Ramble On

The speaker, Jens Corriveau, discusses various issues that women face, particularly anxiety and societal expectations. They emphasize the importance of acknowledging one's mental health needs and not being afraid to take breaks and seek help. The speaker also reflects on the Barbie movie and an album that made them contemplate the struggles of women in society. They highlight the need for safe spaces where women can discuss various topics and support one another. The speaker concludes by expressing their interest in people's stories and their desire to create a platform for open dialogue. My name is Jens Corriveau. I just want to talk about general issues that come up for women, gay, straight, whatever spectrum. For me, the first topic that I think is really important is anxiety. I don't think there's enough out there for moms to understand that other people suffer dearly from anxiety, especially when we become a mom. I think it's expected that women are to do everything and be good at it. I also know that it's impossible, and I know that there are movements for mental health and for people to understand it better. However, there is still a society expectation that we just deal, and sometimes we can't just deal. Sometimes we need help, and sometimes we need a break, and that's okay. It's okay that moms need a break, and it shouldn't be looked down upon that a mom says, You know what? I need a weekend away. And it can be whatever you need it to be. It could be a girls weekend. It could be with your best buds. It could be a yoga trip, a wellness trip. It could be just staying in a hotel and reading, watching, thinking, whatever it is that makes it easier for you in life. That's what you should do. You shouldn't worry about everyone else, because everyone else is also going through something. I think the pressure that we put on ourselves and each other, it needs to be worked on. And I have to say, the reason that I want to talk about this is because I watched the Barbie movie, and I realized that a world wouldn't be perfect if women are in charge, and a world isn't perfect if men are in charge, and that we need to find a balance. And I especially liked the focus on women and what is expected of them in the quote-unquote real world. I think America Farrar did an amazing job explaining that. I think her character brought a lot to the movie. I know it was about Barbie, but it was also about the expectations that Barbie has brought. And it was not intended to be that way. It was made by a woman for her daughter, and it's supposed to show that women can do anything that they want. It's not meant to show that we are supposed to look perfect and be perfect. That's not the point of it. And I think the movie presents that, along with what the patriarchy does in the regular world and how we treat each other. I think some of the negative commentary about children watching it is silly because it is PG-13, and you can decide if you want your child to see a movie like that. I think the album is amazing because it focuses on women artists, and it brings about many different types of music. I mean, the movie itself has an indigo girl song, and I think that song, Closer to Fun, is so adept at explaining what life is like, that we are all just trying to be closer to fun. I appreciate all of that, and I also appreciate how it made me realize that I don't need to suffer alone. No one needs to suffer alone, and that we all should have people who are in our corner. And if the people that we are with are not in our corner, and they don't understand who we are as a friend, person, a woman, a worker, whatever, then perhaps that's not the right type of person we need in our lives, and that's a hard thing to think about. I've noticed that my anxiety has been off the charts because of expectations. I suffer from migraines, so we also can talk about chronic pain. There are so many topics that go on in a person's life on a daily basis that we don't talk about, and I think it's important to establish a place where we can talk about different things. So I wanted to start with anxiety, and what has brought me to this point today, to talk. And I think it's interesting how there are things in society that are brought about and that make us think, and for me, it was the Barbie movie. It made me think. And then the album, it made me think about women artists and a lot of the struggles that women have to go through. And they are, some of them are similar to men and some of them are different, just like with men. Some things are similar and some things are different. However, I have always felt that being a woman in certain industries, because I work in tech, is harder for a woman because we have to prove. Every time I'm on the phone with tech support, I have to prove that I know what I'm talking about. And when I've worked with male co-workers, they haven't. And all of those situations, they can bring about anxiety and panic attacks, and just not wanting to leave your house, just not wanting to do something, because you feel like it's not going to be good enough. But it has to be good enough for the people who love you. That's what's important. They need to make you feel like it's important, that you're important and that you know things. You don't need to prove things to the world. So, the first small episode here is just really to discuss these small things and then, in the future, focus on topics of each one and my opinion, my research, my experience, and put it all together. And then I welcome comments, and I welcome hearing from people, and I welcome making new friends and finding out what it is that you are struggling with. I want to be a safe place for all women. I think that's so important, and not a place where we talk about stereotypical things, but where we could talk about anything. So, that's our purpose at the moment in time. I want to get out there and let people know that, from my experience, we are more similar and we are different. And our differences is a good thing. We teach each other. We are learning from the moment we are born to the moment that we are no longer on this earth. I think we forget that, that we are creatures who are learning constantly, and we are not expected to be perfect. And I find that my anxiety comes out when I expect a lot of myself, and I'm not able to accomplish it. And I talk to so many moms who feel the same way, but who I've always thought that same way, even before they were mothers, and I was like that way before I was a mother. I wanted to be perfect, to feel like I was offering something to the world, because you're brought up believing that there's a fairy tale out there that you can make for yourself. I'm not talking about a fairy tale like being a princess. I'm talking about whatever your fairy tale is, whatever you want to do. And sometimes people put their head down and they can accomplish it, and sometimes you put your head down and you can't quite get there, but you get close. And what you have to think about is how you feel about it, not how long it took you to get there. I also think that we need safe places to listen to things and talk about what's on our minds, because what's on my mind changes daily. And sometimes I listen to podcasts and I think, that's not where I am today, I'm someplace else, and so I have to look for something else. And maybe this one can be something that you look forward to, because we're going to focus on different things, we're a safe place, and there's much to cover about life. So I hope you can enjoy my ramblings. I do expect to follow this up with research and more information going forward, but for my first foray, I just wanted to put it out there, put something out there in the multiverse, and see what happens. Because I'm interested, I'm interested in people. I always tell them, I'm interested in their stories. I love hearing about people's stories, and I love how we can relate to each other, even if we come from completely different places. I'm interested in that. Thank you.