarili ko, ta’s
eventually may times na halos gano’n ‘yong ginagawa ko, may
times na isang gabi, magb-breakdown na lang ako bigla na
parang baliw na baliw po ako, like hindi ko po nararamdaman

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‘yong nangyayari sa’kin, pero natatapos rin naman po ‘yong
gabi ‘yon, kaya sabi ko parang nakakatulong rin naman,
gano’n po.”
102
“Nakakatulong s’ya sa sobrang saya mo, parang may ano
s’ya… may negative sa sobrang saya… Mayro’n naman times
na sobrang lungkot ng buhay mo, and nakakaapekto ‘yon
dahil… oo, nagbibigay ‘yon ng ano… kasi sabi may mga
pagkakataon na nahihirapan tayo sa buhay.”
117
“Oo naman, kasi mas maganda kung tumingin ka sa positive
side, kaysa sa mga negative side.”

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Table 2. Formulated Meanings
Formulated Meanings
FM1: The respondent is in a state of ambivalence
FM2: The respondent feels ashamed with sharing their emotions
FM3: The respondent uses avoidance coping
FM4: The respondent is bottling up their emotions
FM5: The respondent feels frustrated
FM6: The respondent’s emotional experience is being invalidated
FM7: The respondent wants to be isolated
FM8: The respondent is masking/hiding their real emotions
FM9: The respondent’s subjective experience is being minimized with “feel good” quotes or
comments
FM10: The respondent is academically unmotivated
FM11: The respondent is expressing signs of sadness
FM12: The respondent habitually practices positive thinking
FM13: The respondent has an individualistic mindset
FM14: The respondent is experiencing academic pressure
FM15: The respondent ignores stuff that annoys them with an “It is what it is” attitude
FM16: The respondent is in a state of hopeless despair
FM17: The respondent dismisses their emotions in order to “please get on with it.”
FM18: The respondent is involved in toxic positivity due to their social circle (e.g., Family, Friends,
Professors)
FM19: The respondent encounters toxic positivity in using social media
FM20: The respondent has a misconception about toxic positivity

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Table 3. Clustered Themes and Emergent Themes
Formulated Meanings
Clustered
Themes
Emergent Themes
FM1: The respondent is in a state of
ambivalence
Cognitive Impact
of
Toxic Psychology
Psychological Influences of
Toxic Positivity on College
Students
FM9: The respondent’s subjective
experience is being minimized with “feel
good” quotes or comments
FM2: The respondent feels ashamed with
sharing their emotions
Emotional Impact
of
Toxic Positivity
FM4: The respondent is bottling up their
emotions
FM5: The respondent feels frustrated
FM6: The respondent’s emotional
experience is being invalidated
FM8: The respondent is masking/hiding
their real emotions.
FM11: The respondent is expressing signs
of sadness
FM3: The respondent uses avoidance
coping
Behavioral Impact
of
Toxic Positivity
FM7: The respondent wants to be isolated
FM10: The respondent is academically
unmotivated
FM12: The respondent habitually practices
positive thinking
Internal Causes of
Toxic Positivity
Psychosocial Factors That Led
College Students to Engage in
Toxic Positivity
FM13: The respondent has an
individualistic mindset
FM20: The respondent has a
misconception about toxic positivity
FM14: The respondent is experiencing
academic pressure
External Causes
of Toxic Positivity
FM15: The respondent ignores stuff that
annoys them with an “It is what it is” attitude
FM16: The respondent is in a state of
hopeless despair
FM17: The respondent dismisses their
emotions in order to “please get on with it.”
FM18: The respondent is involved in toxic
positivity due to their social circle (e.g.,
Family, Friends, Professors)
FM19: The respondent encounters toxic
positivity in using social media

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Interview Transcript

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Symbol: Italics – Participant, Bold Italics – Researcher
RESPONDENT #1
1. “I want them to listen and hear something from them as well, so I can see it in
another perspective ‘cause you know, you can never see a problem in just certain
perspective. You need to look at it from another perspective so that you can solve
it. And I think, that’s a more healthy way. And for me, to solve my problems,
whether be emotional in school or another aspect of my life.”
2. “Depending on the situation because, you need to appropriate everything. Not
everything is all about you. There are times that you need, I need to be listening.
Or for you to really understand what is going on around.
What do you think is the reason?
“First of all, kasi… You need to know the way that person is or where the person
is coming from. Maybe that person has more experiences than you and you need
to respect that. Kasi listener also, we’re seeking council e… when you’re in a tight
situation, whether you have a problem. So, in courtesy of that, you don’t need to
be that kind of person na mati-trigger. Kasi, it’s not their responsibility for them to
comfort you. They have their own life. And, you as an individual seeking council
from others, it’s our courtesy to them na makinig.
So, does this mean that you would take this as a go signal na magkuwento
about how you feel?
“Yeah, extremely entirely depending on the situation. If I’m with someone that I’m
comfortable with talking about it – a mentor, a peer, a friend. Because, mental
health, yeah, it’s important. And two people talking about their problems at the
same time, you know, hindi mo alam na baka may problem pala siya and that
person is still trying to comfort you in a way. And it’s a growth factor kumbaga, that
you’re helping each other. Iron sharpens iron. You, helping each other to solve the
problems that you have in your own household, in your studies, or kung paano ka
nakikitungo sa ibang tao. Because in the end, helping one another is the bottom
line of this topic, I think. No man is an island. And yeah, for me, if you’re feeling
that you’re uncomfortable sa situation, just speak up. There’s nothing wrong with
it naman.”
3. “Personally, I do it, eh. I think about the things na puwedeng i-anong perspective,
another perspective. And I’m not that kind of person na may anxiety attack or
madaling atakihin so, I’m not that easily to be triggered or what and for me, it’s kind
of privilege or it’s kind of perk for me dahil I can manage or put some certain
emotions on check or on hold. Not every verse of emotion is beneficial. You need
to weigh things down. You need to check the room, feel the room, kasi kapag

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nagbreakdown ka, hindi lang ikaw, kundi may ibang tao na mapi-perwisyo din.
Also, if that person is really extending a hand, for me, it’s a form of gratitude to just
accept it kasi whether it be a simple word of encouragement or what because word,
it’s like, it speaks life. Whether sinabi mo sa suicidal na “sige nga, gawin mo ‘‘yan,”
‘di ba, you’re just encouraging that certain type of behavior. So, in the flipped side
of that, you’re encouraging someone that you can do this and I’m encouraging you
to look at this in another light. So, for you, as a seeker of that answer, if you’re
seeking that answer do’n sa problem, you’ll accept it. You will weigh things down.
You’ll see the benefits kung ano ba ang mangyayari and also, in the end of the
day, it’s your choice whether you’ll apply it sa life or not. But, yeah, ‘yong part do’n
ng listener is to listen talaga to understand the situation. That’s one of the most
important thing for me. So, whenever someone is seeking comfort or seeking
council sa akin, I look towards do’n sa situation. I try to understand. I try to put
myself in the situation and look for alternatives na puwede niyang i-take so mas
maayos ‘yong outcome no’ng situation.
“Actually, to be honest, before I seek council, nagkaroon kami ng confrontation
because the attire was really giving a hard time for me ‘cause, it’s first week and it
happens to be one of my Kuya’s in my church. He proposed something sa akin na
whether I’ll choose that person, or I choose the ministry because I’m active in my
ministry. And our church is ‘yon nga, inaalagaan ‘yong ministry na ‘yon so, if I will
be that one na magca-cause ng downfall, pinag-isipan ko siya ng oras talaga. And
ang take ko no’ng una do’n is napaka-negative kasi I’m giving up a person. But,
as a courtesy, sinabi ko I’ll give it some time and we call things off. Nagrema ‘yon
sa akin ng ilang days and after that, I’ve talked to him with my leader which is also
in the ministry I’m in na ‘yon nga, na I’ve made up my decision to stay or prioritize
the things that I need to prioritize in which that time, for me is my ministry because
‘yon nga, no’ng time na ‘yon, we’re being raised up to be the next leaders. And
yeah, looking back no’ng time na ‘yon, napaka-negative talaga ng magiging take
ko kasi nga it’s really emotions eh. Taking things by emotion is really impractical
sa mga gano’ng point ng life natin. It’s all sudden eh, and naka-clout ‘yong
judgement natin. If I were to go back to what happened, I would say that it’s not
healthy, ‘yong standpoint ng reaction ko, because that person is not only concern
about me, but he’s also concern in so many aspects sa leadership ng ministry.
Ayon, share ko lang din na I’m expected and pini-prepare to be the next leader
and na-realize ko nga na without that confrontation, I won’t be in this place na
second in command of our ministry and also in that place of leadership that I didn’t
imagine I would be in. So, you just need to weigh down things na makakabuti ba
‘yong sinabi niya sa’kin or will it benefit me in the long run or will it make me suffer
for the time being because, at the end of the day, it’s our choice, it’s our life—na
walang makakapagsabi sa atin na you need to feel a certain way but
encouragement is a huge thing lalo na ngayong pandemic kasi people rarely see
each other ‘di ba? And ngayon, someone is catching up, it’s really special kasi you
don’t know kung may napagsasabihan ba ‘yong tao about their struggles in life.

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And, as a listener naman, or listener’s perspective na nagsasabi na “Okay lang
‘‘yan,” sometimes, ‘yong taong ‘yon doesn’t really know how to respond sa
situation sa tingin ko kasi ako mismo, napapasabi na lang din ako ng “Okay lang
‘‘yan” then, wala na akong masasabi. I don’t want to add up do’n sa anxiety ng tao
but I tend to say na, “If you need time, take your time, and if you’re ready, just hit
me up.
Can you tell the exact, ay, kahit hindi verbatim, na sinabi sa’yo ng kuya mo
do’n sa ministry?
“He just told me na, “You are being prepared. You are being put in that…
tinitingnan ka in a higher standard.
“No’ng una talaga, shock. Because I’m the least expected person to be in that kind
of position. And also, not certainly relief, but naisip ko ‘yon na I need to refocus
things because when you’re off track on something, you need to pause and think
about the practical things na kailangan.”
4. “Yes, so many times to the point that, that professor is talking down to us. Like,
“Why didn’t you do this?” “You’re not following the rules.” “You need to use this
kind of email rather than your personal email.” And this and this and blah blah
blah… without really checking up on us or on our technical difficulties we have
during this online class. I’m not fond of that certain type of people that do not put
their perspective in understanding others because you have different life. You have
your own situation and for me, it’s not always same across the board. People using
data, some people are using their wifi. Also, there are people using their phones,
using their laptops. There are people who are in work, there are people who are in
their house doing chores. ‘Di ba, mayroong mga gano’ng parents. They don’t
understand their children need to focus on their studies pero nauutusan pa nila.
May mga times na gano’n. ‘yon nga, hindi na problema ng professor ‘yon pero it’s
the job of the professor. I really hate, I mean, it’s the fave [inaudible]… “Aba hindi
ko na problema ‘yon kung mahina ang internet mo.” If ma-late ka ng one minute
or five minutes because of technical difficulties again, the exam or the activity is
already nullified which is, zero. So, it really comes out the argumentative side of
me na for you, as an instructor, you’re teaching the next generations of engineers,
doctors, also professors, teachers, and other certain type of professions. I can’t
drop that off my head kasi, ‘yon nga, you’ve been a student before and you know
the struggle [inaudible] And there’s this one time where he said, “Bakit niyo pa
iaasa sa akin ang future reference niyo? And that ticked me off at some level na I
just gave up and just stopped typing kasi unang-una, ayokong mangbastos.
“For me, if you know that it won’t help, why would you do it? If there’s something
in the back of your mind na baka mas lalo lang sila hindi ma-encourage, why would
you do it? Kasi I’ve seen so many people na they’ve become successful na dahil

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sa negative comments and for me, yea, it’s good for them but not every person is
the same.
“I’ve become unease kapag siya ‘yong prof ko and, hindi naman ako tense kapag
siya ang prof pero, alam ko na ‘yong behavior niya. So, I just tend to look away
from that and try to absorb as much as I can.”
5. “Yeah, sometimes, because for me, it’s a necessity for you to have a personal
check-up and also, a second opinion, just like many things because ‘yon nga,
going back to the argument, the perspective of one person is entirely different from
another.”
“Basically, “See you” or “Kita tayo soon,” especially kapag ‘yong love language mo
is touch. It gives me hope down the line that I’ll see this person again and we’ll
have a great time. Sometimes, it’s the “I’ll be here.”
“Ang dali lang naman niyan,” pero at the back of my mind, ayon kasi naranasan
naman niya and I can say that he experienced a lot worse than mine but not
entirely, we’re the same. So, I just brushed off shoulders with him na. “Okay,”
parang gano’n. Meron din no’ng time before our event and I was really downfall
the whole week, sabi ng mentor ko, “Okay lang ‘‘yan, bro.” Ayon, tumango na lang
ako pero sa loob-loob ko, I really am not okay. Yeah, I appreciate the thought but,
I’m not okay because I was really broken that time. So, brinush off ko na lang dahil
hindi naman nila nararamdaman ‘yong nararamdaan ko, eh.”
6. “I just open Netflix. I get my guitar. Kasi minsan ‘pag down ako, frustrated ako, I
just play my guitar. Pero, the worst thing that happened to me is I hyperventilated
last month lang. I hyperventilated and I don’t really know what to do because it’s
my first time na mangyari ‘yon, na gano’n ang response ng katawan ko. Ang
ginawa ko lang talaga no’n is hintayin ang sarili ko na makatulog.”
“Sleep, eat, instruments. I don’t really play games that much kapag gano’n. Also, I
do stuff such as cleaning my shoes. I just make myself busy, kumbaga. I keep my
emotions in check before solving my problems.”
7. “During coffee time with my mentor or during eating out, there are many things that
you can learn with people around you.
“Mentor, peers and people that has professions, to someone na may matututunan
ako.”
8. “Kaya mo ‘yan, ako nga kinaya ko.” Pero ano ‘yan ah, depending on the situation.
Minsan kasi gano’n, eh. Gano’n ang views ng parent.”

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“Maybe because I know ‘yong situation ko at ‘yong situation nila before is not the
same. I mean, yeah, the learning capacity. Also the personality and the
psychological aspect, like, ADHD, gano’n. Kasi, ‘yong mga may ADHD, hindi
gano’n kadali mag-grasp ng information, also nakaka-forget din ng mga bagay. I
mean, ako naman, hindi pa ako diagnose pero I’m that person na madaling
makalimot ng mga bagay.”
9. “Yeah, for example, nagb-bike ako at pagod na pagod na ang katawan ko,
bumabagsak na, “Kaya mo pa! Kaya mo pang umuwi,” Kasi, ‘yon nga, it’s really a
personal aspect ‘di ba? ‘Yong psychological aspect ng buhay, it’s really personal.
So, if you want to be helped, help yourself. ‘Yon nga, mahirap din minsan magbigay
ng payo sa sarili kasi alam mo rin, ‘di mo siya magagawa pero, when you talk to
yourself minsan, you find, o kumbaga, ano na lang, reevaluate yourself, you find
out the things na mali sa’yo, you find out the things na hindi pleasing or hindi
maganda, and for you to fix that kasi nga, para s’yang bug sa program. Yeah, self-
assessment is a must. So, from time to time, I do it and mas nakikilala mo ‘yong
sarili mo and, it helps greatly kapag ‘yon nga, alam kong hindi ko kaya ‘yong isang
bagay or ‘yong feeling ko na alam ko naman sa sarili kong it’s just in the state of
overthinking lang naman and it’s not really a problem, I just rip it off. And kunwari
naman sa school, hindi naman ako gano’n ka-anxious pagdating sa studies ko not
because wala akong pake, but because I just learn what I can learn.
“Kasi, I’m an engineering student, and I took up engineering and naka-set na siya
elementary pa lang ako. Like sabi ko, magiging engineer ako, not because of
magaling ako magdrawing, not because of imaginative akong person, kasi parehas
‘yon hindi, hindi ako ‘yon. But I have this curiosity in mind that I feel motivates me
to pursue my course and also, it motivates me to learn other things also – to be an
apologist in many aspects of life.”
10. “Being too much of, what you call this, isolation, kasi ano eh, you won’t rely, you
won’t ask for help kasi alam mong okay ka. You’ll just depend na lang do’n sa
positivity na meron ka. So, in turn, you isolate and the negative aspect of that is,
hindi nadadagdagan, or your character is not, hindi siya wholesome kumbaga kasi
may kulang na aspect which is human interaction. And, seeking help, minsan ‘yon
‘yong nagiging bonding ng karamihan. [inaudible] Too much positivity, it drags
down other people kasi, you just tend to look at a certain perspective, ‘yong positive
perspective lang. Hindi mo na tini-take account ‘yong negative na nangyari and it
nullifies the feeling or the emotion of the person. That is the meaning of toxic
positivity ‘di ba? It nullifies the emotions ng tao na nags-seek ng advice. So, overtly
positive, it... yeah, it’s other term for self-isolation kasi other people won’t come to
you. Pa’no ko ba ‘yan ia-apply sa perspective ko, kumbaga, meron kasi ‘di ba,
‘yong ano, “Pag-pray mo lang ‘yan,” gano’n. Naexperience, ano parang common
siya sa mga churches or sa mga religious na people na, “ipag-pray mo lang ‘‘yan,”
“ganito lang ‘yan, baka wala kang time sa Lord” gano’n. May gano’ng term kasi sa

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amin na baka kulang ka lang sa prayer, kulang ka lang sa ganito, but sometimes,
that’s not it, sometimes the reason is just, baka tini-test siya or baka he or she is
going through this kind of stuff because may something aside from that na
kailangan n’yang matutunan. And, telling someone na baka hindi pa enough ‘yong
sinabi mo or ‘yong ginawa mo, it’s a big no-no kasi, when we say iron sharpens
iron, you need to challenge the both of you na maging better. So, for you to better
understand the person and to give proper advice, ‘yon nga, ‘yong makinig, to be
more human than to be positive. Not to be negative, not to be positive, but to be
more human kasi it plays a big role in confronting other people like in the current
situation ng Philippines sa politics, may mga taong overtly praising this kind of
party other than this and ano lang, nagkakaroon na ng degragation of opinions, of,
miski ‘yong pagkatao no’ng kabila is naaapektuhan. Parang gano’n lang din, dini-
degrade mo na ‘yong experiences niya na baka nga talaga kulang ako or baka
mas mag-lead pa ‘yon sa, it will cause more hardship para sa tao na ‘yon na baka
oo nga, hindi talaga ako enough, ganito ganiyan, na hindi talaga ako worthy for
this, I’m not really good enough for this job or for this course and you give up, which
is wrong. Parang ano talaga eh, for you to comfort other people, you must be
human first. ‘Yong iintindihin mo ‘yong situation.”

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RESPONDENT #2
Opening question: “Slight. May aware naman, kaonti.”
1. “Sa paanong paraan? Siguro ano, mas gusto ko ‘yong kaharap ko mismo. Parang
ang pangit kasi kapag ka-virtual lang, ‘di masyadong nagkakaintindihan.”
“‘Yong magbibigay ng advice.”
2. “Oo, may gano’n. May ano, tawag dito? Parang nakakahiya na lang din na mag-
open up kasi mino-motivate ka nila. Minsan, depende sa tao ‘yon, depende sa mga
kausap, gano’n.”
“Uhm, hindi comfortable sa kausap.”
3. “Uhm, wala. Maganda naman ‘yong result sa’kin kasi parang ‘yong negativity…
uhm, nababawasan.”
“‘Yong ano? Hindi maganda sa pakiramdam? Para sa’kin? ‘yon ba? Ah, wala
naman.”
4. “Mayroon, mayroon. Mayroong mga gano’n. May prof kami na sinasabihan kaming
“bobo.” Oo, kasi parang ano, sabi... “hindi ka marunong nang ganito, bakit ka pa
nag-engineering?” gano’n.” ‘Yon ‘yong the way niya para mag-motivate ng
estudyante,”
“Mmmh, mas sinisipag kami. Ah, mas sinisipag ako. Kasi parang gusto kong i-
prove sa kaniya na mali ‘yong iniisip niya.”
5. “Uhm, oo, Sa family, ‘tsaka friends. ‘Yon sila.”
“Uhm, kaya ‘yan matatapos din ‘yan.”
“Ah, wala naman.”
“Uhm, nab-boost ‘yong motivation ko para magpatuloy sa mga ginagawa.”
6. “Uhm, ano…. ‘yong ano... nandoon pa rin ako sa positivi... positive way na pag-
iisip. Uhm, lumalayo na ako mag-isip ng negative para ano… para magpatuloy
lang din, para hindi ako tamarin. Ayon.”
“Uhm, siguro nunuod ako ng movies, Oo. Para mawala ‘yon.”
7. “Uhm, when sharing to someone, ‘tsaka social media.”
“Uhm, friends gano’n... sa mga barkada.”

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8. “Ah, wala, wala. Wala.”
9. “Mmmh, madalas. Madalas.”
“‘Pag ano… ‘Pag nahihirapan na ako, uhm… Ayon na ‘yong iniisip ko. Doon na ‘ko
sa positive words, ayon.”
“Paano ba? ‘Yong ano...’yong ‘pag maraming ginagawa… Kapag maraming
schoolwork.”
10. “Sometimes. Uhm, minsan parang hindi nakakayanan talaga… ‘yong pagka-toxic,
gano’n. Ayon… parang magb-breakdown ka na lang bigla.”

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RESPONDENT #3
1. “Siguro kapag ano private, ayoko ‘yong maraming tao makakita nung problema ko
gano’n. And then uhm… ayoko i-broadcast, gano’n. Kasi nahihiya ako ‘pag ku-
kuwento ko mga sad problem, feel ko kasi baka sabihin nila malungkot masyado.
‘Yong ano, walang judgement, siguro. Kasi ‘yong mga ibang tao meron mga i-j-
judge ka bigla and ‘di pa naririnig ‘yong mga kuwento, kaya ‘di nalang ako magku-
kuwento kung gano’n sila.
“Kinig muna siguro, bago advice.”
2. “Siguro ‘di ako ano, tawag do’n? Comfortable sa nagsasabi ng encouraging words
kasi nasanay ako sa mga ano, “Uy! Okay lang ‘‘yan!” Ano, in-e-encourage ako
‘wag ‘ko na daw alalahanin, so a’yon parang nag-affect ‘yon sa’kin, so parang
ginaya ko sila gano’n.
What do you think is the reason?
“Feeling ko parang may hinahanap akong word pero ‘di nila masabi. So a’yon, ‘di
na lang ako mag-s-share.”
3. “Siguro ‘pag kausap ko ‘yong nagsasabi n’yan sa’kin, sabihin ko na lang ng “thank
you,” pero deep inside nasasaktan ako, parang ‘di ko lang masabi, s’yempre
tumulong naman kahit konti na, ano, kahit ‘di man s’ya mag-advice or gusto ko
mag-share pero pinipigilan, gano’n. Oo gano’n, pero okay lang, baka sa ibang tao
makakaintindi naman ‘yong problema ko, gano’n.
“Siguro ‘yong time na tumigil ka na umiyak, gano’n. Tanungin ka lang sa ano, be
positive lang always, tapos siguro kapag sinabi ‘yon, parang pa’no ‘ko titigil sa pag-
iyak? Wala ka naman ginawang ano, hakbang na… or mga kind word na tumigil
ako sa pag-iyak, gano’n, or iyak mo lang ‘yan, pero ‘yong kaibigan ko sabi ‘wag ka
na umiyak.
“Siguro ano, nakaka-affect ‘yon sa’kin, parang naging… ayon parang hinug ko
‘yong totoo kong sarili, na naging positive na lang siguro and then ayoko na lang
ma-judge na sobrang drama ko gan’yan, gan’yan. Ta’s kaya ‘yon, in-embrace ko
na lang pagiging positive, kahit ‘di ko alam kung tama ba ‘yon, na ‘di ano… ib-
bottle up na lang siguro ‘to, okay na ‘yan, maghihintay na lang ako sa taong
makakaintindi sa’kin, gano’n.”
4. “Siguro sa class, pero hindi ‘yong naka-mention sa’kin… Ay! Minsan nagm-
mention ‘yong ‘pag may ano, uhm… kapag mine-mention ako sa ano, sa google
meet, ayan. Nakalimutan ko makagawa ng isang activity sa kan’ya, tapos ‘pag
mention n’ya sa’kin, parang feel ko na ano, napahiya ako, gano’n. Dahil ‘di ko nga
nagawa ‘yong activity, kaya ‘yon, and then nahihiya ako sa classmate ko, ayoko

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kasi ano, center of the attention sa google meet. Lowkey lang ako pero chill,
gano’n, pero nakaka-embarrassed lang na matatawag ako or may times na naalala
‘yong… ano bang tawag do’n? Parang kino-compare kami sa ibang section,
gan’yan, gan’yan.
“‘Yong mga matatagal na sa RTU, gano’n. Siguro mga ano, sa groupings gano’n,
tapos ginugulo namin ‘yong oras n’ya. Late na, ta’s nagc-complain kami, ‘di daw
kami p’wede pumili ng mga ka-groupings. Ayon, okay na daw ‘yong groupings.
Nagl-long message si Sir, ta’s an’daming sinasabi ni Sir, na hindi sa buong mundo
makakapili kayo ng ka-groupings n’yo kaya kailangan n’yo mag adjust.
“‘Yong mga ibang subject na may times na nakaka-motivate kung ‘yong mga
teacher ‘yong ano, ano tawag do’n? ‘Yong nagbibigay inspiration s’yempre at
magaling makisama, gano’n. Pero kasi ‘pag laging galit, ano, parang nab-bored
kami. Oo mga gano’n, nab-bored kaming pasukan, or nawawalan kami ng
motivation makagawa ng gano’ng activity, gano’n.
“Nakaka-apekto ‘yong motivation ng mga professor namin, nakaka-ano… Siguro
‘yong ano nal-light up kami sa lahat ng bagay, ‘yong nga parang may bright side
na meron din. Kahit down na down ka, nal-lift up ka. Survivor ako sa COVID, chinat
ko ‘yong teacher ko na babae, madami s’yang word of encouragement na sinabi
sa’kin. After recovery ko, konting activity lang ginawa ko. Ayon nagpapasalamat
ako sa kan’ya, napaka-understandable, may consideration s’ya, pero ‘yong ibang
prof pinasukan ko, ‘di ata naaawa sa kondisyon ko, dahil INC ako sa isa. Tatapusin
ko lahat ‘yon, kaya nad-dissapoint ako, ‘di na lang ako nag-demand kay Sir, ‘di
naman n’ya ginawa.”
5. “Siguro mga ilang tao lang, pero kapag ‘di nila ko naiintindihan nags-stop na ‘ko
ng conversation, dahil nga ‘di nila naiintindihan. Kasi ano, feel ko mga
nakakasalamuha ko ‘yong mga ano lang sa tingin ko chill chill lang, wala silang
problema sa buhay. Kaya feel ko kapag kinakasalamuha ko sila, parang mini-
mirror ko ‘yong mga personality nila toward sa’kin.
“Siguro ano, sasabihin nila, “‘Wag ka na umiyak, ‘wag ka na umiyak. Sorry kung di
ko naintindihan ‘yong sitwasyon mo, sana okay ka lang,” gano’n. Kahit papa’no
may positive rin, ‘di ko nakumbinsi na tumutulong siya, pero ginawa kong negative
‘yong effect sa’kin.
“Kasi ‘yong mga kaibigan natin, kunwari best friend, magiging transparent sila sa
kung ano ‘yong naiisip nila. Kunwari nagiging down na naman ako, “‘wag ka na
umiyak,” c-caps lock pa nila, “‘wag ka na umiyak, huh,” gano’n. Kasi kapag nakilala
‘ko deeply ano ako, sad or lonely ganern, ‘yon ano nila, pero kapag sa kunwari
public, masayahin naman ako, palatawa gan’yan, ‘yon ‘yong nakikita nila.

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“Siguro ano, pinapa-realize nila na mababaw ‘yan, mababaw na problema. Siguro
ayaw nila ‘ko makitang umiiyak s’yempre, or down na down kasi nasasaktan sila
siguro, gano’n.
“Somehow nakatulong.”
6. “Siguro ano, kunwari madaming activities sa school, uhm… Ang ginagawa ko
pagkagising ko… tapos, “Hala! Ang dami palang gagawin.” Nakakalimutan ko
‘yong mga problema ko kung nakakanood ako ng mga ano, ng movies or netflix,
at nakakakain, parang ‘yon ‘yong coping mechanism ko para mag-lift ‘yong sarili
ko, gano’n.
“Siguro ano, ayoko nang pansinin ‘yong feelings ko, kasi feeling ko mas ano…
mas nalulungkot pa ‘ko ‘pag iniisip ko ‘yon, kaya ayon istambay lang s’ya d’yan.”
7. “Kapag madaming tao, tapos kunwari ano, buong barkada sa isang circle, tapos
mags-share lang ako, tapos, “Uy! Okay lang ‘‘yan, ‘wag mo nang isipin ‘yan,
kalimutan mo na ‘yan,” gan’yan, “matagal na ‘yan, eh.”
“Kaibigan? Oo, karamihan sila.
“Family siguro? Kasi ‘di ako nags-share bina-bottle up ko lang problema ko, tapos
iiyak na lang ako ‘pag di ko na solve.”
8. “Everytime na ano, ‘yon nga, open up. Ayoko nang mag-open up kasi nakaka-
downgrade sa feeling, kaya ayokong… ano bang tawag do’n? Parang ayoko na
lang malungkot dahil sa sinabi nila.”
“Siguro ano, pinaliwanag ko ‘yong pagsasabi ng gano’n na word, “BTS Biot,” kapag
sinabi mo ‘yon in public, maraming maaapektuhan. Sabi n’ya, “Wala akong pake.
‘Di ka naman kilala ng BTS, ‘wag mo na iyakan ‘‘yan.”
“Wala kasi sila sa position ko, ‘di nila alam ‘yong feeling maging fan, and then kahit
papa’no ano, kahit papano… kahit ‘di nila masabi ‘yon, binili naman nila ko ng
album kahit nilalait nila, okay na ko do’n.”
9. “Siguro sa pags-scroll sa fb ng encouraging words, magagandang word, and then
kasi ‘pag iniisip ko ‘yong problema ko sa gano’n, mindset ko na gano’n, mas ano
pa ‘ko eh… ‘pag iniisip ko na ‘yong problema ko, mas magiging big deal pa ‘yon
eh.
“‘Wag ka nang umiyak, ‘wag ka nang umiyak,” gano’n. Madami pang iba d’yan in
a relationship, may iba pang lalaking mas higit pa, gano’n, and ano pa ba? Uhm…
siguro ano, sa kapag mayroon nakikipag-away sa’kin, ayoko na lang gawin issue

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kasi mas lalo pang a-ano eh. Ayoko nang mag-deal sa kan’ya, gano’n, ayoko na
makipag-ano… ano bang tawag do’n? I don’t give a fuck, gano’n.
“Kadalasan acads eh, ano pa bang p’wedeng sabihin sa acads? Uhm… siguro
ano, mino-motivate ko ‘yong sarili ko, nir-reward-an ko ‘yong sarili ko manood.
Gagawa muna ko ng activity, bago manood.”
10. “Nakatulong din siya somehow na maging strong ako at independent. Then
nakatulong naman ang downside ko, to unlock other emotions ko, especially
sadness.”

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RESPONDENT #4
1. “For me po, much better po kung silent o I don’t hear any response po from them.
Only the companion lang po ang kailangan ko po.”
2. “For me po kasi, hindi po ako nagshi-share ng problems to other people lalo na if
they are not interested at all to listen. Sometimes, I don’t bother telling it to others
and kept it on myself and hoping it will pass on for a long time.
Let say na mayro’n kang friend na makikinig sa’yo, ‘di ba sinabi mo na hindi
ka nags-share sa mga taong feeling mo hindi nakikinig sa’yo, let’s say
mayro’n kang kaibigan na nakikinig sa’yo, ‘yong one friend na nakikinig sa
atin, kapag sinasabi na, o once nagv-vent out ka sa kanila, siguro mayroon
silang sinasabi. Ano ‘yong nararamdaman mo? Mas gusto mo ba na i-share
pa ‘yong problema mo o tini-take mo na lang ‘yon as a go signal para
magkuwento ka?
“Having a friend po, I sometimes share my problems to them, and there’s always
a person who knows me the best and me as, having a problem, I always look or
seek for opinion of others or from that person. I only seek for an answer for only
one person, the one who can understand me.
Just a follow up question, ‘di ba sabi mo that you only share to one person,
what do you think is the reason kung bakit mas pinipili mong ‘wag mag-share
sa ibang tao at sa isang tao mo lang siya gustong i-share?
“Because I know that my other friends are also having a problem and, only I can
give them is to listen from them but, I don’t bother them to tell my own problem
because I know that they won’t understand me at all, and I know that they are also
busy on their own life. So, I only focus to one person I know who can and who is
there for me.
3. “Minsan po kapag nagsasabi ako na ang problema ko is money, my friends tend
to tell me na it is just money so, I don’t have to overthink much about it. But for me,
it is a real problem so, it affects emotionally because she can’t or he can’t
understand what, how it really affects me. Ibig sabihin no’n na “pera lang ‘yan,
darating din ‘yan,” so para sa akin, it really affects me emotionally po.
Paano naman kapag sinabihan ka ng “Ayos lang ‘yan. Tingnan mo na lang
‘yong magagandang bagay.” Paano ka naaapektuhan no’n?
…
Kung hindi pa siya nangyayari sa’yo, sa tingin mo, paano ka maaapektuhan
ng gano’ng mga salita especially down ka?

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“Feeling of, gusto mo na lang mapag-isa, you don’t want to share it anymore. And
syempre po, as a problematic person, ‘yong ‘di mo po maaappreciate ‘yong
surroundings kapag may pino-problema ka po talaga or, hindi mo maaappreciate
‘yong sinasabi nila na okay lang ‘yan, mayroon pang iba, o i-appreciate na lang
‘yong mga bagay-bagay. But, we can’t force ourselves to appreciate those if we
are really struggling from the problems and thinking. It will affect me. I will feel more
down.
“Kapag po namomroblema ako, iniiyak ko na lang po and if someone comforts me,
sinasabi sa’kin na, “Darating din ‘yong panahon na hindi na tayo iiyak pa or
masasaktan pa sa mga bagay-bagay.” Mostly mga comforting words po ang
naririnig ko.
“Ako po kasi, hindi ko po… ‘Yong problem po kasi na nararamdaman ko, hindi
naman po siya masyadong tumatagal. Minsan, kung ngayon lang ako
naapektuhan ng problem na ‘yon, hindi na po ‘yon, mawawala na po. May times
po na ilang araw, biglang maaalala mo ulit ‘yong problem tapos biglang
masasaktan ka ulit.
May clarification lang ako. ‘Yong mga positive… sinabi natin kanina na
parang… sinabi mo kanina na may words na ayon nga, “Balang-araw, hindi
na tayo luluha,” ‘yong exact word na sinabi ng kaibigan mo, no’ng narinig
mo ‘yon, ano ‘yong naging response mo? Like, kunwari, kinabukasan, or
paano ka nag-behave that moment? Like, okay, nakinig ka lang, or what,
paano nagbago ‘yong behavior mo?
“Upon hearing that po, I feel a little ease and there’s someone that is there for me.”
4. “Just for example po ‘yong time na nagreporting o nagpresentation of the research
proposal and the teacher sometimes… we all know that research is really hard and
if the teacher critiques you so bad, and it will really affects, and it affects me so
much.
Ano ‘yong word na binitawan ng prof mo na nakaapekto sa’yo? Natatandaan
mo pa ba?
“Those criticisms. But the criticism is all about the research and not about me.
Pero ano, nakaramdam ka na hindi nag-matter ‘yong emotion mo at that
time? Gano’n po ba?
“Upon hearing those, I feel so sad, and I don’t want to do it and revise it anymore
because of those criticisms. But now, I am doing and working on it again and
thinking that those are just judgments to work on.

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As you’ve mentioned kanina, so it affects you in the way na parang ayaw mo
ng i-revise ‘yong thesis mo, sabi mo kanina sa criticism. Ayon, how about
naman doon sa example natin kanina na may sinabi ‘yong prof mo na hindi
nagmatter ‘yong emotions mo, like, kung gusto may paraan ‘di ba, parang
how does it affects you?
“There is paraan in doing such things. I feel hurt and the professor does not
understand the situation. And to give you that there’s a way or there’s more ways
even hindi naman talaga kaya. Nahihirapan as a student.
“Do’n sa sinasabi na ano, lahat naman may paraan, siguro hihinto pero
magpapatuloy. Bilang estudyante, magpapatuloy ulit. We just all need some time
to resfresh at kapag okay na, do’n, do’n ulit tayo mag-uumpisa at magpapatuloy.
So, ayon, clarify ko lang, so, parang so far, wala pa namang binibitawang
salita ‘yong professors niyo na nakaapekto sa emotions mo, ano?
“Yes po.”
5. “So far po, hindi pa naman po ako humihingi ng tulong regarding to my own mental
health. Pero, if about lang po sa little stress or things na kailangang ayusin or about
academic problems, I only seek, kinu-kuwento ko lang po sa kaibigan ko to
express my own anger and emotions.
“When it comes to my academic problems, my friend always tells me about na,
“Konti na lang, magtatapos ka na, kaya konting push na lang.”
“What made it comforting to me is kasi po, my only problem is sa academic po.
“Wala naman po.”
6. “I focus on my family and forget those problems.”
How do you deal with your emotions, such as the negative one?
“In dealing my negative emotions, I’m taking some time to make some self-
realizations and yeah, I’m just making a self-reflection by thinking what have I done
and what I did in that particular emotions and why I had that negative emotions.”
7. “Most of the time, naririnig ko po ‘yan sa friend ko and also from my family.”
8. “‘Yong pagiging weak ko as a person, minsan nagb-breakdown po talaga tayo and
sometimes, hindi naman talaga natin naiintindihan ang sinasabi nila, “Para ‘yon
lang, iniiyakan mo na.”

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“Syempre po bilang anak nila, nakakaramdam tayo na parang hindi tayo
naiintindihan… na kapag, may times talaga na nagb-breakdown tayo as a student
and also as a daughter, ayon, meron din po talagang circumstances na hindi
maiwasan na maging mahina rin tayo kahit once in our time.”
9. “To avoid negativity and to less the stress. That’s it.
So, in short, naisipan mo ng magsabi ng positive words sa sarili mo ngayong
pandemic? Tama ba?
…
As you said, para maiwasan ‘yong stress?
“The stress that happens or that are experiencing po.
So ayon, ano ‘yong positive words na sinasabi mo sa sarili mo?
“Positive word, that my dream of being that person will happen someday and
someday, it will be easy to reach out.
“I often motivate myself when I am feeling negativities in life. That’s it.”
10. “For me po, those persons who always think of positivity will forget to enjoy their
life because they always think that they are happy, they are okay, and they tend to
forget what will make them okay and happy.”

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RESPONDENT #5
Opening question: “Yes. Ito ‘yong mga sinasabi na ano ‘di ba, na maging positive
ka, gano’n? Pero dapat damayan mo na lang in a good way, ‘di ba?”
1. “Uhm, gusto ko sila tumugon sa paraan na makakatulong sila sa problema ng
isang tao, ‘yong parang makakagaan ‘yong sitwasyon, ‘yong hindi ito magiging
pabigat pa at bagkus makakayanan niya pa, at dapat damayan ‘yong tao.
“Magbigay sila ng mga advice gano’n, para makatulong rin ‘di ba? Kung paano nila
makakayanan ‘yong certain situation na ‘yon.”
2. “Oo, ayoko na ‘yong mga gano’n. Kasi like, feel ko nagiging pabigat ako na
syempre may iba din silang problem na iniisip. Tapos parang sasabay pa <