Tag Archives: life

Does Your Loved One Have Depression?

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The article, Why Asian-American Seniors Have High Rates Of Depression But Rarely Seek Help,” written by Kimberly Yam has great detail showing culture differences and how it affects the daily lives of many. I loved how this article was able to snap a reminder into my head about my parents and grandparents. I will be restating some of the things from the article and giving my opinion on the topic.

In the Asian-American community, health is one of the biggest topics that become touchy to talk about, especially with the seniors. Overall health problems are not usually brought up unless one is really needing help; but with mental health many seniors do not seek help for it at all. According to the American Psychological Association, “Asian Americans are almost three times less likely than their white counterparts to seek mental health services.” One of the main factors to this is fear of being shameful. With the Asian culture, pride is very important and that is why some things may not be said or done in order to not “embarrass” the family.

We have to remember that most of our elders have experienced trauma from many of the world and life tragedies that has happened. Adapting to a new place and experiencing the feeling of being separated because of culture and language can have a huge influence on how one may feel. Our seniors/elders in the Asian community may hide their feelings of sadness and loneliness in order to avoid burdening the family. With this, the younger generation of sons, daughters, relatives…etc., should reach out when they feel that there may be some kind of loneliness.

When reading this article, I started thinking about my grandfather. When he was still on this beautiful planet, I met him once when he came to visit my family from Laos. He was one of the sweetest people I have ever met. He smiled a lot and didn’t talk about things much. When we went for walks, he seemed so peaceful. He always stared at the sky and just looked and admired the landscape. Thinking back now, I wish I spent more time showing him many beautiful things in life. I also wish I talked to him more about his past, present, wishes, happiness, and sorrows. Just thinking about how he was when he had visit made me realize that he had a lot of sadness and pain still in him. This realization definitely made think more about checking on my loved ones.

Loneliness and depression can happen to anyone. It may be harder for some to express the fact that they have these feelings. In the Asian culture, admitting that you need help isn’t really a thing. Elders may probably address mental health issues in different ways, like headaches, sleepless nights, pain in the stomach…etc. So it is important for loved ones to ask and spend the time to really try and help.

I am Asian American and when I was reading this article, the descriptions and beliefs about the Asian American culture definitely fit mine. My thoughts and culture may not fit every persons’ but overall, being able to fit and connect to these descriptions and beliefs made me more aware of possible emotions and thoughts my elders may be having. Mental illness is not thought about a lot at all in the Asian community. I hope that my brief article will inspire you to just really look after your loved ones also and remember to be aware of possible symptoms of depression or loneliness.

Read the article by Kimberly Yam at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/asian-american-senior-mental-health_us_591c53eee4b041db8965c58e
This article is definitely worth putting time into reading. I loved everything about it.

Living is a State of Mind

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Your perspective on life is a very important part of how you may think about the world, society, people, and more. It is up to you to decide whether you want to go through life negatively or positively. Although you can’t control everything that happens to you, you can control how you feel about them. It is all about perspective and what you are going to do that can make your life better.
  • Take the time to appreciate all the things you already have and don’t worry about what you don’t have. Whether it is your bed, your pets, your books, your family, or anything. It is the little things in life that can make you happy.
  • Don’t compare yourself to others. You are always going to be you and you can’t change that. Trying to be like others or comparing your social status (in real life, on social media, academics, sports, etc.) won’t make you feel better. Everyone goes through their own journey and challenges to find themselves. So be who you are as an individual and focus on yourself.
  • Change is inevitable and unavoidable. Some things may stay the same, but remember that many things will change. You’ll experience changes within yourself and the people surrounding you. It’s about embracing the changes and not avoiding it.
  • Surround yourself with positive people. Being with negative people are going to make you feel negative. They will do you more harm than good. It is best to leave those people behind and move on. Sometimes, you need to evaluate who are the right people for you. They are the people that can help better improve yourself and are going to support you along your way.
  • Having more responsibility means you are growing as a person. Don’t think of it as a hassle or a burden. Everyone will eventually grow up, but not everyone will be able to mature. Also, if you feel stressed out about it, then break things down step by step. See what you need to do and what you want to do.

Holiday Eating

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It is that time of the year again! We all will stuff ourselves on Thanksgiving and Christmas because we all love food. But there are some ways to avoid becoming stuffed turkeys ourselves. Becoming unhealthy after holidays is not the best outcome. It’s all about that balance between your eating habits and your life style choices.

So here are some things to remember when you are enjoying the holiday:

1. Eat a little bit of everything. Although there will be very great food provided, it is best to sample everything you like. Instead of eating a lot of some food, try to enjoy bits and bits from here to there. It’ll give you more chances to try varieties of delicious dishes.

2. Eat a bit now, a bit later; the point is to enjoy the foods. Along with the first tip, enjoy a dish now, enjoy another later. The food won’t run away so take your time. It’ll make you appreciate their flavors and tastes more.

3. Balance out your diet. We all have our guilty pleasure foods such as sweets or friend foods. We can enjoy those of course and no one will blame us. But it doesn’t hurt to eat some fruits and vegetables too. It does help a little to ease your cravings.

4. Drink lots of water! Try to avoid sugary and calories filled drinks because that’s where most of your calories will come from. So let’s not waste them on pop and sugary drinks, but instead yummy foods!

5. Dress comfortably. You may want to have more space to expand your tummy and relax. So dress in clothes that will allow you to stretch because the last thing we want to struggle with is fussing with our tight clothes.

All in all, enjoy your holidays and eat well! Happy holidays!

Sparking a Generation of Drug-Free Youth‏

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There are many things we can do to make the world a better place. One of them is to prevent youths from drug use and substance abuse. It is a parent’s concern as well as society’s problem because it does affect everyone.

According to www.cdc.gov, in the U.S. 66.2% of teens has had at least one drink of alcohol in their life. It is not surprising because teens are influenced by peer pressures and social expectations. About 40.7% of teens had use marijuana once or more during their life. This statistic could be so high due to the fact that many people perceived marijuana as ‘safe’ to use. Also, 22.1% of teens has been offered, sold, or given illegal drugs on school property. Drug and substance use for many people and teens are easy way out of situations like dealing with stress, making a reputation, developing their image, trying to find their place in life, etc.

pastyearvariousdrugshttp://www.drugabuse.gov

Most of the time drugs, alcohol, tobacco, etc., are not sought out by teens, but they receive or are introduced to them through a friend or a family member. It is those connections that we can’t stop because it is up to the individuals to accept or decline the offer. It is not about whether what is safer to use and what are the ‘acceptable’ risks. What we want is to prevent any possible harm that come onto the user’s health and others as well.

Important Proverbs We Should All Live By

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According to www.yourdictionary.com/proverb, “the definition of a proverb is a short saying that is widely used to express an obvious truth”.

So why exactly are proverbs important to know? Well, they influence the way people interact with one another and the way we could perceive different situations. Often, they teach us important values in terms of respect, acceptance, love, responsibility, and more. Proverbs can teach us different aspects of many cultures and give us insights how people used to thought in the past. So here is a collection of proverbs from all kinds of cultures!

1. Korea : “A picture of a rice cake.”

In the Korean culture, rice cakes are loved by many people. If there’s only a picture of rice cakes, they can’t literally eat it. So the meaning behind this proverb is that you shouldn’t develop a desire that you cannot have.

2. China: “Do not do to others what you don’t want done to yourself.”

In Chinese cultures, there is an important emphasize of being a good nature person. That means that you wouldn’t want to do anything that would disrespect, harm, or possibly affect someone in a negative way because you wouldn’t want them to happen to you too. So treat people like how you want to be treated.

3. Vietnamese: “Ghosts have no pity on the sickly. Robbers have no pity for the poor.”

Life is about experiencing ups and down. It won’t be a smooth sail and expect to have good and bad situations because you can’t predict the uncertainly of what life may offer  you.

4. Thai: “As diligent as an ant.”

Thai people can see how little ants are and recognize that they work very hard. That is why even if it is hard work, be determined to carry out your responsibility.

5. Japan: “If you do not enter the tiger’s cave, you will not catch its cub.”

You can’ expect life to give you everything. Sometimes, it is up to you to take the initial step. So if you don’t risk trying, you will not get what you want.

6. Filipino: “A monkey dressed up is still a monkey.”

You can change your outer appearances and what you wear, but you are still who you are. It takes more than that to change yourself.