culture

When I was young I would excel at everything I did. I would work extra hard to make sure I seemed to always excel. I spent my school holidays reading ahead and so to everyone it seemed I had it easy. Eventually I burnt out as I started my adult life. Anxiety and fear of starting anything that I could not prepare in advance crippled me. Anything that seemed like I could not get a hang of it fast scared me.

Eventually I crumbled under the weight of it all and completely lost 3years of my life where i could not do anything. I eventually got help but since people dont know my story they just look at me judge. They tell me that they expected me to be a "successful" person and nothing came out of it. Its easy to say i dont care what people think of me but i do. In the end it makes me anxious to see people and feel judged. An entire day outside bumping into people i once knew or anticipating the possibility of bumping into them leaves me emotionally and physically drained.

Starting something always seems daunting as I feel so behind everyone in life. A culture that does not acknowledge mental health makes this so much worse. Some call it laziness, some say its possession and some say its generational curses or family curses. I feel like i am now just rumbling.

The broken human machine

I was on the train home earlier, on a relatively short 30-minute ride that I paid far too much money for, when a podcast grabbed my attention. The fictional urban legend told the story of a man sitting dead at his work cubicle after a stress-induced heart attack. The most disturbing detail, however, was that nobody even noticed that he was dead for a number of days. It was from this story that I sat and thought to myself: ‘could this actually happen?’ but the answer to that question is a little more difficult to reach than one might expect.

Work culture differs massively around the world. In Germany, for example, it’s actually illegal to be contacted by your workplace outside of your obligated hours. Most enticing, however, are the countries that take 1–2-hour breaks in the middle of the day for a relaxed lunch or even a nap. However, many other nations’ workers, particularly in the western world and Asia, often have no such luxury and it may be the norm for their boss to call them at home requesting them to work extra hours, regardless of whether or not the employee has permitted this out-of-hours contact. I myself have been subject to this, and it can be very intimidating and difficult to say ‘no,’ particularly when you’re new to the world of work as a young person.

Luckily, recent years have seen a seismic shift in working practice, but there is still a long way to go. While we have mostly migrated from cubicle-laced offices towards a more laid-back open plan environment, and (due to the pandemic) seen a huge rise in home-based working much to many boss’ dismay, we still find that our lives revolve around working. Too many of us are on the same cycle of work, eat, sleep, repeat, day in and day out with little or nothing to look forward to aside from a few days holiday (vacation, if you’re not British) if you’re lucky. This reality is in no small part a result of soaring living costs and enormous student debts that have to be paid without mercy, which could be an entire story in itself. Centuries ago, one’s daily chores and work would be based on a theory of subsistence and providing for oneself and your family. Now, we work to pay taxes and bills, and use what little leftover money we have to buy material purchases that have no real value except for a short moment of joy in an ever-bleak existence.

Across the world, there is a huge disparity in the level of satisfaction among the population regarding work, work-life balance, the community, and life-satisfaction in general. Unsurprising, as is often seen to be the case, Nordic countries rank the highest in almost every category. Whatever they’re doing, they’re getting it right. The United Kingdom, however, is on measly middle-ground, and there is a clear consensus of distrust and resentment among the general populace aimed towards councils and governments, who seem to care very little about the struggles we’re facing as a community. Too many people are choosing between eating themselves and feeding their children or eating at all and warming their home. We’re in the 21st century, this should not nearly be a concern in this modern era.

So, in short, what I’m saying is: you, as a human, do not exist solely to make another man and his government rich. There is an entire world to explore, cultures to experience, joy to be had. We need social change, and we need it now, before everyone burns out. We need fairness, we need compassion, and we need to come together as a community to enact this change before it’s too late.

www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org

The weird world of the Western workplace

East vs. West: 10 Corporate Cultural Differences All Inte...

When it comes to women empowerment, we need to explore the psychological underpinnings of cultural influences, parenting, and the development of gender norms.

Parents, particularly in the South Asian culture, tend to restrict their girls’ opinions and silence their voices, in the name of “niceness”, “respect”, and “obedience”, fearing societal shame, and attempting to uphold an unrealistic image of perfection, especially when it comes to the family unit.

From a young age, girls are not allowed to freely be themselves. They’re discouraged from expressing their thoughts and emotions. Any questioning or critical thought is silenced. After years of feeling restricted and not accepted for who they are, girls often feel anger and rebel against their parents, their upbringing, and their culture, acting out in aggressive or passive aggressive ways - which is saddening because parents are usually coming from a place of love and want the best for their children.

However, this kind of restrictive or authoritarian parenting style can cause girls to grow up with a sense that it’s not okay to be themselves or to have a voice. It can take years of therapy and healing to recover from this.

So, I teach parents to challenge unhealthy cultural and gender norms, encourage their girls to think freely, engage in critical thought, speak their minds openly, and voice their opinions at home by creating a safe space for them, talking to them, and consistently checking in with them about their lives, school, friends, thoughts, feelings, and opinions.

When girls learn their opinions and voices are accepted and valued at home, they’ll go out in the world and freely do the same. Moreover, they’ll teach their daughters, and granddaughters, this creating lasting change that will hopefully sustain a new chapter of empowered women.

-Faiza Haroon, MACP, RP (Qualifying)

#women #womenempowerment #southasian #culture #MentalHealth #Parenting

I was talking with someone the other day and I realised that for me (as a European) it is culturally acceptable to express my emotions even when I go to a counsellor but for people let's say from China it is in their culture to not duel with emotions for example. I was curious about your opinions

#culture #MentalHealth #treatment

I’m sure many people struggle with this ideology in the current female empowerment era we are in.

I think everyone has their own definition of what it is to be a man. Personally I have struggled much with this subject. I grew up with strong women surrounding me, and dominate men hurting me. I have an appreciation for females, clothing, shoes, color, and art. Things that seem to contradict what the standard for machismo culture is.

You get to be you, and be who you want to be regardless of anyone’s standards!

I’m curious to know what you believe a man is.

I have concluded that to be a man, better yet a gentleman, I must first be respectful to all. I try to be patient with people. If ever the rare scenario arises in which a aggravated situation can’t be de-escalated by any means of peace (ie, i rather buy a guy a beer) I will be ready to fight to protect myself, loved ones, and those who can’t fight for themselves as a final resort.

To submerge yourself in multiple cultures, is the gateway to many opportunities in life.
Once you cross that boundary line of comfortability, you really learn what it is like to be human. Without you or others exploring and risking things, you wouldn't be where you are right now. You also wouldn't find the people, music, food, and activities you love, correct? You wouldn't have met your best friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, or whoever. You would not have grown as the person you are today. Don't be afraid to learn a language, study a culture, or explore the world, because if I didn't push myself hard enough to learn multiple languages, I wouldn't have saved a life, met a best friend, assisted people, taught others, etc.
I promise it is so rewarding to put your self out of your comfort zone. Don't let anyone judge you for making the choices you want, they could very well impact your future positively.
Be humble. Be responsible. Most importantly don't forget to be yourself.
#culture #Motivation #Language