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Why Do Koreans Ask Your Age?
Written by Eun Kyng Seo, Ph.D., Licensed Professional Counselor(USA) The Role of Age in Korean Culture The first time I traveled to Hong Kong in 1996, I learned that asking age could be embarrassing in different cultures. In Korean society, age differentiates an individual’s roles and responsibilities, and this generates a rigid hierarchy system in family, work, and communities. If you have been in a Korean community, you might have experienced that elders have the authority to make decisions. Questioning their status and opinions can be considered as ill-mannered in…
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How Yoga Can Help Us Be More Present and Practice Self-Acceptance
Written by Minah Yoo, Canadian Certified Counselor The modern world encourages people to spend much more time on doing than being. From the moment we wake up in the morning we are often busy focusing on completing tasks until we finally go to bed. Very little time is spent on appreciating ourselves through the use of self-acceptance and self-compassion. Based on my experience as a mental health professional, I’ve learned that many people live under the pressure to be productive all the time. In fact, our society tells us that…
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A New Year and a Time for Reflection
New Year’s Resolutions As a new year unfolds, you know the drill, you’ve bought the new, full-of-possibilities 2019 calendar and the focus becomes the new, healthier you. With all the excitement of a restart we cannot overlook the commencement of another year and feel inspired to do some reflection. How well have you taken care of yourself? What can you do differently this year? Reflective practice T.S. Eliot wrote, ”We had the experience but missed the meaning.” As mental health counselors, part of our job is to encourage and facilitate reflection…
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The struggles of aging in South Korea
I love Korea for so many reasons: the food, the security, the gorgeous beaches and temples (especially the ones besides the sea), the hiking routes, the inexpensive and comfortable transportation, and fast internet speed. However, one thing I find hard to digest in South Korea is the obsession with looks, looking young and flawless forever, and the “fear” of getting older. I come from a country in Europe where getting older is not a negative thing, as both women and men seem to accept their aging and are playful about…
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Adjusting to the New Normal
Change is always hard, whether it is planned or not. It can be exciting, yet the unknown can be a source of worry and anxiety. If it is a sudden change, then how greater is the anxiety? Since the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 has changed the way of doing life in a short amount of time for the entire world. This change has caused governments to have to figure things out on the go, which also causes minor to big changes to happen constantly. How do we adjust and keep…
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What to expect when you’re settling into a new culture
I’ve moved several times in my life to cultures quite different than mine. I’m originally from Romania. I’ve always oscillated between maintaining my cultural heritage and identity while engaging with local people and the wider society that I’m living in. In South Korea, for the first time in my life, I decided not to learn the language (for several reasons, but mainly because I liked being somewhere where I don’t understand what people say; it minimizes my anxiety level somehow.). Because of my decision, however, I have had some difficult…
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From One Foreigner to Another: Coping with Living Away from Family During COVID-19
Growing up, dreams of living abroad for school or for work were always accompanied by a wistful sense of excitement, adventure, and the awe of untouched potential. Truly, as an expatriate myself, these have been some of the best parts of my overseas experience. However, to a lesser extent, living abroad also comes with tough challenges such as cultural adjustment, being away from the family, lifestyle changes (some for the better, some not so), and then some. Having lived across three different countries over the past two decades, navigating these…
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How to take care of our mental health during COVID-19
With all the changes and uncertainty in our lives at the moment, taking care of our mental health is more important than ever. Luckily, the internet can provide us with a wide range of resources that can help us keep our motivation and focus on what we have power over. But sometimes it can be difficult to know where to begin. Many of the world-renowned specialists, counselors, life coaches and doctors have their own websites where they upload books, videos, and information on how to deal with difficult times. Especially…
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How to combat a low mood during COVID-19
As the number of COVID-19 infections rises across the globe, it is hardly surprising that our mental health has also increasingly taken a toll. Anxieties are elevated as there are many uncertainties at this point, and life as we know it has seemed to change indefinitely in recent months. Here in South Korea, people have had to wear masks when out in public, schools have been closed, and students have had to switch to online learning. Businesses and companies have also had to implement work-from-home policies in order to slow…
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The therapist’s office: The place where we are judged the least
South of Seoul: We would like to welcome Adaptable Human Solutions to the South of Seoul Blog. AHS is an English speaking counseling service with offices in Pyeongtaek and Seoul, South Korea. AHS will be blogging about mental health related issues in expat life. An expat mental health journey: My name is Irina and I am an inquiry coordinator at Adaptable Human Solutions (AHS). Before working here, I’ve been in therapy for several years for depression and generalized anxiety. I’ve changed therapists several times until I found the ones who…
