Culture

Howlan · Post by **Howlan** » 12 Aug 2020, 11:50

FS60 wrote:
> djr6090 wrote:
> > The book is pretty comprehensive. There has got to be something in it for
> > most cultural parameters.
>
> Yeah, nowadays it's trending to seek medication treatment rather than religious
> practices in most parts of the world. People take appointments from psychologists and
> psychiatrists to resolve their problems and gain insight into their unconscious. All
> this is happening because now people tend to live alone, separate from joint family
> systems. Busy life routine weakens the friendship connections which result in
> isolation feelings. Efforts to maintain the standard of life have made man so busy
> and full of anxiety that it seems moments and opportunities to be more rich are just
> getting out of reach which makes man ignorable to all other factors and demands of
> life. Man is a social animal and needs a proper social setting, some free time, some
> sincere old built-up relations with family and friends to be psychologically fit and
> calm. In this industrialized world, no one has time to listen to other's unconscious
> feelings and resolve issues. When unexplored, they become complicated with the
> passage of time. And there's the time then a man feels so helpless that he hires a
> psychologist to listen to his unconscious ties for money.

Hiring a psychologist is really a great way to get to the roots of your stress. Many frowns upon it, but having a specialized person giving an unbaised opinion on your life can be refreshing and can change your perspective.

SeasonalBuddy · Post by **SeasonalBuddy** » 12 Aug 2020, 12:54

With how comprehensive the book is, culture is covered by some of the methods. From maternal family, confessions are considered a cure-all, like purging the negative energy cleanses your psyke.

Sjtoy · Post by **Sjtoy** » 12 Aug 2020, 13:30

I feel culture plays a role in how we manage our stress and anxiety. Where I am from, many people view those with anxiety as weak. So many times I have heard people say someone needs to "just get over it". Growing up, I was heavily influenced by this and fought against my own anxiety. Because of this mind-set, I went all through high school and some of college with anxiety that I could have been managing on my own. Thankfully, my psychology class opened my mind to learn more about anxiety and managing it.

Elvis Best · Post by **Elvis Best** » 12 Aug 2020, 17:11

In my culture, for example, you are seen as weak if you have any anxiety or stress related illnesses. And thus any activity that is related to relieving stress, such as meditation and yoga, is usually frowned upon. Education is gradually changing the mindset of a number of people, but in general, the majority are ignorant or don't seek solutions to their anxiety and stress-related illnesses because of culture.

Chikom · Post by **Chikom** » 13 Aug 2020, 00:46

Culture sometimes is a stumbling block to efforts made towards enhancing our mental health! The diversity in cultural practices renders a problem when it comes to doing certain things! For example Muslims do not encourage meditation!

Joseph_ngaruiya · Post by **Joseph_ngaruiya** » 13 Aug 2020, 02:14

SeasonalBuddy wrote:
> With how comprehensive the book is, culture is covered by some of the
> methods. From maternal family, confessions are considered a cure-all, like
> purging the negative energy cleanses your psyke.
I believe culture has its roots in family ties. Some of the remedies addressed in this book have been part of different cultures. An example is meditation.

Joseph_ngaruiya · Post by **Joseph_ngaruiya** » 13 Aug 2020, 02:17

Elvis Best wrote:
> In my culture, for example, you are seen as weak if you have any anxiety or
> stress related illnesses. And thus any activity that is related to
> relieving stress, such as meditation and yoga, is usually frowned upon.
> Education is gradually changing the mindset of a number of people, but in
> general, the majority are ignorant or don't seek solutions to their anxiety
> and stress-related illnesses because of culture.

You're right. Culture can be a barrier to solving stress and anxiety disorders. If you are categorized with the weak because you asked for help, then it means you'll choose to hide the truth from society and suffer alone.

Joseph_ngaruiya · Post by **Joseph_ngaruiya** » 13 Aug 2020, 02:20

Sjtoy wrote:
> I feel culture plays a role in how we manage our stress and anxiety. Where
> I am from, many people view those with anxiety as weak. So many times I
> have heard people say someone needs to "just get over it".
> Growing up, I was heavily influenced by this and fought against my own
> anxiety. Because of this mind-set, I went all through high school and some
> of college with anxiety that I could have been managing on my own.
> Thankfully, my psychology class opened my mind to learn more about anxiety
> and managing it.

Changing a culture might not be possible, but learning from books such as this one can help the majority change their views on stress and anxiety. I'd recommend sharing the book widely and discussing these remedies with friends and family.

Joseph_ngaruiya · Post by **Joseph_ngaruiya** » 13 Aug 2020, 02:22

Howlan wrote:
> cookiedough wrote:
> > Culture can change the perspective on many of these remedies. It's
> > important to be open-minded and work with what you think will help you.
>
> Yes, culture is something which is in our roots. However, you need to get proper
> awareness to deal with problems when the situation asks for it. Thinking outside the
> box or taking the road less taken is definitely needed in those situations.

Moving against what culture says might lead to stigmatization. I think it would be better to gradually transition to awareness and adopt new norms. This, however, might be met with rebellion and stigmatization.

Joseph_ngaruiya · Post by **Joseph_ngaruiya** » 13 Aug 2020, 02:27

Howlan wrote:
> mpsmaster wrote:
> > espo wrote:
> > > I was just having this conversation with some christian friends the other
> > > day. Yoga is mentioned in the book as an effective way to cope with stress,
> > > but it’s not seen as “in line” with the scriptures by many Christians
> > > because its roots are in non-Christian religions. Culture and religion are
> > > two separate things, but I live in southern italy where they tend to mix a
> > > lot.
> >
> > True. And this also depends of the interpretation that a certain group makes of
> the
> > bible. In west of US there are Christians that allow vipers to bite them every
> > gathering, based on a particular view of the old testament. Maybe they would
> disagree
> > with many suggestions of the author.
>
> Culture can affect if you let it affect it. Of course, many would not be able to
> adapt to many treatments but every culture has some way to cope with stress.

It's worth noting that Gustavo's work entails remedies that can be applied to pre-existing cultural norms. It's upon the reader to decide which one would work in their culture and how it can be tailored to fit in.

Howlan · Post by **Howlan** » 13 Aug 2020, 03:03

Sjtoy wrote:
> I feel culture plays a role in how we manage our stress and anxiety. Where
> I am from, many people view those with anxiety as weak. So many times I
> have heard people say someone needs to "just get over it".
> Growing up, I was heavily influenced by this and fought against my own
> anxiety. Because of this mind-set, I went all through high school and some
> of college with anxiety that I could have been managing on my own.
> Thankfully, my psychology class opened my mind to learn more about anxiety
> and managing it.

Having a psychology class in school is a great step taken by school management. Because there are many things which may feel uncomfortable saying in our homes, as you said our culture might be in the way. So, getting an unbiased opinion from a professional can be eye-opening.

Howlan · Post by **Howlan** » 13 Aug 2020, 03:05

Chikom wrote:
> Culture sometimes is a stumbling block to efforts made towards enhancing
> our mental health! The diversity in cultural practices renders a problem
> when it comes to doing certain things! For example Muslims do not encourage
> meditation!

Yeah true. But I think all cultures have some orthodox practices that can help you relieve stress. It may be superstition but it can work, as throughout childhood you are made to believe in that practice by your elders.

Joseph_ngaruiya · Post by **Joseph_ngaruiya** » 15 Aug 2020, 03:37

The biggest worry I've had with culture's impact on coping with stress and anxiety is not understanding that my neighbor is, in the end, just like me, with the same problems, the same questions.

Beckygithui1994 · Post by **Beckygithui1994** » 17 Aug 2020, 05:25

Yes, different cultures have different ways of doing things and not all cultures would benefit from a guide such as this one.

Joseph_ngaruiya · Post by **Joseph_ngaruiya** » 17 Aug 2020, 06:39

Beckygithui1994 wrote:
> Yes, different cultures have different ways of doing things and not all
> cultures would benefit from a guide such as this one.

I believe what you meant to say was that some people from other cultures might not find the book practical.