Not trying to criticize here, but i've never cared for the term "stay strong" it's like telling someone who's depressed to "just be happy". I get the sentiment though, just something about the phrase that irks me i guess.
I agree completely. It presupposes that you're already strong and doesn't help you when you're not strong, so it ignores the real troubled time.
Everyone goes through troubled times at least 10% of the time. (yes, that's 4 hours of a typical work week) Learning to handle those is very tough, but achievable. If the best you can do is tread water until it passes, that's good enough.
And it's also okay for people to see us in our non-optimal states. It humanizes us to one another and actually makes us trust each other more than it "tarnishes" our reputation of excellence.
I agree with you. In the end these are just words and these are inefficient tools for the task. But as opposed to being a call to action, it's purpose is provide a supportive thought.
People typically use the phrase when they really don't know what else to say. For the most part, its not to be mean or just tell you to be normal, its they don't know the words to say since they have never had to deal with a clinically depressed person is going through. You can rage at them, but it won't help either person.
We don't deal well with mental health in the US. There is a political legacy from both parties and their interactions, and when an event comes along that is clearly a mental health issue we blame some inconsequential symbol to fight as opposed to doing the hard work. I get the feeling living in a hashtag-protest world is not going to improve the situation for mental health issues.
I understand it as "I know the situation is hard, but try to keep your head up (don't do anything extreme) because things will get better if you fight for it"
Yea i agree, but i'm not debating the meaning, rather the delivery. I really like the phrase, "you are not your work", because it comes from the opposite direction. To "stay strong" it sounds like you're not acknowledging that it's ok to be 'not strong'.
>Not trying to criticize here, but i've never cared for the term "stay strong" it's like telling someone who's depressed to "just be happy".
Just as most people aren't depressed and thus can influence their own happiness and can take responsibility for their own emotions (depression is a disease which robs a person of this control), I believe most of us are responsible for our willpower and strength.
Through meditation, or reflection, or any number of ways, we can center ourselves, we can strengthen ourselves, we can be better.
I understand that if you have a disease like depression you cannot take control of your happiness, but that doesn't absolve the rest of us of our responsibility for both mental health and physical health.
Just as we work out our bodies we must "work out" our minds, and stay strong is a message to the 95% of us who have control of ourselves to stay on our path to mental and physical health and the benefits it provides.
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Edit:
Fred Wilson speaks more eloquently here:
http://avc.com/2014/01/you-are-not-your-work/