December 2018 - Ivakale Consulting

22Dec, 2018

Depression ; Kenya’s Deadliest

With the onset of many deaths linking it to Mental health, Depression is today’s main focus, the silent killer. A question might linger, What is Mental Health ? Mental Health, according to WHO( World Health Organization) “is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his/her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his/her community”. In today’s society, many deaths are confirmed to be caused by mental illness. By definition, Mental illness is a condition which causes a serious disorder in a person’s behavior or thinking. The common types of mental illness including Depression are,

Anxiety disorder
Bipolar disorder
Dementia
Hyperactivity/ Attention deficit disorder
Schizophrenia
Autism
PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder)
Obsessive compulsive disorder

What exactly is depression?

Depression is a disorder which is characterized by one persistently feeling moody, losing interest in activities thus causing a significant impairment in life.

Living in a country where mental health isn’t taken seriously, we see so many people drowning in it, without getting the urgent help they need. Depression kills. It kills so bad and it’s quite hard to know who among us is sinking.

Being on social media, we see cries of help… each day! Whereby most of us tend to brush it off as, Attention seeking. Least we find out later that we are failing our friends, families, colleagues and children. A cry of help marks the final try of finding out, “who will eventually come forward to help me”. Depressed persons are more unlikely to know that they’re sick. It’s up to us, the people who surround them to notice and encourage them to seek help, and also lead them through the healing process.

HOW?

In one way or another, we can say, most of us are the perpetrators of letting depression happen. We live in a society where we are so oblivious of what the next person is feeling. A society that literally doesn’t care what happens to a person. It’s a shame. We’re not available when needed, we don’t listen, we shrug off cries of need, we ignore the tale signs and later come on to regret when it’s seemingly, too late.

On the other hand, depressed persons can wear masks in such a way that, it’s unnoticeable he/she is sick. The once jovial, life of the party, the most helpful person you knew, suddenly kills him/herself. Leaving behind a note explaining how empty they felt. You wonder why? It doesn’t choose. The void within, however how good you are… can lead one to do drastic decisions. Mostly, it’s a way to seek help… but in a more open way. Based on a true story, on matters depression….. 13 reasons why on www.netflix.com, highlights how slowly, a 17-year-old student eventually killed herself, Depression!

It’s serious, we need to work on matters Depression. The number of deaths witnessed only on social media, is unaccountable. We need to change as a society. We need to come through and help eradicate depression within us. Needless to say, it has so many causes ranging from loss of a loved one, the inability to reach your goals, stressful life, family feuds, abuse, environment, substance abuse among others. Let’s help each other out, this disorder doesn’t choose, open up, talk to people… in one way or the other, sharing relieves .

In case anyone knows a person undergoing depression/any mental health illness, below are some links to organizations that may be of help.

Help create a safe haven for depressed people. Accommodate and encourage them that, soon, it shall come to pass. Help them and the society at large, to conquer this illness that is so unforgiving – if not caught earlier on!

9Dec, 2018

Corporate Mothers

The modern day mothers are the pillars of this world, heck….I’m not discrediting our own mothers, who took it upon themselves, to raise us.

With the advent changes in today’s world, We see women struggling to climb up the corporate ladder and balancing it with being superb home makers! Pretty intense,right?

A woman has to juggle between her 8-5 job, head home to make sure everything is up and running . To those jiggly young children, the ever bubbly toddler and her handsome “mature” baby, the husband!. Its pretty hard, even if its cheap to get a house help in Africa. Sometimes, they don’t really work out!

Back to the career scene, a woman, who stays out of employment for 2 or so years, wont get past that Interview committee without raising eyebrows, and explaining where she was. No one understands that, having children and staying behind to raise them is also a full-term Job. Shouldn’t we also include it in our resumes?

Head over to homes where the woman is the sole bread winner of a family. All bills on her, hungry mouths yawning at her. How well can she deal with this issue? Resign from work? Start self employment? Grapple with the effects of overworking oneself to provide better? Answer is No, she has no options but suck it all up and act as that lioness she is! Brave up and do what a woman has to do.

The modern woman has so much burden. I know each and every one out here has encountered some challenges as a woman. You have to prosper in your corporate field, you also need to raise your children. Does it stop? Affirmative No! They both have to work concurrently.

Despite these, all you can see is that ever smiling mother, she doesn’t complain about how hard life is, trying to balance her life, her children,work and also with able men (carrier-wise).

Working mothers should at least be pardoned. Raising children is a hard task, a huge responsibility . To the HR-M’s, be lenient , that work experience gap has a reason! Lets keep the fire burning,take it easy!