\”Self-Care is just such a waste of time!\” a woman cried, exasperated. I stood there, wide-eyed and at a complete loss at how to respond to that. This presentation on 4\’s seemed to have gone off-track and my workshop attendees had seemingly banded together in their overall disdain for the perceived self-indulgence of the enneagram type 4. There was also an overwhelming agreement that \”those millennials\” are dripping with 4-like culture, attention to self-care, expression of feelings and doing \”silly\” things like coloring in books when the weight of the world was too much. There were no 4\’s present in this organization, and now I could see why.
This is an example of something that has been weighing on me heavily, especially since the election and inauguration of Donald Trump. The idea that my generation is filled with \”Special Snowflakes\” who can\’t deal with the realities of the world run to our safe spaces and therapy dogs and coloring books to cope with a brutal world.
What baffles me, is that this is mostly meant to be an insult.
It seems that the idea that people would use scientifically proven relaxation techniques to help deal with their tumultuous feelings would actually be a very good thing and something we should encourage. I mentioned this to Evan and he said, matter of factly, \”Well back in the day, people just dealt with stress by beating their wives.\” Huh. How very insightful.
Since when did trying to be constructive about stress relief become a sign of weakness. That seems so twisted. The world is brutal. It will chew you up and spit you out in a second. When I read the news and I see the madness (and dare I say stupidity?) I see around, it makes my blood boil. However, I don\’t deal with my anger by throwing remotes at my TV (most of the time). Instead, I cuddle up with my dog and try and get through the day.
\”Snowflakes are one of nature\’s most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together.\” – Vesta M. Kelly