A Millennial’s View on Depression

My first bout of depression happened in middle school when my boyfriend of eight months dumped me two days before Valentine’s Day. I was sad, but I didn’t think much of it, shoving broken pieces of a pound of milk chocolate into my mouth. Fast forward to senior year of high school, my mom let me skip school that day because I didn’t feel well emotionally. I wasn’t sad, but I wasn’t happy either, just a feeling of not wanting to do anything. Jump to college, depression and anxiety decided to formally invite themselves into my life. I had always thought that depression meant I have to have suicidal thoughts, and I never had those thoughts. I didn’t think I could be going through depression until my fiancé (then boyfriend) asked if I was depressed. I remember going online and searching up the symptoms.

Apathy. Check. Difficulty concentrating. Check. Loss of interest in food. Check (this was the biggest red flag for me because even when I was sad before, I would still enjoy eating). Withdrawal from friends. Check.

Even as I distanced myself from things that I thought were causing me stress, I was still feeling very anxious, apathetic, and depressed. However, my own peers started opening up about mental health issues. And, I thought, why is my generation, the millennial generation, so susceptible to depression and other mental health issues?

I pondered this while scrolling aimlessly through Instagram and Snapchat, all the while wishing that my life could be better than where I currently was. It didn’t click then, but I would realize later on the connection between social media and mental health in millennials.

Millennials and Mental Health

Perfectionism

Growing up as a part of the millennial generation, I was constantly inspired by personal improvement in both the economic and social spheres. It was all about self-improvement and with mental health issues on the rise, now it’s self-care. There was a huge output of self-improvement books, workshops, guest speakers. People told me that I could achieve anything as long as I put my heart and mind to it: a college degree that leads to a good career that leads to better social standing and stability for my me and my parents as well. I didn’t know it, but that was a really heavy burden for a 15-year-old still trying to figure out who she was in this world while translating for her parents and trailblazing for her younger siblings. Millennials like me in the States are less concerned with working for a living, we are concerned with achieving perfection, leading us to set excessively high personal standards and being overly critical in our self-evaluations. Millennials experience all three types of perfectionism as described in the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale: self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed.

For me, my self-oriented perfectionism pushed me to hold two to three jobs at a time on top of taking a full semester, socializing, and managing club activities. I aspired to be a superwoman like all my peers who seemed so successful. My other-oriented perfectionism showed up in my annoyance and disappointment with those who couldn’t accomplish their club officer duties, straining my relationships. Lastly, my socially prescribed perfectionism manifested from people’s view of me as a superwoman: I was always on top of my things, I had a great romantic relationship, and I always approached issues very calmly. Behind closed doors, the stress eventually piled up and broke me. My room was a mess, my relationship was a mess, and I was very far from being calm. A vicious cycle started because I would see myself like this and hate myself for not being good enough, and depression would drag me down, even more, rendering me emotionless.

Social Media

At first, social media was simply a way to pass time and entertain myself with. But slowly, the contents I viewed began to shape my values or ideas of what being successful means. Instead of being able to see my own talents and accomplishments, I became envious of other people’s success as portrayed in their personal media. Other people seemed to have a better life than I had. I started critiquing myself and even had meltdowns when I felt like I couldn’t achieve anything. I didn’t feel like anything I did was enough. I felt like I was letting my parents down.

Statistics claim that 88% of 18 to 29-year-olds use some kind of social media network. I am positive that I am not the only one affected by social media, nor am I the only one carrying this burden of striving for perfection. As a generation, we millennials are taught to succeed in a certain way. But, not everyone fits into this idealistic image of success ranging from traveling for a living, starting their own company right out of college, having a career of their dreams. Our smartphones help us organize our lives, but they are also strongly correlated to anxiety and depression in millennials today.

How You Can Help

Notice the Symptoms

Apathy: They are expressing a lack of interest and emotions.

Difficulty Concentrating: They have a hard time paying attention in class or focusing on finishing a project

Excessive/Inappropriate Guilt: They feel that they are not enough and have not done enough for their loved ones.

Irresponsible Behavior: They usually turn in assignments on time, but they start missing deadlines.

Loss of Interest in Food/Compulsive Overeating: They are skipping meals and saying that they are not hungry or they are eating excessively and gaining weight

Preoccupation with Death/Dying: They talk about running away from everything and/or they start having a fascination with death itself.

Sadness, Anxiety, or Hopeless

Use of Alcohol/Drugs and Promiscuous Sexual Activity: They start abusing drugs and/or developing an alcohol addiction as a teen. They also care less about their bodies in general, wishing to just feel something through alcohol, drugs, and/or sex.

Withdrawal from Friends: They start declining to hang out or making up excuses to skip out on gatherings.

What You Can Do

Be a Listener: Focus on being there for your friend and listening to what they are going through. Avoid trying to “solve the problem” and try to empathetic to what they may be going through.

Encourage the Person to Get Help: Only encourage them to get help if they explicitly tell you they want help. If you push them towards treatment, they may feel that you do not care for them or that they are a burden to you. Present them with the options, but wait for them to take the initiative.

Support Them in Their Treatment: If they do decide to seek help, continue supporting them. It could mean accompanying them to their first counseling appointment or just being a positive influence.

Take Care of Yourself: Taking care of someone going through depression can be a strenuous task both emotionally and physically. Make sure to set boundaries and be open in communications. Seek support for others if you need it!

Homelessness and Drug Addiction in SF

When I studied abroad in France, I stayed with a host family who loved traveling and visiting places all around the world. I remember them telling me that San Francisco was their favorite city in the United States because the vibe there was most similar was most similar to what they are used to in France. San Francisco is a very liberal city and it is filled with so many different cultures, so I was not surprised that my open-minded host family would enjoy visiting the city. Unfortunately, just as much as Silicon Valley has been booming from the tech industry, San Francisco is suffering from a rise in homelessness and addiction.

Kicked Out by Investors

It is easy to take a look at the growth of tech companies in Silicon Valley as the main reason for the increase in rent and cost of living, but I assure you that it isn’t entirely their fault. In fact, the fault probably lies in the big firms and investors who, after the global financial crisis in 2008, started buying up single-family dwellings and raising the rent. As the years went by, investors started buying up units and renting them out on services like Airbnb, feeding straight into San Francisco’s tourist industry. And little by little, they began pushing residents who couldn’t afford such ridiculous prices. As of 2017, there are more than 7,000 homeless residents in San Francisco. Most of them do not have basic access to water, toilets and sanitation facilities. I remember 10 years ago when it seemed like San Francisco was doing a better job taking care of its homeless population by offering more low-income housing. It is not that San Francisco is do nothing to provide housing, it is just that they cannot provide housing fast enough for the rate at which people are losing their homes.

Tent Cities

Being unable to afford rent or relocate somewhere else, these residents turn to the streets where they face constant difficulties each day. If they are lucky, other residents give away tents to them so they can have some sort of shelter against the rain or cold. Like all humans do, people congregate and tent cities have sprung up all over San Francisco. Tent cities may sound nice, but their living conditions are terrible. With no access to water or basic sanitation facilities, the tent communities are filled with people, discarded needles, drugs, and human wastes, the perfect place for diseases to be contracted and spread.

Open Air Drug Markets

Homeless people can be victims of hard times, making them very susceptible to developing mental health issues and drug addictions. Mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, all of which can develop being homeless, are strongly linked to developing alcohol and substance addiction. It does not help that coming into possession of drugs now is a lot easier than before. Although California law prohibits possession of drugs like heroin, in 2014, state voters approved a law that classified possession of drugs as a misdemeanor rather than a felony. Police also do not go around arresting people who have small amounts of drugs users usually go straight back to injecting drugs after they are released. There also isn’t enough manpower to take care of every drug user. The police do just enough to keep violent drug-related crimes at bay or to one location. Consequently, open air drug markets are popping up all over the city and a lot more addicts are living on the streets. Whereas users use to shoot up in private, abandoned buildings or places, you know things are getting worse when you look hard enough and you can easily find people shooting up in public or lying around on the streets.

New Drug Programs in SF

In order to address the addiction problems in San Francisco, the city has started implementing new drug programs aiming to bring anti-addiction medication such as buprenorphine and naltrexone to addicts on the streets. Both buprenorphine and naltrexone can help addicts by blocking their cravings for opioids as well as experiencing the symptoms of withdrawal.

Normally, it would be better for the user themselves to be admitted into a treatment facility where they could have access to basic sanitization, 24/7 support and medical providers that can administer anti-medication appropriately. Buprenorphine, for example, must be distributed by medical providers to users daily and naltrexone requires the users to be clean for 7 to 10 days before receiving it. A drug user has a better chance of weaning off opioids in a controlled setting like a treatment facility.

However, not all drug users are comfortable using the formal medical system and may have mental health issues that keep them from keeping their appointments. They may also not have a means of getting to the facility, which is why the city made a wise decision to bring anti-medication directly to the users. Instead of waiting around for users to come to the government for help, these programs encourage people to be more proactive in helping the city’s residents. This is a great idea because, ideally, medical providers will be able to reach more people who are struggling with addiction. But, that also means the medical providers must be dedicated to consistently bringing treatment to the users out on the streets.

Safe Drug Consumption Sites

Another program that is in the works is the plan for having safe drug consumption sites set up. San Francisco is one of the few cities advocating for safe drug consumption sites where drug users can go for injections without fear of the dangers of the streets. In addition, users would have access to clean needles, as well as medical care and treatment if they are seeking drug addiction treatment. This is definitely a better option than injecting drugs in tent communities where diseases can spread from exposure to used needles and human feces.

The Fight Against Inflammation

The human body is incredible, especially its healing abilities. We don’t always give it the respect it deserves because we have been too exposed to situations in movies or books where people can self-heal completely at some absurd speed. When the immune system is being attacked, one of our self-defense mechanism is inflammation, a process in which the body heals itself. The “good” inflammation is the acute inflammation you experience when twisting your ankle, having a cold, or allergies. The inflammation usually goes away after lots of rest, hydration, and maybe medicine. The “bad” inflammation is chronic inflammation because your body is under constant stress and being overworked to heal your body. Chronic inflammation can put you at risk for developing diabetes, heart disease, stroke, liver problems, cancer, dementia, and autoimmune diseases. Prolonged exposure to irritants or toxins can cause a number of health problems. Examples of chronic inflammation may be bloating, aching joints, and persistent fatigue. There are many ways you can adjust in your life to fight inflammation or prevent it.

What You Can Do

Know Your Medical History: The first step towards preventative measures or fighting inflammation is to understand your family history. If there is a history of diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and/or stroke, all signs of chronic inflammation, consult with your health care provider on how you should proceed.

Exercise: Regardless of where you may be at in your fitness journey, a little exercise never hurt anyone. Physical activities keep your body healthy, providing boosts of energy throughout your day. Exercise doesn’t have to be intense like HIIT, it can be a walk or a light jog in the mornings or evenings. You will best reap the benefits by exercising three to four times a week for 30 to 40 minutes at a time. Even a short walk during your lunch break can be beneficial!

Limit Your Exposure to Harmful Chemicals: Your house dust contains many toxic chemicals. Simply doing the housekeeping basics of regular vacuuming and dusting will be a huge benefit for you in the long run. Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently (avoid using antibacterial soap and hand sanitizers) since you never know what your hands have come in contact with… In addition, avoid purchasing products that are artificially scented because they often contain chemicals linked to causing cancer. Any time your body comes in contact with toxins, it will naturally attempt to filter them out. Prolonged exposure to toxic chemicals will increase your risk of chronic inflammation.

Manage Your Stress: Chronic stress can contribute to inflammation. If you’re a millennial like me, you probably experience a lot of stress on a daily basis. However, regardless of your age, if you experience chronic stress from work and/or your personal life, it is imperative you learn how to take care of yourself. Not only can you reduce your risk of potential health problems, but you will also be a lot happier. Trust, I would know.

Drink Water: Drink lots and lots of it. Daily hydration helps your body flush out toxins, aiding it to fight chronic inflammation. I love water, but not everyone likes how bland it may be. You can try adding slices of lemon into your water or drinking beverages that are mostly water such as tea and coconut water. Water is still best, though. Drink at least eight cups (8 oz each) of water each day. It’ll help fight inflammation resulting in clearer skin and more energy on a day-to-day basis.

Eat Healthily

Eating healthy is one of the best ways to fight inflammation. Below, I have listed some of my favorite top anti-inflammatory foods. I personally enjoy these foods on a daily basis whenever possible. I’ve also listed foods that you should probably avoid if you don’t want to suffer from inflammation.

Avocados (I’m from California so of course, I LOVE avocados): These yummy fruits are delicious in any three meals of the day, and they contain beneficial compounds like carotenoids and tocopherols that fight inflammation and reduce your risk of cancer. They are a great breakfast food too, filled with potassium, magnesium, fiber, and monounsaturated fats. Sometimes, I like eating my plain, but you can try making an avocado toast!

Blueberries: If you can, go for organic blueberries that are pesticide-free. Blueberries are a great snack and contain the antioxidant, anthocyanin, which has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. If you’re ever in Boston, definitely check out if you can go blueberry picking!

Broccoli: Studies provide evidence that consuming cruciferous vegetables decreases the risks of heart disease and cancer. Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable and its rich in sulforaphane, an antioxidant that also fights inflammation.

Chia Seeds: Chia seeds are a great source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids which can help alleviate inflammation. They can be easily incorporated into your diet as an ingredient in an anti-inflammatory smoothie along with blueberries and leafy greens!

Dark Chocolate: Cocoa contains flavanols that are anti-inflammatory. Opt for dark chocolate that contains at least 70% cocoa in order for you to reap its anti-inflammatory benefits.

Ginger: Ginger contains gingerol, which has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Ginger is often used to help treat nausea, reduce muscle pain, lower blood sugars, and soothe chronic indigestion. Whenever I have a sore throat, I love a good hot cup of honey ginger tea.

Salmon: Like chia seeds, salmon is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. To minimize exposure to mercury, go for wild-caught Alaskan salmon.

Tomatoes: Not only do they contain lycopene, an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties, but they are also packed with vitamin C and potassium.

Turmeric: Curcumin is the anti-inflammatory nutrient found in turmeric, rendering turmeric aids in the reduction of inflammation related to arthritis and diabetes.

Bell Peppers and Chili Peppers: Both peppers contain lots of Vitamin C and antioxidants. The antioxidant found in bell peppers is quercetin which helps people who suffer from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease. Chili peppers contain sinapic acid and ferulic acid, both of which reduce inflammation.

Inflammatory Foods to Avoid

Processed Meats: sausages, bacon, beef jerky, hamburger [atties

Refined Sugars & Artificial Sweeteners: soda, sugary drinks, Splenda®

Refined Grains & Gluten: white/whole wheat bread, most packaged snacks

Anything Deep Fried or High in Fat: french fries, fried chicken

Minimizing Your Exposure to Environmental Toxins

On a daily basis, we are exposed to toxic chemicals that are capable of damaging our biological systems after prolonged exposure. These harmful chemicals could be naturally occurring in your own homes such as lead, mercury, radon, formaldehyde, and benzene. Studies have shown that exposure to lead and mercury could lead to organ failure and developmental problems. Meanwhile, radon, formaldehyde, and benzene are categorized as carcinogens, chemicals capable of causing cancer. The harmful chemicals can also be man-made such as bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, and pesticides. All three of these chemicals are categorized as endocrine disruptors, which means they interfere with the body’s endocrine system, resulting in adverse development, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects. Environmental toxins can be found everywhere so it is impossible to completely eliminate them in your daily life found in your home and perhaps a smoking habit. However, there are ways to minimize one’s exposure.

Housekeeping Tips

Vacuum and Dust: Many of the furniture and carpet padding that you own contains flame retardants in order to prevent fires from starting or to slow down the process of burning. And that’s not too great for us asides from fire prevention because flame retardants contain numerous toxic chemicals. The little particles of the flame retardants don’t necessarily stick onto your furniture, but instead, can be found in your house dust, mixed in with other harmful chemicals such as lead and pesticides. Since you can’t just toss out your furniture, you can minimize your exposure by vacuuming twice a week and dusting your house regularly. In addition, make sure your vacuum has strong suction and is equipped with a HEPA (highly efficiency particulate air) filter.

Air out Your Home: Another way in which you are exposed to environmental toxins is through mold particles. Thus, it is important that you have a good ventilation system in your own home in order to prevent mold growth. There are a few options by which you can control moisture in your house: using dehumidifiers if you live in a relatively humid climate and installing vents and fans in your bathrooms. My mother has this habit of throwing open our windows first thing in the morning; she says it’s because the morning air is really fresh. If mold is allowed to grow, being chronically exposed to its toxic spores could cause severe health such as bleeding in the lungs.

Upgrade Your Cleaning Products: Have you ever peeked under your own kitchen sink (or wherever you keep your cleaning products) and look carefully through the various labels, finding the warning signs “DANGER” or POISON”? Those cleaning products, my friend, aren’t only killing bacteria, they could be killing you in the long run. If possible, use safe cleaning products that are biodegradable and contain plant-based ingredients! Most companies will not be transparent with you about what they use in their products since they aren’t required by law; so do your research!

Filter Your Tap Water: According to studies, drinking filter tap water is safer than drinking bottled water, granted that you don’t have rusting pipes (which is the case in my house, and we just buy water by the gallon). The reason why filtered tap water is safer is that tap water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency which requires them to report the number of toxins in the water while the Foods and Drugs Administration that regulates bottled water has no such requirement. Invest in a water filter at home, and you’ll save money and yourself by avoiding plastic bottles.

Buy Plants for Your Home: Not only are plants lovely to look at, but they are capable of removing harmful chemicals like formaldehyde (found in various home products) and benzene (found in tobacco smoke and detergent). Most indoor air-purifying plants are low maintenance and require little watering and sunlight, yet they do so much cleaning for you just by being in your house.

Avoid the Following: Smoking, burning wood, burning cheap candles, using air fresheners, spraying pesticides (chronic exposure to pesticides puts you at higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease).

Take Care of Your Body

Quit Smoking: If you smoke, maybe it’s time to consider quitting because regular cigarette smoke and secondhand smoke put you and the people around you in chronic exposure to benzene and formaldehyde. These toxic chemicals put you at a higher risk of getting cancer.

Wash Your Hands: Sounds very elementary right? But, there is a proper way of washing your hands, which is washing your hands for at least 20 seconds using non-antibacterial hand soap. Avoid using hand sanitizers, and opt for using some bottled water and napkin to rinse your hands instead. Using antibacterial hand soap can decrease your immunity systems and using hand sanitizers leaves chemicals on your hands.

Go Organic: Prolonged exposure to pesticides can lead to birth defects, endocrine disruptions, neurological disorders, and cancer. Organic fruits and vegetables are the way to go if you wish to ingest fewer pesticides. You also protect the environment! Consuming organic produce can be very taxing on one’s budget, especially that of a college student. You can save money and still eat healthy by going to your local farmer’s market and buying in-season produce whenever possible. For the produce that you regularly consume and those without peels (like berries and apples), buy organic as those most affect your exposure to environmental toxins.

Choose Your Fish Wisely:. Fish is healthy since they contain Omega-3 acids, which help fight inflammation. However, mercury is found primarily in seafood thanks to industrial coal-fueled power plants. You can still eat fish, but eat them less and eat smaller fish as they contain less mercury. Here are a few suggestions: albacore tuna (pole-caught, US), salmon (wild-caught, Alaska), sardines (wild caught, Pacific), and rainbow trout (farmed).

Use Less Plastic and Eat Less Canned: Plastics and food cans contain two harmful chemicals: bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. As endocrine disruptors, these chemicals interfere with testosterone levels and affect breast development. BPA can be found in a range of products from the lining of food cans to water bottles to store receipts while phthalates are often found in synthetic materials like shower curtains and synthetic leather. While you may not have the budget to replace all your synthetic materials, you can start with baby steps like replacing your plastic water bottles with stainless steel ones and your plastic food containers with glass ones.

Fashion

I believe California requires clothing stores to post warnings about their products… that they contain chemicals known to cause cancer. Which is why I believe the final step to minimizing your exposure to environmental toxins is being mindful of where you may be purchasing your clothing. There’s been a rise of ethic-friendly and eco-friendly companies producing organic clothing. An example is sourcing organic cotton which protects the environment, farmers, producers, and consumers. Sourcing organic cotton can become expensive, which means the products can also be quite pricey. If purchasing from these brands are not a plausible option, you can also lessen the impact of harmful chemicals from clothes by changing up your laundry detergent. Scented laundry detergent and dryer sheets often contain benzene, so try out a non-toxic laundry detergent!

Favorite Boba Places in the Bay Area

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I’m not exactly sure whose idea it was for me to move all the way to Boston for school. Boston, a historical beautiful, diverse city, lacking in delicious bubble tea (as the East Coast calls it). Maybe it’s a good thing that there aren’t many options out here because I cut half my calorie/sugar intake when I’m at school. I’m always excited to go home and make my rounds to my favorite boba spots. In no particular order, I introduce to you, my favorite places for boba:

Fantasia: High School Favorite
Past Favorite(s): Taro Milk, Pearl Milk Tea
Current Favorite: Hot Grass Jelly w/ Taro Balls

Fantasia was my favorite boba place when I was in high school mainly for one reason: they used actual taro in their drinks. Taro milk was my favorite drink and still is my favorite to make at home. The reason why I’m so obsessed with actual taro is that consuming powder taro always ends up with me having a headache of some sorts. The other reason is their regular milk tea is delicious… coming from someone who was born in Taiwan, I think I have some credibility to say I know what good milk tea and boba tastes like.

I use to frequent the Cupertino location, but they have since changed managers along with their recipe for their regular milk tea, so now I occasionally visit the Milpitas location for some Hot Grass Jelly with Taro Balls in the winter and regular milk tea any time during the year.

Happy Lemon: Fiancé’s Favorite
Past Favorite(s): Black Tea Salted Cheese
Current Favorite: Mango Matcha

The brand Happy Lemon itself exploded in the Bay Area with various locations popping up all within two years! Every time the fiancé and I wanted Happy Lemon, we had a 15-20 minute drive to the nearest location. Now, there’s one literally minutes away from my house by car. You would think matcha and mango sound weird together, right? Because that’s what I thought! Until I tried it… and I was like WOWza. (Also, I love matcha lattes, but the makeshift at Starbucks and the actual ones at coffee shops. I don’t like ordering them from boba places.)

TP Tea: Best Overall Milk Tea
Current Favorite: Grass Jelly Milk Tea

TP Tea is my official go-to nowadays whenever I’m craving milk tea in particular. The wait can be long depending on when you go, and service may not always be the fastest, but I’m usually pretty patient. Sometimes, I’ll even bring in my Switch to play while waiting in line and after for my drink. If they had pudding as a topping, I would probably switch between grass jelly and pudding depending on my mood.

Ten Ren: Best Tea
Past Favorite(s): Passion Fruit Milk Tea
Current Favorite(s): Roasted Oolong Milk Tea, Honey Lemon Green Tea w/Ai Yu

I enjoy Ten Ren because they have decent tea, even though all my friends in Taiwan say Ten Ren is like the worst… In high school, I loved going to Ten Ren for their passion fruit milk tea. I don’t know when I stopped ordering it, but now I love having the honey lemon green tea w/Ai Yu during the summer and roasted oolong milk tea also with grass jelly when I’m not too full from whatever meal I may have had beforehand. Also, my fiance and I love coming here to redeem our BOGO deals heh.

Boba Guys: SF Favorite
Current Favorite: Hong Kong Style

Almost every time I make a trip to San Francisco, I cannot leave the city without stopping by Boba Guys for their Hong Kong Style milk tea. Come to think of it, I actually do get boba here on some occasions. Those few rare times. On top of that, they have mochi muffins from Third Culture Bakery that are just so delicious.

You may have noticed that I don’t have a current favorite drink with actual boba inside. This is kind of what happens when you have consumed too much boba. My other reason is that I’m trying to watch my weight, so I’m not too big of a fan of chewing on honey-soaked starch. They’re good, don’t get me wrong. Just maybe not what my body is looking for at the moment.

The Importance of Your Work-Life Balance

The world is constantly striving to be better, faster, and more successful. We can see that in our technological advancements that improve productivity which drive up profits. Driven by money, employers place their employees under chronic stress that could put their mental health at risk. When employees are not provided with healthy alternatives or stress management skills, they can easily turn to unhealthy ways of coping such as smoking, drinking, and drugs. At any workplace, it is important to have resources like stress management education, addiction recovery resources, and drug addiction support.

I value having plenty of work-life balance in my future career because I have struggled to deal with stress under various circumstances that have put my mental health at risk. I am still learning stress management while balancing my daily activities from school to work to my personal life.

Now, what exactly is work-life balance? And what is its relation to workplace addiction?

The Fine Balance Between Work and Life

Work-life balance is an individual’s balance between time for work and time for other aspects of life such as family, friends, personal time, etc. So, unfortunately, I don’t have a rubric for what is a perfect balance between work and life since each individual prioritizes and values things differently. He/she may be in different stages of life and have different economic statuses. As an individual, it is your responsibility to understand what your own work-life balance is in order to establish healthy habits in your everyday life. It will not only benefit yourself but also those around you, from coworkers to friends to your family members. I have found it interesting to look at the generational differences between my father’s work-life balance and mine.

Although my father is part of Gen X, his work-life balance is similar to that of those in the Baby Boomers generation. It is probably because he experienced many hardships growing up and despite having only a high school degree, he worked his way to the States with my family in tow. Although family time was important to my father, he worked around 12 hours a day and on weekends because providing for his family was more important. Because he worked so much, he experienced moderate to high levels of stress that did affect the household dynamics. It’s better now, but it’s not unusual that he has been at that company for more than 10 years since, which is very different for millennials like me.

My ideal work-balance in a career is where the stress stays at work and doesn’t come home with me. For me, it is important that I have time for myself for personal reflection as well as time to pursue my hobbies. By participating in activities that give me joy, I then have a way to relieve my daily stress from work, and that is something I highly value on a day-to-day basis. I know that if I work continuously without any breaks or time for leisure, my productivity levels would drop and I would be prone to having more anxiety attacks. New tech companies like LinkedIn and Apple offer great work-life balance when they provide their employees with many health, fitness, nutritional, and networking benefits.

Poor Work-Life Balance Leads to Poor Choices

Poor work-life balance leads to constant stress on a person’s mental state which could lead to mental health issues. When one’s mental state is not stable, they are more likely to not have control over their impulses and become a perfect victim of alcohol and drug abuse.

The food & beverages industry is an industry in which poor work-life balance can be found. It is non-stop physical work and constant communication with people who aren’t necessarily the nicest. Imagine having to constantly deal with entitled customers who are seen as “royalty” and letting them talk down to you while you force a smile back and heed their almost every need, and then be given little to no tips. Let’s add on that you may have a family to support, or you’re taking night classes to finish school, so you’re really working hard and being treated like trash. You’re going to want to relax afterward, but the question is how? Having worked in this industry, I remember going home with a small bottle of wine to drink by myself (in moderation of course). But, I did have coworkers that would go out that same night to the club as a way to cope with the stress. They’ll come to work the next evening still hungover. Another thing that isn’t uncommon is that workers step out for a quick smoke after a super busy and stressful day.

Chronic stress in the workplace that goes unchecked can increase one’s vulnerability to addiction. The Self-Medication Hypothesis (first published in the American Journal of Psychiatry) offers an explanation as to why unchecked chronic stress at work may lead people to alcohol and substance abuse. When people are feeling bad, it’s only natural to want to feel good or get away from the situation that makes them feel bad.

Impacts of Workplace Addiction

Workplace addiction isn’t confined to just the food & beverage industry, it is most likely present everywhere you go. Workplace addiction is harmful and dangerous to both the company and its employees as seen in decreases of profit and increases of occupational injuries and fatalities. It’s hard to work with employees who are often tardy, requesting excessive days, sleeping on the job, making poor decisions due to being hungover, or overly aggressive or defensive. These are some of the effects of workplace addiction, and they serve as signs of addiction to watch out for as employers.

Creating a Healthy Workplace

In order to create a healthy workplace to benefit both the employer and employee, it is important to take time to learn about stress management. Some things you could do to manage your stress are:

Write down what stresses you out
Take time for yourself and relax
Get support if you need it
Develop healthy responses to stressful circumstances

Employers can do their part by establishing an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to address alcohol and drug problems and support recovery for addiction. For employees working remotely, there are also many online addiction recovery resources available.

Outbound Marketing vs Inbound Marketing

Sometimes when I feel a need to stretch my legs, I would take a short walk to my neighborhood Starbucks with just my phone, house key, and a book (currently it’s been Kevin Kwan’s Rich People Problems). And sometimes, I’d people-watch, peering over my paperback from time to time. I know that I am young, but I am still surprised by how fast the digital age, that started in the 1970s, would quickly consume many aspects of my life in just 20 years. Everyone’s on an electronic device. While I still prefer the smell of actual books over the convenience of kindles and looking at advertisements on Starbucks’ pinboard, I know I’d probably have an anxiety attack without my phone and that online marketing really works when I end up buying a super expensive hair dryer because some Instagram celebrities I was following, raved about it.

With the rapid development of the internet and the constant updates to technology over the years, it is no surprise that businesses are investing more in inbound marketing in their internet marketing. (Now that was a mouthful to say). To understand inbound marketing, we must also understand outbound marketing. My goal here is to compare the two and persuade you that one is better than the other especially if you want to target people my age (who will most likely be your major consumers when we start making big bucks after graduation), and of course, everyone else in the States that average 11 hours of screen time a day. Think of the endless opportunities in internet marketing!

The Outbound Marketing in Traditional Marketing

Before explaining the new trend that is inbound marketing, it’s best to explain the past in order to understand the present. That’s what history class taught me anyway: we learn from our past so we can do better in the future. Although, not everyone adopts this method…

Jokes aside, outbound marketing is a method of traditional marketing that seeks to drive sales through mass publications in TV ads, radio advertising, print advertising, email salesletters, direct mail, yellow pages, telemarketing, and outdoor billboards. In other words, these are the annoying “I’m going to shove myself in your face” type of advertisements that we tend to avoid. Unless, of course, you actually do enjoy your favorite TV show/movie being interrupted by TV commercials or having to open the door to hard-working salesmen that you just don’t have the time to entertain.

As intrusive as these methods are in our daily lives, they continue to exist and are now considered traditional marketing because they still work. They work because they are everywhere you go so that you unconsciously remember bits and pieces of different campaigns you may come across. They’ll pop up in your mind when you least expect. Traditional marketing uses outbound marketing strategies to reach everyone.

However, outbound marketing is no longer working as efficiently as it did in the past because consumers have adapted and learned how to avoid or tune out the tactics of traditional marketing. For example, streaming services like Netflix and Hulu now allow consumers to binge watch their favorite shows without advertisements, and Spotify Premium lets consumers enjoy music without interruption. Some do say that because we are on our phones so much that we no longer have time to look at billboards anymore. I would beg to differ since I get motion sickness from being on my phone in a moving vehicle and I’d like to not be on my phone while crossing the streets so I can watch out for cars. And I love billboards (the good ones).

Although traditional marketing still works with its outbound tactics, consumers are becoming smarter and technology more advanced. Consequently, it’s important to turn to internet marketing and reap the benefits that inbound marketing can offer there.

The New Trend That Is Inbound Marketing

Internet marketing, or online marketing, refers to advertising and marketing through the Web and email. Inbound marketing takes online marketing tactics such as search engine optimization, content creation, calls-to-action, social media, and emails to create communication between the business and its consumers that is beneficial for lead generation, which leads to sales.

As internet and technology advance, consumers are given the tools to find what they want on their own, which means they are more likely to turn a blind eye to a billboard and jump onto Google searching “best specialty coffee in San Francisco.” Using inbound marketing, a marketer creates leads for the consumer by managing a Yelp page, a Google+ page, a website/blog all the while, improving SEO rankings for his/her company. Consumers have access to a company’s leads simply with a few touches on a smartphone or laptop. Inbound marketing empowers and informs the consumer on the product they need or desire.

Inbound marketing not only benefits big businesses but also smaller business on a budget because internet marketing is considerably cheaper to run than buying billboard spaces, paying for TV advertisements, etc. Although it demands a smaller budget, online marketing can be very difficult and requires marketers who have an understanding of marketing in general, strong communication skills, and the ability to manage multiple channels constantly. Anyone can set up a website or blog, but not everyone can make it a successful one. There is more and more competition online as businesses are quickly learning the skills for online marketing, and one misstep could cause you to be bumped down in SEO rankings, meaning you’ll show up on the second page of a search rather than the first.

Inbound Marketing At Work

One of my favorite inbound marketing campaigns is Everlane’s Transparency Tuesday on its Instagram stories. Everlane is a clothing brand focused on “Exception quality. Ethical factories. Radical Transparency.” Although I have not purchased anything from the company, I’m already a fan and plan to purchase simply because Everlane does a great job at communicating and being transparent with its online audience. It allows consumers and prospective customers such as I to feel that they are friends and that the people in the company have our best interests in mind. I know that if I want clothes that are ethically produced, I can count on Everlane to provide that for me.

Potato Chip Thoughts on Internet Marketing

I personally think that the idea behind inbound marketing also extends to our work cultures. For example, old-school corporate companies threaten their employees with unemployment to enforce hard work, while new tech companies like Google and LinkedIn offer many employee benefits in exchange for hard work. Similarly, outbound marketing in traditional marketing puts their products on blast in order to reach more people and generate more sales, while inbound marketing lays out bread crumbs of interest for consumers to gain their trust and loyalty and then achieve sale results. There’s a whole shift from impersonal to personal as businesses move from throwing information at their customers to opening up dialogue with consumers in internet marketing. It seems businesses are empowering the consumers to be in charge… or are they?