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Disclaimer: This article is written from the perspective of heterogeneous couples When it comes to postpartum depression, most people focus on moms and children. In fact, fathers are also the significant ones to talk to. Please meet Steven Gallegos . He is a new dad. He was over the moon, welcoming her son, Caleb. However, Steven, who had never suffered from anxiety or depression before, said he began to feel hopeless, overwhelmed, irritable, and, at times, dealt with suicidal thoughts. "There was just kind of like a fog of, 'I didn't know what to do.' Honestly, my mind was a complete jumble of confusion as I pondered, "What the hell is going on?" Like, how do I navigate this?" Steven remarked. Steven is not on his own. Studies say one in ten fathers experiences mental health difficulties in the first year of postpartum (Cookin et al., 2015). Furthermore, according to the study mentioned in Dad & Mental Health: A Parents & Verywell Mind Study (20...

In 2019, Derek Thompson, an American podcaster and journalist, wrote an article at the Atlantic that expressed the new term, namely workism. In a nutshell, workism is the belief that employment is not only necessary for financial production but also the centerpiece of an individual’s life purpose. Moreover, workism tends to claim work as a new religion for people, and, to be more specific, for Americans. As cited from factcompany.com, in 1990, about 90% of Americans identified as Christians, 5% were categorized as belonging to another religion, and the rest had no religion affiliation (PEW Research, 2022). Fast forward to today: 63% of Americans identify as Christians, around 8% categorize as belonging to another religion, and 29% state they have no religious affiliation at all. “Some people worship beauty, some have political identities, and some worship their children. But everybody believes something. Workism is among the most potent of the new religious competing for congregants,”...

I still remember vividly how nervous I was a few days before my first quarter. A day before, I could not sleep well. overthinking everything. I was terrified. It was odd. If this is something I wanted a long time ago, then why should I feel like that? Oh, Lord!  Time goes by. I never skipped a class. "I came to the States to pursue my master's, so I should always prioritize my study," my mind screamed that way before the day one arrived in Seattle. I did not always come to the class happily. Sometimes, and not many times, I joined class with a sleepyhead, a sad heart, and a headache. However, at the end of the day, I always made it! Today, December 4, 2023, my favorite course this quarter has ended. It is a wellness narrative . Even though this subject is the hardest and the most credit, it became my most-liked! Lara Bradshaw is the instructor. I highly admire her! She has a specialization in discourse analysis and a strong background in media. I hope one day I can be a b...

Please meet Ruchika Tulshyan . She is the founder of Candour, an inclusion strategy practice. Furthermore, she’s the author of a book titled “Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work." Recently, she is working on her next book, “Uncompete: Dismantling a Competition Mindset to Unlock Liberation, Opportunity, and Peace." Either myself or you were both correct. I did not mistype, and you did not misread. Uncompete, it is. You will be unable to find this word in any type of dictionary. “It is a new word, by me,” said Ruchika. Basically, “un” is a prefix meaning "not." According to dictionary.com, this prefix is freely used as an English formative, giving negative or opposite force in adjectives and their derivative adverbs and nouns, such as unfair, unfelt, unseen, unheard, unformed, and so on. Uncompete, Ruchika added, is, in a nutshell, a state of not competing with each other. Competition is in all of our layers of ...

Arie and Jacqualine, the founder of Pyopp Photo credit to pyoppfledge.com An author and marketing guru, Seth Godin , once said, “Don’t be different just to be different. Be different to be better.” This quote can be a tangible output if individuals are able to catch this statement wisely. Because being different is more than challenging. However, the story of Arie and Jacqualine, a married couple, would be a representative of the importance of being different. Both are the founders of Pyopp Fledge, the first adult barefoot footwear company in Indonesia. Their daughter, Alicia, was diagnosed with flat feet when she was 16 months old. Long story short, the situation has been an initial inspiration to build Pyopp (way before the Pyopp Fledge ), a kid’s shoe designed to replicate barefoot as closely as possible. According to the website, the journey was not smooth. They got a ton of criticism from people around them because of the design of the product. “The soles are too thin," “The ...

Humans nowadays immerse themselves in a highly competitive environment and strive to be the best, the number one. Oftentimes, in many competitions, people place more importance on the first champion; the rest is just a number. Sometimes people fail to recognize that being in the top position does not guarantee overall success. This claim is aligned with the narrative surrounding Muhammad Hatta, who is often referred to as Bung Hatta, the inaugural Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia. Aside from the point of ‘number of not everything’, Bung Hatta’s life story can be a tangible sample of the authentic leader. This is the rationale behind the argument. This is Bung Hatta, Bung!  Photo credit to quora.com Getting to know him Bung Hatta was born on August 12, 1902, in Bukittinggi, Sumatera Barat, Indonesia. While he studied in the Netherlands (1922–1922), he became the president of the Perhimpunan Indonesia (Indonesian Union), known today as Perhimpunan Pelajar Indonesia (Indo...

The COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as an important catalyst impacting health-related behaviors, particularly food patterns, with both positive and negative consequences. Finding the appropriate media channels to influence the consumption of healthy foods is crucial, according to a 2015 study by W&S Group. Currently, social media is growing as an effective tool for shaping customers' choices. Food bloggers played quite an important role in affecting people’s behavioral intention and attitude towards the influencer’s recommendation (Nathalia et al., 2016). Indonesia has numerous food activists and influencers who each have their own niche and agenda. Two individuals mentioned in the context are Dicky Senda and Olivia Tommy. From a classroom to a community Inspiration has the potential to manifest itself from a multitude of sources at any given moment. It could be when people sit on the park in one fine afternoon. It could be when individuals read a book in one no-pressure weeken...

Have you ever attended a social gathering, a lecture, or a meeting with alumni and contemplated the reason behind focusing solely on positive experiences shared by individuals? It could be the benefit of connections, the power of communication, or anything else in a positive way. One potential explanation could be attributed to how our brain works. The human brain loves something that makes us joyful, since it results in endorphins. Sad or negative stories can sometimes trigger bad things. It does not generate endorphins. Another potential factor could be individuals’ concern about publicly showing their vulnerabilities. Nevertheless, a different story shared by an alumna of Communication Leadership at the University of Washington deeply resonated with some people. To be underlined, the narrative is not simply about positive aspects. Credit to "You Are Not Special" Children's Book,  retrieved from https://knowyourmeme.com/  Please meet Sophia Kristina. She is a Director f...

Over the past half-decade, I have been employed by various nonprofit organizations in Indonesia. Consequently, I have some experience with numerous issues, including the job description. It was designed by me. I aspired to engage in various issues and roles, then choose the specific position that sparked my interests and passions. In summary, it is a subject of great curiosity to me. What issue do I find most appealing? What types of undertakings can serve as a bridge between my enthusiasm for communication and community? What potential influence may I exert on my local community? About 3 years ago, in October 2020, I got an offer from a non-profit organization named the Foundation for Mother and Child Health Indonesia (FMCH). Their mission is to enhance the wellbeing of families, particularly mothers and children, residing in Indonesia. This is accomplished through the provision of various education, health, and skill programs. The FMCH organization played a crucial role in facilitat...

According to the Pew Research Center, it has been found that an enormous percentage of employed individuals in the United States, approximately 9.6 million workers aged between 16 and 64, experienced job losses. This analysis is based on the average statistics collected over the initial three quarters of both 2019 and 2020. I might say that I am one of the lucky ones because I am not included in that 9.6 million. In fact, in the last quarter of 2020, I received a new offer from a nonprofit organization known as FMCH Indonesia. In summary, the pandemic did not change my career trajectory. During that particular period, I got the opportunity to work from home since day one. For the initial three to four months, I was living in the moment. Furthermore, as I entered the fifth month, I started to burn out. This situation hit me for various reasons. First, I experienced a sense of boredom because every day I work by myself in my personal space. Second, I kind of lost my sense of teamwork due...

When individuals engage in discussions regarding networking, what typically springs to mind?  Benefit? Transactional? Essentials? Any final thoughts? Sometimes in life, we'll randomly know someone, but after a few minutes of talking, we'll realize that we share at least one name. This is the situation that Marissa King mentioned about what networks are. Networks are groups of interconnected people, some overlapping with one another and others having no members in common (2021:4). This network, in the next step, will bring any kind of benefit that might be transactional, but it is essential for human dynamics. However, speaking of networks, there is a meaningful finding from “Social Chemistry: Decoding the Patterns of Human Connection” by Marissa King. Marissa represents the networks’ maps, which may be useful for individuals when expanding networks purposefully. There are three types of people, as Marissa says: first the expansionist, second the broker, and third the convener (...

A statement I could not agree more with on the podcast Maintenance Phase titled “Oprah Winfrey & the Wagon of Fat” is when the hosts, Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbs, said a sentence against Oprah’s idea of diet. In 1988, there was an episode of The Oprah Show when she was rolling 67 lbs. of fat onstage. I remember vividly a statement of hers, which Gordon and Hobbs were against. She said, "... If you can believe in yourself and believe this is the most important thing in your life, … because I did it, if Scott did it, if Billy did it, and you can do it…” They argued the statement of Oprah was not one-to-one. According to Oprah’s statement, it seems like she waived the reality that at least she spent almost $1000/month just for the diet product, not to mention the doctor's consultation, treatment, etc. “That’s like people’s rent,” added Hobbs. I firmly resonate with the statement, particularly from last year, when I struggled with my diet. Many influencers I saw on socia...

16 Oktober 2023.  Pagi ini terbangun dengan perasaan kesal setelah membaca salah satu cuitan di X salah satu pejabat publik. Pejabat publik ini belakangan cukup menarik perhatian publik karena melontarkan pernyataan-pernyaatan aneh bin ajaib. Salah satunya yang terakhir--nggak terakhir amat karena pasti dia blunder juga cuma nggak kesebar aja kali!--adalah sola komentarnya tentang kurang kompetennya anak negeri. Cukup sakit hati, secara personal ketika mendengar itu seliweran di media sosial.  Pagi ini cuitannya soal meminta pendapat warganet terkait setelan mana yang sebaiknya ia pakai. Ada 4 pilihan, dengan takarir cringe (padanannya apa, ya? Menjijikan, bukan, ya?), "emang boleh sekeren ini?". AMPUN NANGIS GUE DI BALIK SELIMUT. Deskripsi lain yang membuat air mata di balik selimut semakin deras adalah narasi bahwa yang ia lakukan adalah guna mendengar suara hati teman-teman semua. Pak! Kalau mau benar-benar mendengarkan suara kami (ehem teman, ya, kita, Pak?); lebih konkr...

To this day, I remember vividly the color of my mom’s aerobic attire. I found it a few years ago when my mom and I decluttered some of our clothes. It was a combination of yellow, red, and blue. Before getting married, when she had leisure, my mom did her aerobics session a lot. Sometimes with her friend, sometimes she pursued it independently. Vicky Burky, a well-known aerobics instructor in Indonesia, was my mom's favorite! After getting married, particularly having four kids, including me, my mom stopped. “I was busy taking care of you and your siblings. It seems like I do not have enough time to do other things,” said mom to me while she folded the attire. Conversely, my father has a limited interest in sports. I have not observed him engaging in any athletic activities. However, as an exception, recently, he started to do some workouts since he was getting old! As far as I know, he does love watching sports. Every Sunday, he engages in the activity of watching box matches. It...

Carl Roger, as I cited from Kate Murphy (2020), once said that listening to opposing viewpoints is the only way to grow as an individual. A study that Murphy displayed in her book lends support to this statement. Research shows there is an inverse relationship between amygdala activity and activity in areas of the brain involved in careful listening (Murphy, 2020:84). This statement aligns with my experience when I see some communities that possess diverse cultural origins distinct from my own. One of them is the Batak community. In 2017, I was afforded the opportunity to engage in year-long professional work on Samosir Island, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia. I resided in a rural village known as Simbolon Purba. Almost 100% of the population is still speaking their local language, Hata Batak (Batak language). I had difficulties. I was stuck at first. The primary obstacle I encountered was the language barrier. I have difficulty listening to or communicating with them. Gradually, I embarked...