How many decisions are based on overcoming shame that doesn’t belong to us, or how many opportunities are passed up because we feel inadequate? I know it took me years to understand that I could accomplish just about anything, and I’m still deathly afraid of failing, even though I have before and know it’s not the end of the world.
This is a real concern not just in the Asian-American culture, but for anyone dealing with depression who comes from a culture or family that appears to be doing well. How dare I. When I wept for reasons I’m not sure of beyond “I feel terrible,” the words said to me from a family member…
Look, if you work at a non-profit, you do so for a reason, and that reason is usually tied to the work that the organization does. It’s something you believe in, feel passionate about, and in most cases agree to work for a lower salary to be part of. It’s a massive part of your identity.
Double all of that when the organization works on behalf of kids.
So imagine, if you will, a scenario where you have so much of your own identity tied into the good work done by you and your coworkers, and someone comes along and claims that actually, there are kids being harmed in that environment, not helped at all.
Are we all so sure we wouldn’t at least hesitate and consider for just a moment, that we’d be better off ignoring that and continuing the “good work” on behalf of kids?
I can believe that happens. I can understand how it happens. I can understand how crushing it would be to have something you believed in that strongly, and have part of your team be accused of something so heinous.
But we have to fight that, and make sure that the work we think we are doing on behalf of children, is the whole truth of what is going on in the organization. We cannot afford to lose ourselves, and our better judgment, to our passion for the work. We have to stay level-headed and aware.
Those kids deserve that, and the good work you want your organization to continue doing, requires it.
Here’s the thing that I tend to forget, you don’t need to wait for an emergency to make someone feel seen, heard, and valued. In fact, we can maybe avoid more emergencies if we were in the habit of doing this. We have an opportunity to do that any time we spend time with the people we care about. But, we have to actually spend the time to do that.
I have a tendency to simply tell people that I’m here when they need me, instead of reaching out with a quick message, text, or even coffee just because.
I can’t help but wonder how many chances I’ve had to see and hear them, that I’ve missed. The holidays are, of course, a really good chance to send that text, get in touch, and remind people that you value them. You can read the article below to see just how much good that might do.
“To that end I have come up with this handy little list. Because I’ve found that, sometimes, depression can suck the sexy right out of you, which can lead you even further into depression. Here are 5 ways to find your sex positive state of mind when you’re struggling with depression.” This is an interesting…
Depression is Different for Everyone | World of Psychology tags: CA How Do I Help My Family Member with Mental Illness? tags: CA Small Traumas Can Lead to Big Problems, Too tags: CA Self-Harm and Friendships: Pushing People Away tags: CA To Combat Stigma, Take Off Your Mask tags: CA Posted from Diigo. The rest…
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