Culture
My name is Shari. I’m a hypnotist and teacher, teaching communication classes at the college level. It’s valuable for students to understand how their culture influences who they are and how they act. I work a lot with international students, and there’s commonality, no matter what culture you live in, based on ideology, thoughts, or belief systems.
Analogy
I like the analogy of the fish in water. The fish doesn’t know that he’s swimming in the water until you take him out of the water. And then it’s clear that the water is missing because it can’t breathe. When we step back, we can experience our culture and understand how that might influence who we are.
Perfection
We live in a society that expects or demands Perfection. What is Perfection? How do we even achieve it? How is it defined? That’s so ambiguous is difficult for someone to achieve that. It changes with time because it’s not real. The idea or concept of Perfection isn’t real. Though we, as a culture, as a people, and as human beings, we desire belonging, we’re pack animals. We need other human beings in general to survive. And certainly, if we’re out in the open, we need a group of people to help support our survival.
Us versus them
In American culture, we have the concept of us versus them. The idea is that we are a group, and then there are others who are different from us. They’re not acceptable. Previous generations have a hard time accepting or embracing changes in their culture. How does separation happen? We all want to belong. We want to be loved. We want to be accepted for who we are.
Give yourself a Hug
Acceptance can be a challenge. It can be difficult. I want you to reach your hands out in front of you and hug yourself. We’re the ones that are going to give ourselves that love and acceptance. If it’s not coming from the world around you, it will need to be supplied by you.
Accept you
You live in a world that expects us to look a specific way. You’re supposed to be a certain weight. We’re trying to look at 50 like we did when we were 20. Our metabolism has changed the way our bodies operate, changed the way we see ourselves has changed. Recognizing and celebrating who we are as beings, as valuable, and supporting our better wellness and mental wellness. Let go of being perfect, whatever that means, and celebrate who you are.