Latest news with #identity


Forbes
3 hours ago
- General
- Forbes
Why You Feel Guilty For Not Working On Vacation
When you normalize real time off, you model something healthier. You finally take a break. You turn on your out-of-office message, log out of your inbox and set your phone to silent. But within a day, something creeps in. You think about the project you left unfinished. You wonder if your team is struggling. You feel a quiet pull to check in. Not because you have to. Because you feel like you should. This is the guilt of not working on vacation. It is common. It is subtle. And for many high performers, it is relentless. Even when you have earned the time away, even when nothing is expected of you, the absence of work creates its own kind of tension. That tension is not about laziness. It is about identity. It is about pressure. And it is about how deeply we have internalized the idea that rest must be justified. Work Is No Longer a Place In the past, vacation meant leaving work physically behind. When you were out of the office, you were unreachable. The only connection to your job was a voicemail message and maybe a fax machine. Work ended at a door. Now, work travels with you. It lives in your pocket. It pings your screen. It follows you to the beach and the dinner table and the hotel lobby. You can be on holiday and still respond within minutes. So when you choose not to, it feels like a decision you have to defend. This is not just about technology. It is about how the boundaries around work have blurred. We no longer measure commitment by presence. We measure it by responsiveness. And responsiveness is always possible. When work is everywhere, rest feels like resistance. And that resistance can start to feel like failure. Guilt Is a Product of Culture Many workplaces celebrate overcommitment. People are praised for working late. For answering emails during dinner. For 'jumping on a quick call' while on holiday. These actions are seen as dedication. But they are often symptoms of guilt. That guilt is reinforced by silence. If you take a break and no one covers for you, you feel like a burden. If your absence creates pressure for others, you feel like a slacker. If someone sends a message and you do not reply, you feel like you are letting them down. In cultures where being always available is normal, taking real time off can feel selfish. Or even unprofessional. You start to think less about what you need and more about how your absence is being perceived. The guilt builds not because you are doing something wrong, but because you are doing something different. Your Value Is Not Measured by Presence One reason vacation guilt hits so hard is that many people tie their worth to their output. You are seen as reliable, so you are always available. You are known as efficient, so you reply quickly. You are respected because you deliver. When you stop doing those things, even temporarily, a question lingers. Will people think you care less? Will your value slip? Will your absence create doubts about your role? These questions are rarely voiced. But they sit beneath the surface. And they often lead to small compromises. A quick message here. A few emails there. Just enough to show that you are still around. Still useful. Still important. But rest is not absence. It is recovery. And your value does not disappear just because your notifications do. Time Off Is Not Something You Have to Earn Again Many professionals approach time off like a debt. You take it, but you feel like you have to pay it back. You stay up late the night before to get ahead. You return to double the workload to make up for being gone. You promise yourself you will catch up as soon as you are back. This mindset makes vacation feel transactional. You are not resting. You are borrowing time with interest. And that interest gets paid in guilt. But rest is not a luxury. It is not indulgent. It is part of the job. It is what sustains performance. You cannot do your best work if you are never allowed to step away from it. When you normalize real time off, you model something healthier. You show your team that recovery is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of professionalism. And you prove to yourself that your worth is not based on constant activity. You do not need to apologize for taking a break. You need to protect it.


The Guardian
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
BMXs, boomboxes and black eyes: growing up on Peckham housing estates in the 80s
Taken when Russell Newell was aged between 12 and 20, many of these photographs have been unseen for the past 40 he is working with Autograph to share his work publicly for the first time, in Autograph's new online photographs: © Russell Newell 'Newell's work from this era isn't just an observation of his surroundings, it's a radical act of understanding his identity and the character of his community,' says Mark Sealy, executive director of Autograph ABP Newell says: 'My grandmother and mother moved to the Redbridge Gardens estate, Peckham, in the early 60s when it was first built, and I was born in Peckham in 1965, where we lived until 1968. I returned permanently to London with my mother in 1976. Our first Peckham home was on the prewar Sumner estate. The estate was in a state of disrepair and the flats lacked central heating, which meant they were in low demand' 'I have been a book-lover since childhood, so when I got my camera I went to the library and found books about photography. In my early to mid-teens I spent a lot of time studying the lives and work of great photographers such as W Eugene Smith, Robert Frank and Ernest Cole. My personal practice is almost entirely self-taught' 'My mother enrolled me in a photography project that ran a magazine called Schooling & Culture, which helped me create and publish my first photo essay – about rastas in Peckham. That was when I learned how photography and writing could give me a voice' 'I like to carefully compose a frame with the expectation that something unexpected will occur. Whether that's the presence of a person, a change in the light, the weather, or some other event' 'The North Peckham estate provided lots of interesting visual opportunities: fleeting glimpses of movement through these brick and concrete frames at the intersections of stairwells and walkways' 'I was always fascinated by windows lit up at night – the arrangement of the estate meant that many dwellings faced each other, overlooked by walkways. I took comfort in the glow, and the knowledge of the lives being lived within' 'I was always interested in chiaroscuro and the interplay of light and dark, the play of shadows. In terms of framing I like asymmetry and negative space. The balance of opposites' 'After living in New Romney, Kent, for a few years, my family returned to live in Peckham when I was 11. It was the first time in my life I had friends from a variety of backgrounds. The area was an exciting place to explore' On 11 April 1981, I inadvertently cycled into the middle of the Brixton riots with my brother on our way home one Saturday afternoon. That was the first time in my life that I witnessed police brutality and violent struggle. I also got caught up in the Peckham riots that same summer and was arrested and beaten quite badly by cops' 'I tended to move through Peckham's different constituencies with my camera. I was sociable and always keen to make new connections. Being the local photographer was my identity really – it's how everybody knew me' 'Each constituency is attempting to anchor to a fixed point and construct authentic meaning while simultaneously having to negotiate with another 'authentic' version of itself. There are so many opposing or contradictory forces and structures at work it feels impossible to say what the future actually holds for Peckham'


The Guardian
2 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
From corner office to crossroads: navigating purpose and identity after retirement
A few months into an eagerly planned retirement, Martin described the transition as 'a seismic shift'. 'I thought I had it all figured out,' he said, the frustration evident in his voice. 'I've been so looking forward to more time in the garden, picking up the guitar again, getting into a fitness routine and planning trips with friends.' But somehow Martin's plans haven't translated into meaningful experiences for him – 'I feel quite lost, which is very strange for me as I have always known what to do and what I am going to do next,' he said. Martin was puzzled by this new experience, and also expressed some anxiety: 'Without my work, who am I? What value do I have?' The transition from a life of structured achievement to one of open-ended possibility is profound. For those accustomed to influence and achievement, finding new meaning requires more than just financial planning. When work has defined who you are for decades, retirement can trigger surprising emotional and cognitive challenges. Despite living on opposite sides of the globe and working in different industries and roles, Martin's experiences were echoed by John, who recently stepped away from corporate life and a highly successful leadership career. 'I have no regrets, I've succeeded, travelled and performed. But now, I feel quite lost.' For both men, the feeling of being lost has been unpleasant, unsettling and isolating. They have found themselves 'in between' identities, neither fully in their previous life nor settled into the next chapter. We know from psychological research that the space between work and retirement can be a profound challenge to one's self-concept. It is particularly difficult for people who have succeeded in knowledge-based professions where cognitive performance and expertise are fundamental to professional identity: what do you do when you stop thinking for a living? 'I went from having a demanding schedule with people depending on my expertise to suddenly having endless free time. It sounds like a luxury, but it felt more like falling off a cliff.' Martin was coping with the lost and 'falling-off' feeling by taking on an ever-increasing list of projects, and John was grappling with a strong urge to 'do one more business'. 'I still have plenty of gas in the tank, maybe I'm not ready for a slower life'. The assumption prior to retirement that more time will automatically translate to greater fulfilment is common, but as Martin and John are finding, not necessarily true – especially when that time lacks the structure, purpose, and community that a previous work life provided. Researchers have found that having a lot of free time doesn't necessarily equate to happiness. People derive a certain sense of joy from being productive and accomplishing things and might lose this sense of joy with a lot of unstructured time. Other researchers have shown that retirees who maintain a strong social network – for example volunteering or joining clubs – are happier and healthier, while the longitudinal Harvard study on happiness has identified the loss of work relationships and connections as the biggest challenge to retirement wellbeing. The American writer William Bridges describes this in-between time as 'the messy middle.' For John and Martin, navigating a meaningful life in this time of transition has involved purposeful experimentations and an acceptance of not knowing yet what all the components of retirement identity and purpose may look like. Martin in particular has found the messy middle metaphor helpful. In his messy middle, John has taken on some charity work to create purpose, various physical labour projects for some tangible sense of accomplishment, a consulting project to see if this provides an outlet for his entrepreneurial drive and a travel adventure to develop new social connections. Martin is testing out a slower pace, intentionally dialing down scheduled commitments and staying with the uncomfortable experience of less 'achievement'. 'It's a struggle, but I'm starting to see that there's value in who I am, not just what I produce.' Martin has also been deliberately seeking out time with male friends, some of whom are also transitioning into retirement. He notes that these conversations are fragile, as men of his generation rarely venture on the thin ice of personal vulnerability. 'We skate around the issue and often back off, but we all sense we are in the same boat. And in any case, hanging out and obliquely touching on meaning and purpose has been heartwarming in a black humour sort of way.' Both men share the experience as a mixed bag of seemingly contradictory emotions. They both describe gratitude for being in a position to make choices, for opportunities and relationships, alongside the anxiety, frustration and (sometimes) sadness of a life in flux. Psychological research suggests that mixed emotions – like sadness and gratitude – are not contradictory but coexistent and neurologically integrated. This paradox validates John and Martin's experience. Many retirees have similar experiences but struggle to put it into words. John has discovered sharing his writing about his experiences has helped him make sense of his own mixed bag. He has appreciated positive feedback from others that his reflections are encouraging in their transitions toward retirement. Retirement has come to be seen as an event, but perhaps it's more like a passage – a crossing from the scaffolded certainties of working life to unmapped terrain that must be navigated. The real work of this next chapter is to embrace the messy middle not as a void, but as a creative space, where purpose and tasks no longer arrive by calendar invite. Martin and John remind us that meaning doesn't retire when we do; it simply migrates and must be rediscovered. The messy middle requires testing new identities, trying new activities and practising patience. Just like work, really. This piece was inspired by a Guardian Modern Mind reader who replied to a previous post about time affluence and suggested a follow-up Martin and John are amalgams of a few different people, all of whom have given permission for their experiences to be shared here. Some details have been changed for privacy Gaynor Parkin is a clinical psychologist and founder at Button Psychology. Dave Winsborough is a co-founder at Deeper Signals and Button Psychology


CBC
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
We're on a mission to understand Alberta. Take this quiz and put yourself on the map
Alberta. We're big. We're beautiful ... and complex! Our province is a great place to live, and if you've been here awhile, you know it's been changing. Our population is booming, we've gone through booms and busts. You might be new to Alberta, or a bunch of your neighbours are. The society is shifting, the economy is shifting, the politics are always shifting. So… what does it mean to be Albertan now? Right now. Today. What do we all have in common? Something? Nothing? What's our identity? What do we MEAN when we say we are Albertan? Well. We don't have the answers. But we're sure interested in asking the question. So…. CBC Calgary recently commissioned Janet Brown Opinion Research to do a poll. We asked 1,200 Albertans about their values, political positions and thoughts on Alberta. We reported on some of it here. Now we want to expand on what we heard. We want to hear from YOU. We're going to be at community events across Calgary talking with anyone and everyone. And if you don't see us, try this little questionnaire on your own. It's only eight questions. Then you can see where you are in relation to what our large survey found about Albertans. The results? Well, you may end up exactly where you thought you were, or, you could end up with a surprise. Anyway, it's fun to think about this stuff. If you want, you could do this with a class, or friends around a picnic table over a couple beers. What does it mean to be Albertan? Who are we? And because CBC is a broadcaster, we'd love to broadcast your thoughts. So, when you're finished the questionnaire, click on the video button below to share what you think, or just send an email to me, CBC producer Elise Stolte, at If you want to be sure not to miss the stories about what we learn, subscribe to Your Calgary Weekly. Step 1: Take the questionnaire Online questionnaire Paper version Feel free to print the paper version and use it with a group. Step 2: Reflection The answers in your quiz gave you a number on separatism (vertical axis) and political values (horizontal axis). Find where you are on the Alberta values graph below and read descriptions of each segment of Albertans. Then take some time to think through these questions: What does it mean to you to be Albertan? Or a Canadian? When it comes to being Albertan, what strength do you think being from this place gives you? What's one thing you'd like to change about what the rest of Canada thinks about Albertans and our story? If you moved here from somewhere else, at what moment did you realize you are an Albertan? Looking at that graph, if you had to give "Albertans like you" a cheeky group name, what would you say? Step 3: Tell us what you think On a phone or computer, click the video icon, listen to the prompt and record your key takeaway. There's no download required. And you can tell us in the app if your video response is just for our ears, or if we can share it. We'll give it a listen and get in touch. Understanding Alberta — a bit of a data dive Alberta is home to people with views from across the political spectrum, and there are groups of people who tend to answer these questions in a similar way. The data and statistical analysis below is based on the survey we mentioned run by pollster Janet Brown this spring. It might describe you; it might not — which could be just as interesting! And of course, any survey only captures a snapshot at a point in time. Find the survey details at the very bottom of this page, and scroll down to find out what else this survey is suggesting about the different segments. Non-separatist left This progressive-leaning core is almost uniformly against the idea of separatism. You can find more of them in Calgary (43%) than in Edmonton (39%) or the rest of the province (19%). Here are a few other stats to describe some particulars about this cluster: Non-separatist centre This group falls in the centre politically, and therefore tends to play an outsized role in determining the result of any election. You'll find a lot of them in Edmonton (40%). Even more than in Calgary (33%) or in the rest of the province (26%). Where they fall on a political scale: avg 5.2/10 Feel most attached to Canada, or equally attached to Canada and Alberta (44% CAN; 47% Equal) Provincial voting intention: NDP 53% Tend to disapprove of recent effort to reset Alta./Ottawa relations: 59% Would NOT vote to separate: 99% University educated: 47% Very or somewhat religious: 54% Likely to be women: 59% Split on if it's easy/difficult to meet monthly expenses: 50/50% Stressed about the state of Canada-U.S. relations: 75% Non-separatist right This group is right of centre on the political spectrum, but they are opposed to the idea of separating from Canada. Here are a few ways to describe them. Soft separatists It appears Alberta has virtually no left-leaning separatists. But there's a separatist cluster in the centre. They tend to like Premier Danielle Smith's efforts to get a new relationship with Ottawa and be a little less sure they would actually cast a vote to leave the country. Average political score is still right of centre: avg 6.8/10 Feel most attached to Alberta: 56% Provincial voting intention: UCP 83% Approve of recent efforts to reset Alta./Ottawa relationship: 85% Say they would vote to separate: 55% Many say it's difficult to meet monthly expenses: 64% About half say they are stressed about Canada-U.S. relations: 52% Many self-identify as working class: 51% University educated: 33% Likely to be men: 54% Very or somewhat religious: 62% Committed separatists This cluster describes the Albertans who are most committed to separatism. They tend to be farthest to the right on a political spectrum but it's a myth that they all live in rural areas. Actually, 39 per cent of them are in Calgary, 25 per cent in Edmonton and 26 per cent in other parts of the province. Here's what else the survey tells us. Tend to be solidly right: avg 7.7/10 Primarily identify as Albertan: 89% Provincial voting intention: UCP 96% The vast majority approve of Premier Danielle Smith's efforts to reset the Alta/Ottawa relationship: 95% Most would vote to separate: 89% Many say it's difficult to meet monthly expenses: 60% Many say they're not stressed about Canada-U.S. relations: 68% More likely to be men: 62% Have a university education: 29% Very or somewhat religious: 72% Survey details The CBC News random survey of 1,200 Albertans was conducted using a hybrid method between May 7 to 21, 2025, by Edmonton-based Trend Research under the direction of Janet Brown Opinion Research. The sample is representative of regional, age and gender factors. The margin of error is +/- 2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. For subsets, the margin of error is larger. The survey used a hybrid methodology that involved contacting survey respondents by telephone and giving them the option of completing the survey at that time, at another more convenient time, or receiving an email link and completing the survey online. Trend Research contacted people using a random list of numbers, consisting of 40 per cent landlines and 60 per cent cellphone numbers. Telephone numbers were dialed up to five times at five different times of day before another telephone number was added to the sample. The response rate among valid numbers (i.e. residential and personal) was 12.8 per cent.


New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The Kurosawa You May Never Have Heard Of
'Who are you?' the enigmatic young man central to Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 1997 breakthrough horror thriller, 'Cure,' repeatedly asks. He's been accused of hypnotizing people and prompting them to commit gruesome murders. That deceptively simple question might be the paramount concern in the cinema of Kurosawa, the prolific Japanese filmmaker whose unnerving, genre-defying films are often preoccupied with questioning or revealing the true identity of their characters — to us and to them. One could say that Kurosawa is to psychological fright what David Cronenberg is to body horror. In 'Charisma' (1999), about a detective stranded in a rural community obsessed with a singular tree, he asks what makes some people special and others just ordinary. In 'Cure' (streaming on the Criterion Channel), he ponders whether the victims of hypnosis are innate killers or coerced puppets. And in his chilling 2001 internet ghost story 'Pulse' (streaming on Tubi), his young characters wonder if they are alone or just lonely. In each of these narratives, the weight of society influences the individual. Kurosawa seems perpetually interested in that tug of war between our free will and the status quo. The supernatural or eerie elements often read like catalysts that incite an inner reckoning. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.