Tag: Stress in india

India

Indian Workers seek Robots?

Posted on by Karac Avalron

Once again we visit with our friends in India on the subject of Anxiety and Mental Health. For those of us in the West we sometimes forget that our friends in India, over a billion actually have very similar mental health issues that we do. Sure societal norms are different but at the end of the day we all have social, economic and political pressures we deal with that affect our mental health.

I found an interesting article here That discusses a recent poll that asked Indian workers if they thought robots were better suited to help with mental health issues then humans. A whopping 91% said they would rather talk to a robot then their boss about stress at work. I don’t have the complete statistics on the study, the number of people, the control etc. but I thought it was interested and worthy of a post.

From the article: “Nearly 93 per cent people said their mental health issues at work negatively affect their home life while 95 per cent of those surveyed believed companies should be doing more to support the mental health of their workforce. For the Indian workforce, 65 per cent feel that they are working more than 40 hours per week and 32 per cent feel the burnout from overwork. “There is a lot that can be done to support the mental health of the global workforce and there are so many ways that technology like AI can help. But first, organizations need to add mental health to their agenda,” said Emily He, senior vice president, Oracle Cloud HCM.”

stressed-out-woman
Anxiety doesn’t care about your ethnicity.

The context of the article delved deeper into the work place and work place culture in India. Clearly it’s a very stressful environment. Add Covid to the mix and PRESTO you have what was stressful now is toxic. Work isn’t meant to be a bed of roses and simplicity, I think we can all agree on that. However when you have over 90% of your workforce saying the work environment is negatively impacting their home life that is very alarming.

My Indian readers certainly don’t need me to tell them how bad their work environment is, it has to be toxic with those numbers. It’s no wonder they would rather talk to a robot, they would likely get more empathy then from their boss. I’ve been in bad work situations before, I’m in a great spot now and super thankful for it. Regardless of what culture you are in when there are aspects of your life that negatively impact your home life, your sanctuary if you will, that’s critical and has to be addressed ASAP.

What do you do though? You need money so you have to work. Human Resource Dept.? Ya right they have never dealt with a pandemic and these kind of conditions either, they are winging it too. I’d love to say “hey things will get better hang in there”, ya they will but I don’t know when. I can tell you in the States things are still crap here. We won’t get back on the right track socially anyway until the presidential election is over.

I wish I had some great advice for my Indian friends. If talking to a Robot helps, do it. If you are one of my Indian readers just know that this blogger gets it, and so do many others in the west. We understand that stress levels around the globe are spiking. We are rooting for you, just take it one day at a time and enjoy the small pleasures when you can.

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India

Stress in India, Stress everywhere

Posted on by Karac Avalron

Once again we are going to lean on our friends from India for some wisdom. In the states we hear plenty about China, on and on sometimes. Right next store is one of the oldest countries in the world and one of our most important allies. It’s prudent to take the best practices you can from any source you have. India, while not perfect is working to address stress and anxiety in their society. We could learn a thing or two from them.

I found an interesting article here that talks about managing stress and the importance of parents in the mini cultures of each of our homes.

From the article: “It is essential that parents have a healthy mental life as they are a direct influence on their child. With everyone confined to their houses, it is essential to take the necessary steps to make sure that your mental health is in good shape. Parents usually tend to focus more on their child’s health than themselves, but sometimes, their state might have a drastic effect on the child. Keeping yourself healthy- physically and mentally, as a parent, is critical now more than ever.”

Laughter in all cultures nourishes the soul.

Great words of wisdom. Kids look to their parents or immediate relatives first for guidance on how to act. They emulate the adults close to them, they don’t know what else to do. They haven’t been alive long enough to develop their own unique coping mechanisms so they look to adults for guidance. The article is an excellent piece on the impact of family life and stress.

The emphasis in the article is on the importance of everyone accepting and recognizing the importance of mental health within the family unit. Its not imperative to be emotional outwardly, meaning we don’t need to have daily discussions on why someone feels bad. That said its important for the family leaders, normally the parents to be aware of how their mood affects everyone in the house. Mental health is a challenge for all of us, it doesn’t care where you live, what gods you worship etc.

We need to have honest discussions about mental health, that starts at home with the immediate family. Sterotypes often hinder this process. Men especially are prone to feeling shame over stress and anxiety due to social stigmas. This isn’t to say women don’t face this as well but in nearly every culture I have been exposed to in my travels women often are able to confide in one another with intimate details of their internal thoughts and feelings. Men simply don’t have this in most societies.

That said, this article does a good job of pulling the family unit together as the primary support system for all involved. Children look to adults to see how to act and how to cope with adversity. It’s important, regardless of your role in the home or gender that you work to understand your own anxiety so that you may be better equipped to help your children. It’s okay to ask for help, it’s okay to not be perfect, it’s okay to struggle. You are doing great, one day at a time.

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