Latest news with #emotionalawareness
Fox News
25-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Dog owners who ruminate about work stress may pass anxiety to their pooch: study
If your job has you feeling tense, your dog might be feeling it too. A new study published in Scientific Reports finds that stress from work can affect your dog at home. The research, led by Tanya Mitropoulos and Allison Andrukonis, shows that when dog owners dwell on work problems after hours, a habit known as "work-related rumination," their pets show more signs of stress. Researchers surveyed 85 working dog owners. They measured job stress and how often people kept thinking about work during their free time. Then they asked how stressed owners thought their dogs were and also tracked actual behaviors linked to canine stress, like whining, pacing or restlessness. The study found that owners with higher job stress had dogs who showed more stress-related behaviors. That link stayed strong even when the researchers accounted for other stress in the home. Interestingly, owners didn't always realize their dogs were stressed. It was a pup's behavior that told the story. The big factor driving the connection? Rumination. Owners who mentally took work home were more likely to have stressed-out dogs. Thinking about work off the clock seemed to spread stress from humans to pets. This idea is known as "crossover," when one person's stress spills over to others in a home. Previous research has shown this happens between spouses, and now there's evidence it can happen between people and their pets too. Dogs are especially sensitive to their owners' moods. Scientists call this "emotional contagion," the idea that dogs can pick up on human feelings through tone of voice, body language and other subtle cues. When an owner is distracted or irritable from work stress, the dog notices. Over time, this can affect the dog's well-being. The study also suggests another explanation. When people are focused on work problems, they may become less patient, more distant or less consistent with routines like walks and feeding. That kind of change in care can also increase stress in dogs. The authors point out that Americans overwhelmingly see their pets as part of the family. That makes it even more important to understand how our behavior affects them. In the study's words, "employed dog owners might benefit from avoiding work-related ruminations when at home to protect the well-being of man's best friend." Putting work aside when you walk through the door doesn't just help your own health. It helps your dog, too.
Forbes
20-05-2025
- Health
- Forbes
What Businesses Can Learn From Family Systems
From hierarchy to humanity: the future of work through a systems' lens. Kyra Odell contributed to this story. In many ways, today's workplace thrives on human energy. Gone are the days when businesses operated like machines—now, they're starting to look much more like families, with their increased emphasis on interpersonal connections and emotional awareness. Contrary to what many might initially believe, this is far from a liability: rather, such a shift might be the most powerful tool for building healthier, creative, and resilient organizations in an increasingly uncertain world. According to Susan Mintzberg— a recent graduate from McGill University's PhD program in social work and the daughter of famed management academic and author Henry Mintzberg—looking at businesses the same way she approaches family conflicts in her field practice could yield immense benefit. Having held careers in photojournalism, community mental health counselling, and academic research and instruction, Mintzberg has always maintained a passion for helping others grow, develop, and overcome obstacles. Her interest in the intersections between families and individual mental health was sparked when she began working at a community crisis center. Having experienced the difficulties of having a family member struggling with mental health herself only fueled her drive. 'I was kind of living it…and so I knew what the system was. I knew some of the issues. I didn't get into mental health because of it, but I think it's what kept me going.' Before returning to her postgraduate studies, Mintzberg spent years working in community mental health, providing counseling, crisis education, and psychoeducation services. Most often, her cases centered around families 'where someone in the family had severe mental illness, but often didn't want or realize they needed help…the family just was at wits' end and didn't know what to do,' she says. In these situations, she focused not solely on the struggling individual, but also on the whole family as a system. This perspective helped identify that a child acting out was most frequently the result of some larger dysfunction within the family—such as tension between parents—instead of some inherent issue with the child. To solve the individual problem, she believes, we must consider the whole system. Mintzberg carried these early learnings into her postgraduate studies in social work, where she further expanded on the importance of the family unit in treating individual mental health issues. When her focus shifted towards the larger institutionalized mental health system, she began to ask, 'why aren't families more regularly involved in mental health treatment?' She found the answer to this problem in the way we define expertise within any given field of study—where we often see expertise as something held only by the experts. Most of her research and field experience, however, indicated that the family also had 'an expertise that is not recognized' in mental health treatment, and the reason 'we're not engaging or collaborating with families more is because we don't recognize what they're bringing.' To build and maintain more effective systems, Mintzberg learned, we must first expand our understanding of who holds valuable knowledge and begin treating lived experience as its own kind of particularly powerful expertise. As fascinating and undeniably valuable as Susan's work is, how can it translate into the world of business? According to her, the answer is quite simple: looking at systems instead of individuals, and considering every form of 'expertise,' do not have to be limited only to mental health—rather, they can be easily applied to 'society at large.' In any field, whether that be policy, education, or business, Susan's approach can yield great benefits, simply by broadening our perspectives and encouraging adaptability. When there arises a problem within a team or an organization, we have a tendency to single out one person as the source of dysfunction and concentrate our efforts on dealing only with that individual. 'It's so easy to pinpoint that one person, and you bring in HR, you bring the manager, you pull that person out, and look at that—the problem's still persevering,' Mintzberg says. She notes that although individuals may contribute to problems, their behavior often signals deeper issues within the system. The pinpointed person is commonly responding to a bigger problem—whether that be within the management, the leader of the team's attitude towards leading, or another structural deficiency, she says. This is not merely to excuse the problematic individual's behavior and allow it to continue, but instead just to be looking at things more broadly. If the issue really is rooted in the system, getting rid of one person will not have any effect—the same problem is likely to just crop up again elsewhere. In short, instead of trying (and often failing) to put a band-aid on a bullet wound by blaming one person for a much larger issue, we need to start becoming more open to changing these systems themselves to adapt to the ever-changing demands of our hectic world. Mintzberg sees another possible parallel between her research and the realities of business when it comes to expertise. In the same way that she believes mental health experts should consider and value the unique expertise of families, so too should businesses and organizations incorporate the less conventional forms of expertise supplied by their employees into their decision-making. Too often, decisions are made solely by upper management, with too little consideration of 'the people on the front lines,' says Mintzberg. In our current 'VUCA' (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world, where circumstances seem to shift second-by-second, these archaic strategies of alienated, top-down management have little actual value. As a result, decisions often suffer from being 'detached from what's really going on,' she says. 'You get all these people needing to do stuff in their jobs that they either don't agree with or that they know isn't going to work, because they haven't been consulted,' she continues. For her, to truly thrive in today's fast-paced environment, we must change our ideas about 'expertise': it is not something held only by CEOs or those with sophisticated degrees, but rather something that any individual with front-line experience of the real world—whether that be in mental health or business—can bring to the table. Mintzberg's insights gesture towards a wider movement in the world of business; one of heightened awareness and sensitivity towards the importance of mental health. This is largely thanks to the pandemic, which highlighted the topic as a primary issue not only in one's personal life, but further as a necessary consideration within organizations and their management. Furthermore, she does not limit the discussion only to mental illnesses to being unwell. Instead, she sees the importance of everyday feelings and attitudes, particularly in a working environment. 'Are people going into work and are they feeling heard? Are they content in their job? Do they feel that the effort they're putting in is worth their while?' asks Mintzberg. '[Without these elements], you're just not going to be satisfied in what you're doing, and that has a huge impact on people's mental health and then has an impact on the mental health of the team,' she says. Organizations that discount employee expertise and refuse to address systemic issues risk not only limited adaptability but also losing valuable insights from younger generations who prioritize mental wellbeing in the workplace. Leadership plays the crucial role in transformation—just as parents model healthy emotional expression for children, managers must set the tone for their teams. Moving beyond the superhero CEO archetype toward authentic leadership creates space for employees to bring their whole, authentic selves to work, fostering environments where diverse ideas flourish. By embracing systems thinking and recognizing the expertise of all members, organizations can develop the creativity, adaptability, and trust needed to thrive in today's volatile landscape. The future belongs to organizations that view human emotions and diverse perspectives not as weaknesses to be managed, but as sources of strength.
Forbes
19-05-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Mintzberg On What Business Can Learn From Family Systems
From hierarchy to humanity: the future of work through a systems' lens. Kyra Odell contributed to this story. In many ways, today's workplace thrives on human energy. Gone are the days when businesses operated like machines—now, they're starting to look much more like families, with their increased emphasis on interpersonal connections and emotional awareness. Contrary to what many might initially believe, this is far from a liability: rather, such a shift might be the most powerful tool for building healthier, creative, and resilient organizations in an increasingly uncertain world. According to Susan Mintzberg— a recent graduate from McGill University's PhD program in social work and the daughter of famed management academic and author Henry Mintzberg—looking at businesses the same way she approaches family conflicts in her field practice could yield immense benefit. Having held careers in photojournalism, community mental health counselling, and academic research and instruction, Mintzberg has always maintained a passion for helping others grow, develop, and overcome obstacles. Her interest in the intersections between families and individual mental health was sparked when she began working at a community crisis center. Having experienced the difficulties of having a family member struggling with mental health herself only fueled her drive. 'I was kind of living it…and so I knew what the system was. I knew some of the issues. I didn't get into mental health because of it, but I think it's what kept me going.' Before returning to her postgraduate studies, Mintzberg spent years working in community mental health, providing counseling, crisis education, and psychoeducation services. Most often, her cases centered around families 'where someone in the family had severe mental illness, but often didn't want or realize they needed help…the family just was at wits' end and didn't know what to do,' she says. In these situations, she focused not solely on the struggling individual, but also on the whole family as a system. This perspective helped identify that a child acting out was most frequently the result of some larger dysfunction within the family—such as tension between parents—instead of some inherent issue with the child. To solve the individual problem, she believes, we must consider the whole system. Mintzberg carried these early learnings into her postgraduate studies in social work, where she further expanded on the importance of the family unit in treating individual mental health issues. When her focus shifted towards the larger institutionalized mental health system, she began to ask, 'why aren't families more regularly involved in mental health treatment?' She found the answer to this problem in the way we define expertise within any given field of study—where we often see expertise as something held only by the experts. Most of her research and field experience, however, indicated that the family also had 'an expertise that is not recognized' in mental health treatment, and the reason 'we're not engaging or collaborating with families more is because we don't recognize what they're bringing.' To build and maintain more effective systems, Mintzberg learned, we must first expand our understanding of who holds valuable knowledge and begin treating lived experience as its own kind of particularly powerful expertise. As fascinating and undeniably valuable as Susan's work is, how can it translate into the world of business? According to her, the answer is quite simple: looking at systems instead of individuals, and considering every form of 'expertise,' do not have to be limited only to mental health—rather, they can be easily applied to 'society at large.' In any field, whether that be policy, education, or business, Susan's approach can yield great benefits, simply by broadening our perspectives and encouraging adaptability. When there arises a problem within a team or an organization, we have a tendency to single out one person as the source of dysfunction and concentrate our efforts on dealing only with that individual. 'It's so easy to pinpoint that one person, and you bring in HR, you bring the manager, you pull that person out, and look at that—the problem's still persevering,' Mintzberg says. She notes that although individuals may contribute to problems, their behavior often signals deeper issues within the system. The pinpointed person is commonly responding to a bigger problem—whether that be within the management, the leader of the team's attitude towards leading, or another structural deficiency, she says. This is not merely to excuse the problematic individual's behavior and allow it to continue, but instead just to be looking at things more broadly. If the issue really is rooted in the system, getting rid of one person will not have any effect—the same problem is likely to just crop up again elsewhere. In short, instead of trying (and often failing) to put a band-aid on a bullet wound by blaming one person for a much larger issue, we need to start becoming more open to changing these systems themselves to adapt to the ever-changing demands of our hectic world. Mintzberg sees another possible parallel between her research and the realities of business when it comes to expertise. In the same way that she believes mental health experts should consider and value the unique expertise of families, so too should businesses and organizations incorporate the less conventional forms of expertise supplied by their employees into their decision-making. Too often, decisions are made solely by upper management, with too little consideration of 'the people on the front lines,' says Mintzberg. In our current 'VUCA' (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world, where circumstances seem to shift second-by-second, these archaic strategies of alienated, top-down management have little actual value. As a result, decisions often suffer from being 'detached from what's really going on,' she says. 'You get all these people needing to do stuff in their jobs that they either don't agree with or that they know isn't going to work, because they haven't been consulted,' she continues. For her, to truly thrive in today's fast-paced environment, we must change our ideas about 'expertise': it is not something held only by CEOs or those with sophisticated degrees, but rather something that any individual with front-line experience of the real world—whether that be in mental health or business—can bring to the table. Mintzberg's insights gesture towards a wider movement in the world of business; one of heightened awareness and sensitivity towards the importance of mental health. This is largely thanks to the pandemic, which highlighted the topic as a primary issue not only in one's personal life, but further as a necessary consideration within organizations and their management. Furthermore, she does not limit the discussion only to mental illnesses to being unwell. Instead, she sees the importance of everyday feelings and attitudes, particularly in a working environment. 'Are people going into work and are they feeling heard? Are they content in their job? Do they feel that the effort they're putting in is worth their while?' asks Mintzberg. '[Without these elements], you're just not going to be satisfied in what you're doing, and that has a huge impact on people's mental health and then has an impact on the mental health of the team,' she says. Organizations that discount employee expertise and refuse to address systemic issues risk not only limited adaptability but also losing valuable insights from younger generations who prioritize mental wellbeing in the workplace. Leadership plays the crucial role in transformation—just as parents model healthy emotional expression for children, managers must set the tone for their teams. Moving beyond the superhero CEO archetype toward authentic leadership creates space for employees to bring their whole, authentic selves to work, fostering environments where diverse ideas flourish. By embracing systems thinking and recognizing the expertise of all members, organizations can develop the creativity, adaptability, and trust needed to thrive in today's volatile landscape. The future belongs to organizations that view human emotions and diverse perspectives not as weaknesses to be managed, but as sources of strength.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
13 Signs Your Parents Never Really Understood You—And Still Don't
It's one thing to clash with your parents every now and then—that's part of being human. But it's another thing entirely to grow up feeling like they never truly saw you, and maybe still don't. Some families just weren't built around emotional awareness, and if you grew up in a house where being sensitive or different was treated like a problem to fix, you know how quietly painful that can be. Maybe your parents still talk to you like a version of yourself that never really existed, clinging to old labels and outdated stories because it's easier than confronting who you've become. These aren't just quirky dynamics or occasional misunderstandings—they're deep emotional fractures that often start in childhood and echo well into adulthood. If you find yourself constantly second-guessing your feelings, doubting your memories, or trying to explain your inner world to people who raised you, this one's for you. Maybe you had big feelings, asked uncomfortable questions, or simply refused to go along with the program. Instead of being met with curiosity or compassion, you were labeled as the 'difficult' one—the kid who made things harder. That label may have stuck not because it was true, but because it helped your parents avoid doing deeper emotional work. If they're still referring to you that way in adulthood, it's a sign they haven't updated their view of who you are. They're clinging to a simplified narrative that protects their own sense of control or righteousness. But you were never 'difficult'—you were just expressive in a family that didn't know what to do with expression. When you try to talk about your childhood, they respond with things like, 'That's not how it happened,' or 'You're being dramatic.' These aren't just throwaway comments—they're attempts to rewrite your emotional reality. It's a subtle form of gaslighting that can leave you feeling destabilized and unseen according to Verywell Mind. Dismissing your memories is a way of dodging accountability. It suggests that your emotional truth is negotiable, even when you're calmly trying to be heard. That's not emotional maturity—it's self-protection disguised as parenting. Your parents love to brag about your degree, your job title, or your accomplishments—but when it comes to your identity, values, or emotional depth, they go silent. This kind of selective support feels like a conditional contract: be impressive, but not too different. Shine, but don't stray too far from the script. If they only acknowledge the parts of you that reflect well on them, they're not seeing you—they're projecting a version they can control. You shouldn't have to shrink, shape-shift, or overperform just to receive love. True understanding means embracing the whole person, not just the palatable facade. You're an adult now, but somehow your life is still open to their constant critique—your haircut, your relationship, your parenting choices, even your dinner order. Their unsolicited advice comes cloaked in concern but often feels like judgment which is a sign you have toxic parents according to Healthline. It's not really about helping; it's about reshaping you into someone they can understand or approve of. If their input leaves you feeling smaller instead of supported, it's not guidance—it's an attempt to correct what never needed fixing. They may be responding to an outdated version of you they never let go of. Growth means change, but some parents stay stuck in the idea of who they thought you'd be. Emotionally aware parents understand that adult children need space, privacy, and autonomy. But if your parents still treat you like an extension of themselves—calling without regard for your schedule, making inappropriate comments, or ignoring your boundaries altogether—that's a red flag. It suggests they've never really adjusted to the reality that you're your own person now. Respecting boundaries isn't just about manners—it's about emotional recognition. If they truly saw and valued your needs, they wouldn't keep crossing lines that make you uncomfortable. Constant boundary-pushing says more about their emotional immaturity than your limits. If you were the 'sensitive one' and your sibling was the 'easy one,' that dynamic probably wasn't random. When parents don't understand a child, they often gravitate toward the one who mirrors them more closely. It creates a hierarchy of emotional comfort instead of emotional attunement according to Psychology Today. That favoritism doesn't always fade with time—it often evolves into more subtle, but still painful, forms in adulthood. Whether it's unequal attention, biased storytelling, or selective loyalty, the message is clear: some parts of you were always harder for them to love. That hurts, but it also explains why you've always felt like the outsider in your own family. You've done the hard work—therapy, reflection, boundaries—but your parents still talk to you like you're 17. They reference old habits you've outgrown or ignore the progress you've made entirely. It's like they've frozen you in time, refusing to see the adult you've become. This isn't just frustrating—it's a form of emotional invisibility. Recognition is a form of love, and when they won't acknowledge your evolution, it can feel like you're still waiting for permission to exist. You shouldn't have to prove your transformation just to be treated with respect. Bring up how something made you feel, and suddenly the room gets cold. They change the subject, shut down, or get defensive—anything but engage. As outlined in this article on Psych Central, emotional avoidance might be generational, but that doesn't make it any less damaging. When someone consistently avoids your inner world, they're not making space for the relationship to deepen. Vulnerability is a two-way street, and without it, understanding can't thrive. If they can't handle your truth, they never really knew how to hold it in the first place. Maybe they pictured a version of you that followed a predictable path—married young, stayed close to home, pursued a 'safe' career. But what happens when your life doesn't match that script? Instead of curiosity or celebration, you get confusion or quiet judgment. Their disappointment isn't really about you—it's about the loss of a fantasy they never updated. When parents can't let go of the version they imagined, they miss the beauty of who you actually are. Loving someone means letting them write their own story, not just live inside yours. You try to open up about what hurt, and they respond with, 'It wasn't that bad,' or 'You're being too sensitive.' These phrases might seem small, but they're emotionally corrosive. They teach you that your pain isn't worth taking seriously. Minimization isn't care—it's a coping mechanism for people who don't know how to handle vulnerability. When someone really understands you, they validate your hurt even when it makes them uncomfortable. Shrinking your experience isn't love—it's avoidance in disguise. They say things like, 'I know you better than anyone,' but somehow always get your needs, values, or choices completely wrong. It feels less like love and more like control wrapped in familiarity. When someone insists they 'know' you but never hear you, it's not connection—it's erasure. Being known isn't about reciting your childhood favorites—it's about meeting you where you are now. If you're constantly having to correct or explain yourself, that's not mutual understanding. It's a one-sided narrative with no room for your voice. You try to express a boundary or talk about something that hurt you, and suddenly they're the ones with wounded feelings. The focus shifts away from your experience and onto their discomfort. It's like telling your truth is treated as a personal attack. That kind of defensiveness shuts down real conversation. It makes honesty feel risky and discourages emotional intimacy. If understanding you feels like a threat, they were never trying to understand you in the first place. You show up to family events and find yourself code-switching, performing, or staying quiet to keep the peace. The person you've become doesn't quite fit in the emotional ecosystem they built. And even surrounded by people who technically 'know' you, you feel utterly unseen. When you're truly understood, there's a sense of ease—you don't have to translate yourself. If being around your parents still feels like walking on eggshells, it's a sign the emotional connection was never fully built. Sometimes the real distance isn't physical—it's emotional.
