I chatted with my mentor this morning. She was a psychology professor I had taken two wonderful classes with, and since I've decided to move towards new goals in life, I asked her to help support me with my direction. She's doing an excellent job lol. I feel more motivated and confident with my skills and past achievements, and how they will assist me with my future. My mentor offered me alternatives to the same goal, and it was warm not criticizing like a mother would do, even though most mothers think nagging equals caring.
I think I will always seek a mentor for something in life, whether it's for going back to school or searching for a new adventure or goal to accomplish. I have been mentoring girls and young women for a while now--six years, and I want to model what I do for these girls: seeking someone for guidance and support when you need it. Having someone who knows more about whatever field I'm interested in offers me their experience and guidance I could never obtain any other way. I try my best to offer guidance to the girls with their lives, and I cannot grow without learning constantly in my own life.
I also chatted with my dear friend, B. We talked about the benefits of the female gender stereotype, where we are allowed to feel more than the default emotions men are allowed to feel or understand. We wish we could retrain a population where both genders were allowed to feel all emotions without fears of being reprimanded or labeled an outsider of their genders. For women, we are more open to acknowledge feelings of depression. Men label it exhaustion or feelings of tiredness. Ah, my point. Having a support group is vital for healthy emotional well-being. Women who get together to talk are releasing stress and working their cognitive dramas out loud. This enables us to be more aware of what triggers our emotions as well as our partner's, which then allows us to avoid future negative outcomes. Men do not usually do this. I wish I had more information about stress and its negative effects on the physical body, but stress is serious stuff.
*btw support group is any person who will listen that is not your partner. This person shouldn't offer you advice unless you ask, and does not get you fired up about a negative topic. This person should help you reason and calm you down.
*the link is a start about stress
I think I will always seek a mentor for something in life, whether it's for going back to school or searching for a new adventure or goal to accomplish. I have been mentoring girls and young women for a while now--six years, and I want to model what I do for these girls: seeking someone for guidance and support when you need it. Having someone who knows more about whatever field I'm interested in offers me their experience and guidance I could never obtain any other way. I try my best to offer guidance to the girls with their lives, and I cannot grow without learning constantly in my own life.
I also chatted with my dear friend, B. We talked about the benefits of the female gender stereotype, where we are allowed to feel more than the default emotions men are allowed to feel or understand. We wish we could retrain a population where both genders were allowed to feel all emotions without fears of being reprimanded or labeled an outsider of their genders. For women, we are more open to acknowledge feelings of depression. Men label it exhaustion or feelings of tiredness. Ah, my point. Having a support group is vital for healthy emotional well-being. Women who get together to talk are releasing stress and working their cognitive dramas out loud. This enables us to be more aware of what triggers our emotions as well as our partner's, which then allows us to avoid future negative outcomes. Men do not usually do this. I wish I had more information about stress and its negative effects on the physical body, but stress is serious stuff.
*btw support group is any person who will listen that is not your partner. This person shouldn't offer you advice unless you ask, and does not get you fired up about a negative topic. This person should help you reason and calm you down.
*the link is a start about stress
I know this isn't the main point of your post, but I think it's true that men are not supposed to feel, or not allowed to admit to feeling, certain emotions. It's like men are supposed to be simple, stoic creatures and emotions or emotional issues are seen as a weakness.
ReplyDeleteThis repression of feelings is one obvious reason why men can become angry easily, especially if they think they have admitted to an emotion they shouldn't have... their masculinity can be restored by a bout of anger! So I think that is one advantage women have, the ability to be honest and have the chance to release stress.
It's a pity these societal pressures still remain with all the knowledge of psychological issues we have now, but there you go...
it actually was one of the main points, so i'm glad to hear your input :)
ReplyDelete