One of the negative experiences I had growing up was feeling limited, especially feeling limitations were placed on my thoughts/abilities. Often I felt my instincts or natural intelligence was dismissed because I didn't have the right credentials to have an opinion. From family, to friends, to work culture, I felt frustrated because my ideas were not acknowledged. I wasn't the right age, gender, or have the right diploma to have ideas that differed from popular consensus. Having spent time in the "self-improvement" yoga industry, I realize I am not alone in this struggle. One way this problem pops up for some of my yoga clients is at work. I am starting to see a strong link between anxiety/depression and "office culture." The office environment is a fascinating psychological study of how people get along in the wild. As a woman, I can only attest to my experiences having been employed in a corporate atmosphere for several years. Consequently, men may have differing opinions based on trends in gender roles. From a consensus of opinions, I find that there is a strong yet fine line in knowing when to be submissive and when to be aggressive. It is especially frowned upon to be a leader when one is not given a leadership role. Anxiety occurs when workers feel they need to act subservient to be liked and not '"rock the boat." At the other extreme are workers fighting for dominance just to be acknowledged. Like my earlier stated personal struggle, in corporate culture there are roles to play and everyone has a part. The problem is that positions of power are rare and fought over. Therefore, respect and influence are fought over. Consequently, workers feel disrespected, limiting their potential. This creates a lot of frustration. As one can guess, being the radical egalitarian I am, office culture does not appeal to me, but not everyone can or should be an entrepreneur. So how do we fix this? Where is the solution? I wish I could offer advice but I got nothing lol. Thoughts welcome!
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