Is the fight to reach the top bringing women to their knees? Has the fairer sex really become the weaker sex? Are we depressed or are we just experiencing what men have always known concerning pressure, but because we are women we are a push over for analysis ultimately ending in medication that calms "what ails us"? We must remember that we are still living in a predominately male operated society. Men have the natural instinct to want to "fix it" when anything they perceive as a problem arises. If our reaction to a problem is not to handle it in the strict male fashion, we must be falling apart and need to be fixed by medication, counseling, or both. You are by now asking what do men and their view of our reactions to problems have to do with us being depressed. Well, I'll tell you.
Women are not men. No matter how short you cut your hair, Madam President, (sarcasm intended) or the fact that you wear pants will ever make you a man. But every day we are told that having the feelings and reactions associated with women is wrong. There are some popular theories going around that say women are making men gay by expecting them to have emotions that are prevalent to women, but these same men will deny that telling women to subdue their emotions, or natural reactions, will have any mental effect on them.
Women are trying to fit into a society built and operated by men. We have certain attitudes about how things should be. For too long we have been told we are wrong and to do something about it. So what do we do? We put it in its place. Somewhere deep in our minds where we don't dare go. Not knowing what to do with this unnatural act, our hearts and minds are bogged down. There's no where for it to go. It has no outlet. This is labeled depression.
I guess this sounds like a "let's get men" attack, but it really isn't meant to have a negative connotation to it. It is just the natural order of things. Women are smart humans and will learn to adapt in this harsher world in order to survive and one day to thrive again. I am not saying that we will not bring our own form of problem solving to this dilemma, eventually. But for now we must find a way of coping. Fortunately society has given us a way out by giving the monster a name, depression. And because it has a socially acceptable name, it's okay to have this reaction called depression. I don't think so!
Women must start to realize that just because we may not be able to have it all right now (emphasis on the may) does not make us any less "of a man" then our hairy counterparts. The female sector must never stop fighting for what is rightfully theirs in equal pay and other rights. But at the same time, we must stop beating ourselves up over the fact that we haven't arrived yet in the eyes of a society that doesn't know any better (at least for the moment) then to react in the status quo fashion.
Females have always been overachievers. You know our labels: perfect wife, great cook, and super mom. And now, let us place the added burden of breadwinner to our long list of "must dos". Unfortunately being an overachiever means that we have to "out do" to be called successful. And we will "out do", won't we? What will we get if we aren't at the top? We get to face that beast that goes by the name of depression. I am the world's worst for this one. In everything I do I must be the award winner, the highest paid, the fastest runner, whatever. Talk about major self-appointed stresses! But seriously, does this not sound familiar to you?
But we need to find a way to shrug off some of the anxiety and self-appointed stress. Slay the beast by means other than anger or mood altering antidepressants. Why must I now add anger to our problems of emotional out cries? Now more than ever, women are venting their frustration through the use of anger. Road rage by women! Ever seen that one? Ever been on the receiving end of one of those fingers? I am not even coming close to suggesting that women own this one exclusively or even as a higher degree than men. But ask your mom how many times she was cut off, cussed out, and all those other glamorous actions we have come to see all too often, being initiated by a female when she was young. Perhaps you would use the explanation of more female drivers. Could be, but doubt it. We are programming ourselves to push, push, and push to get ahead. Our natural instinct is to react emotionally and unfortunately this is coming out as anger in a lot of situations.
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