Mental Health For Women In The Media In Kenya: The Positive Psychology Character Strengths Advantage
WOMEN IN MEDIA
Mental Health For Women In The Media In Kenya: The Positive Psychology Character Strengths Advantage
By Wangari V.A.L. I May 23, 2023 I 10 – 15 minutes read
“My dear friend, I hope everything is going happily with you and that you are as well physically as you are spiritually” (3 John 1:2).
Image: Female Presenter/Freepik
PREAMBLE: 15th to 21st of May 2023 is the Mental Health Awareness Week hosted across the globe under the theme ‘Anxiety or ‘Just Anxiety?’ The week increases public understanding of mental health, how mental health problems can be identified, prevented, and managed. It is also a way to keep mental health in public conversations, often not spoken about. ‘Just Anxiety?’: Anxiety is a common feeling that sometimes gets out of control. Positively, anxiety can be a tool for growth.
It is important for mental health advocates to understand how difficult it is to convince audiences with the choice of messaging that, “not being okay is okay.” A mantra popularised by mental health benefactors. What outcomes are expected; the goals of the messaging? That is, if the beneficiaries should believe that good things will come of it. “My friend …you are as well physically as you are spiritually” (3 John 1:2). Mental health is not a component of human health in existence singularly; it contributes to and is a component of overall wellness. “Just as the whole makes the components healthier, for overall wellness, so do the components.” Wangari V.A.L.
Read: There Is Need For Holistic Wellness Knowledge In Public Mental Health Awareness By Wangari V.A.L.
On May 20, 2023, the Association of Media Women In Kenya (AMWIK), a national media association, hosted a mental health awareness forum. The AMWIK forum included sharing of lived experiences, navigating homes and exploration of complexities of workplaces. Besides offering encouraging advice to the media women taking part and other media colleagues.
The Executive Director of AMWIK, Madam Patience Nyange, brought attention to the effect of toxic workplaces on the mental health of women. A significant subject of interest to the general working population. Requiring attention in more arenas, beyond media workplaces.
“In reality, many workers are unprepared for their jobs’ requirements. Let alone the career monsters spoken of in hushed tones once in their dream careers and jobs. The rigour, rigmarole, and rhythm is a surprise. Firewood flames that ultimately take a Toll on the health of already ‘TATT employees’ – Tired All The Time; mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Opening up dialogue would set channels for support, reality testing, and intervention for bounce ability.”
– Wangari V.A.L.
“Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices”, according to the CDC.
As the media industry, there is a need for the media to go beyond informing and towards measurement. Accountability to commit towards improvement of outcomes as a nation as well. A challenge for AMWIK, opportunity for women in the media, and a test to the media industry.
During the AMWIK Mental Health Awareness forum, Wangari Kabiru, an innovations specialist and a Gen Z and Alpha Character Strengths character coach (PPAK-ACC Level 1) expounded on the Positive Psychology Character Strengths. Adding the character development element to discourse on mental health for women’s general wellbeing in the media. For appreciation of the advantage arising from Character Strengths.
Image: Downloadable MM Proceedings Post May 2023/Self Awareness For Mental Health
Download MM Proceedings Post May 2023/Self Awareness For Mental Health
Read: There Is Need For Holistic Wellness Knowledge In Public Mental Health Awareness By Wangari V.A.L.
Character Strengths Advantage
Awareness of Character Strengths provides a foundation for self confidence that is grounded in self awareness; appreciating why everyone is different and how to appreciate those differences. People are then viewed based on their character, not just height, weight, colour and such visible traits.
Character Strengths are universal, possessed across cultures, and by everyone. They make up what’s best about our personality. Thus are an advantage for individual and societal wellbeing. They are positive traits – capacities for thinking, feeling, and behaving in ways that benefit you and others.
Character Strengths are essential in today’s volatility. They also help us through life’s adversities. Character can be grown. It is at the centre of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Encouraging that we each can be at our best and have a positive perspective in day-to-day up and down living.
In Kenya, the Positive Psychology Association of Kenya (PPAK) coordinates a 3-level Character Coaching Program for Character Coaches. The program has equipped Kenyan Coaches focused on Character Strengths. It has also attracted participation from the wider East African community including Tanzania and Uganda. Character Coaches serve in youth settings, religious bodies, workplaces, and community groups.
In the early 2000s, scientists generated a common and empowering language which is now ‘the 24 character strengths’. According to VIA Classification the 24 strengths are classified into 6 virtues. The six virtues are wisdom; courage; humanity; justice; temperance; and transcendence.
Adoption of character strengths is an ingredient for healthier individuals. In tune, healthier workplaces and healthier societies.
Healthier Workplaces Breed Mental Health
Image: AMWIK event poster May 20 2023
In actuality, job toxicity contributes to overall lack of wellness for workers including possibility of mental illness. This is a call to management to pay immediate attention to an institution’s culture.
Unhealthy workplaces can result from a variety of causes. From a lack of comprehension, lack of foresight, or blatant brushing “under the carpet.”
The spotlight may arise because of the beckons for a positive corporate culture, time out for the acceptance of an outrightly bad tradition, or the occasional necessity for intervention during periods of change.
For starters, the design of most sectors, industries, and jobs impacts without discrimination both men and women in the positive and negative. Toxicity is then evidenced by what we would categorise as an insensitivity towards oneself, others, and our shared planet.
The workplace ‘poisoning’ is initially a systemic problem. “Niaje.” “Niko poa. Lakini nasikia nimechoka leo.” A common response to the well meaning ‘good morning’ greeting in workplaces. Exhaustion from Monday to Monday! As visibly evidenced by the individuals working there, it has dire consequences to mental health and overall wellbeing.
For instance, jobs with irregular realtime reporting and deadlines month by month. Such jobs are the norm in the media and in fields such as emergency services. This erraticness interferes with one’s natural schedule. Affecting one’s ability to get a refreshing night’s sleep, think clearly, have a healthy sexual desire, connect with family, eat well or even have a spiritual connection.
Women in their reproductive years may manifest with; irregular menses, dysfunctional bleeding, and sadly, miscarriages, early child loss or birth complications. Adding firewood to the emotional toll.
Often, workers do not have the natural language to express the emotional toll until there is life-threatening physical evidence. Women in the media in Kenya ought to look into how their workplaces could contribute to positive living. Including ways to enhance it for everyone. The organisation, their own careers, and peers would benefit.
Read: There Is Need For Holistic Wellness Knowledge In Public Mental Health Awareness By Wangari V.A.L.
Character Strengths As A Workplace Language
Character Strengths, possessed by everyone, help give a person language to frame or reframe with. A language that can be a shared language to coexist positively in the workplace. They are not for the office holy Jos!
To survive on the job requires self regulation and improvement of overall resilience, both Character Strengths. Otherwise, anticipation of stressors may lead to default into survival. Survival through addictive habits that might be difficult to withdraw from.
The effects of externalities make today’s workplaces even more difficult for the most balanced persons. Highly unpredictable social, economic, and political forces cannot be ignored. Sometimes, such forces may present an opportunity to pierce through the traditional organisation design, strategy, and hierarchy. If taken positively, this becomes an opportunity to broaden strategy through creativity – a Character Strength.
With Character Strengths of open-mindedness, teamwork, up and leadership, there is up and down mentorship as the norm in organisations. Today, many young and digital savvy employees are guiding strategy.
For instance, in the media, the switch by major corporations from traditional media buying and opt-in to in-house digital media management has necessitated this shift in perspective, a Character Strength. Relative to performance in previous times with the known strategy, such a switch affected the ability of the management team to meet budget deliverables. Calling for opening up channels for dialogue across departments for collective innovation on; customer experience, business sales targets, team efforts, and individual capabilities.
In such instances, as a Character Strength, a love for learning would empower one to go through reskilling in the face of disruption. Uncommon wisdom is to disrupt oneself before being disrupted. How are women in the media positioned for the winds of change? Will the winds blow them off into redundancy? Even if the winds do, what is their bounce ability?
Read: There Is Need For Holistic Wellness Knowledge In Public Mental Health Awareness By Wangari V.A.L.
Bounce Ability For Workplace Wellness
Dialogue across the hierarchy on strategies for healthy workplaces and practical action is each one’s responsibility. Occasionally people require the ability to bounce. Whether part of management, supervisors, or an employee at work.
“In reality, many workers are unprepared for their jobs’ requirements. Let alone the career monsters spoken of in hushed tones once in their dream careers and jobs. The rigour, rigmarole, and rhythm is a surprise. Firewood flames that ultimately take a toll on the health of already ‘TATT employees’ – Tired All The Time; mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Opening up dialogue would set channels for support, reality testing, and intervention for bounce ability.”
Young people seeking occupations need to be exposed to the cadavers of the desired profession. To achieve this requires an early immersion into the possibilities of their selected professions. More realities. Accompanying the material blitz, fame, glamour, and power titles; all very important stimuli in different measures, to different people, and in different seasons. This is achievable by spending time conjoined to the veterans.
According to the February 2020 McKinsey Insights article, ‘Shattering The Glass Screen’,
“… there are many obstacles for women in media and entertainment. But the two biggest challenges are the lack of women’s representation in senior positions and the culture of biased behavior that negatively affects women’s day-to-day experiences in the workplace.”
This underscores the importance of mentorship and coaching in careers for women. Which should go all the way to the boardroom. This would boost career-wise self awareness for young career women and for those in disrupted career paths.
Self Awareness For Mental Health
The life stages of women impact the ebb and flow of their lives. For women, appreciation of the stages of life could lead one towards self awareness. Thus, juggling life balance is then so much better. In particular, relationship to their physiology. An innate influencer to how they operate on the job and in the workplace.
Ardent women’s mental health advocates and conversations actively point to important aspects. Such as environmental factors, externalities, and trauma induced occurrences. In creating general and targeted public education messages for awareness by audiences; whether women, youth, men or mixed audiences, champions require tying up for holistic approaches. Including spotlighting character development.
Positive Psychology has gifted all women with a personal empowerment tool. As women in the media, Wanjiku, Maria, Akisa, Hadija and Cherono now have the positively empowering lingo of Character Strengths as cards to play with. This is not just for absolute holy Jos!
First, by going within. Yet, remaining fully present and resourceful; borrowing from the 24 Character Strengths. This is the subtle secret of phenomenal women; investment in ‘her’ character enhancement. Then, raising the bar through virtues such as gratitude, open-mindness, appreciation of beauty and excellence, and self-regulation. A love for learning, bravery, resilience, and kindness.
The workplace is a complex phenomenon. It is important to safeguard one’s mental health by prioritising wholesome wellness. The Positive Psychology Character Strengths vibes apply whether in or out of the glass screen. Women in the media could take decisive steps from being entangled in the spiraling effects of the work complexities. In ways that benefit you; a personal shield, cloud, and arsenal. With sensitivity to oneself, others, and our shared planet.
Read: There Is Need For Holistic Wellness Knowledge In Public Mental Health Awareness By Wangari V.A.L.
Keywords: #mentalhealthawareness; #mentalhealth; #positivepsychology; #characterdevelopment; #characterstrengths #womeninmedia
Reposted: For activating minds at mastermind.co.ke. The writer Wangari V.A.L. is an Innovations Specialist; promotes collaborative practices, writes about society, and is in new media design.
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Image: Closeup interviewee/Freepik
Learn More: Mother’s Day Month of May/
The Mental Health Awareness Week Hosted on 16 -21 May 2023
- Read: There Is Need For Holistic Wellness Knowledge In Public Mental Health Awareness By Wangari V.A.L.
- Read the AMWIK Forum coverage article: “Destigmatize mental health, advocates send clarion call” by Benvictor Makau – May 21, 2023 (scholarmedia.africa)
Extract to the article by Benvictor Makau: Handling workplace triggers
Turning to psychology, Wangari Kabiru, an innovations specialist and a Gen Z and Alpha Character Strengths character coach (PPAK-ACC Level 1), unveiled the tie-in between positive psychology and mental health.
Positive psychology is pegged on acquiring forward-looking traits, patterns, behaviors, and experiences for use as one’s strengths for their advantage.
The traits include an appreciation of beauty and excellence, self-regulation, fairness, forgiveness, humility, humor, leadership, love, and many others, 24 in number, and are transferable.
- Engage Chebet Birir, Journalist and Mental Health Advocate on “Postpartum Psychosis” as featured May 22 2023 on NTV Kenya, My World.
Understanding postpartum psychosis | Your World
Image: NTV Kenya Your World Poster May 22 2023
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Reposted: For activating minds at mastermind.co.ke. The writer Wangari V.A.L. is an Innovations Specialist; promotes collaborative practices, writes about society, and is in new media design. Learn more.
Wangari Kabiru is an Innovations Specialist; promotes collaborative practices, enjoys game design thinking and writes about society, and is in new media design. Is a Gen Z and Alpha Character Strengths Character Coach (PPAK – ACC Level 1). Convenor at WASILIANAHUB, a Tech-Justice innovation, Learning Community of Mediators, and Women In Mediation Leadership (WIML). To find a Mediator in Kenya, and Articles as first posted in the Mediation and Dispute Resolution (MDR) blog: wasilianahubmediators.co.ke.
