Listening to another's point of view is problematic. Usually, people listen while reflecting upon their own life. To connect or show empathy, the listener accesses their own feelings or life experiences, which are assumed to be similar to the speaker. In the eagerness to show understanding, the listener
Toxicity spreads through words. A collection of words contain ideas, opinions or beliefs and, most importantly, contagious emotions. If people are not mindful, these words become poisonous and bring suffering upon others. If unaware, people absorb toxicity readily. Complete absorption occurs when others believe and perpetuate the toxicity to others.
We tell stories of our lives constantly. Stories are repeated in our heads and to anyone who is listening. Your life stories are almost always made up of relationships. They come from personal experiences and the people in your life; your family, relationships and community. These stories serve essential purposes.
Life is full of stress. These stresses can be expectations placed on you, by others or yourself. When you are stressed, you become tense. With tension, there is an expectation of being someone you're not or doing something you're not used to. Stress and tension are
Sometimes, the habits or behaviours of loved ones causes uneasiness, discomfort or loathing. A spouse wants their partner to stop smoking. Parents want their children to stop playing video games. Children want to spend time with their workaholic parents. To achieve your desires, you attempt to change others. You punish
The world is a harsh place. Yet, you need to venture out into the world daily. Outside, you navigate through street traffic and crowds. Prepare for temperamental weather; a coat for the cold, sweat-proof clothes for the humidity or an umbrella come rain or shine. Harshest of all is navigating
I am arriving at the age of 40. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, as an average Malaysian Chinese woman, my life expectancy is 79.9 years old. This means I have reached my mid-life. Middle of my life. 40 years is a long time. Despite all the many
Our society is built with systems and structures that help keep everyone in their place and role. In a democracy, the leaders get elected. In a company, you work your way up the hierarchy. It is a race where you work hard, compete or manipulate others so that you can
Mindfulness is the practice of being present, the ability to be in the here and now. When this occurs, your mind focuses on the task and the object at hand, at this very moment. Mindfulness does not come naturally. Your mind constantly distracts you from the present by lingering in
We often assume that people close to us know what we want. After all, if we had spent so much time together, shouldn't they know about my likes, dislikes and all quirky habits already? But, people are not mind-readers. No matter how close or how much they love
Everyone has something beautiful about them. We are all made differently. Each person has a quirk that makes them beautiful, exciting and unique. People are not used to giving or receiving compliments. We are constantly told that we're not good enough or that we are far from society&
Burnout occurs when a person gets emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion due to prolonged stress. Stress occurs when a person is in an undesirable situation. Burnout occurs because people are in undesirable situations for too long. Burnout is not about prolonged working hard. For example, some people found work from