Sheena Yap Chan, a podcaster, emphasizes the importance of
Asian women facing unique pressures to succeed and be high performers while
navigating harmful stereotypes that limit their careers. The dominant culture
expects Asian Americans to be "model" minorities, which can harm
their mental health. The term "model minority" has oppressive roots
and fails to capture the diversity of Asian people. Asian women often
internalize model minority expectations of self-sufficiency and high
performance, making them less likely to ask for help.
Toxic racist stereotypes limit Asian women, as non-Asian
people may view them as quiet, submissive, and obedient, hindering their
leadership potential. Mainstream media perpetuates anti-Asian stereotypes in
subliminal ways, such as in COVID-19 articles. Asian women may be unable to
imagine themselves in positions of power because they lack leadership role
models. Chan encourages readers to prioritize their health and well-being,
forge new leadership pathways, and break free from the harmful effects of intergenerational
trauma.
The main takeaway for Asian Americans is to unlock their
potentials by facing our trauma and to prioritize their needs. She even
suggests improving the health with the ancient Hindu chakra system and to build
self-confidence. These suggestions are even more pertinent to Asian-Americans
because they tend to prioritize everyone else’s needs. Instead, they must
practice self-care by investing in our physical, mental, spiritual, and
emotional health. Find the self-care activities that appeal to you, such as listening
to music, working out, napping, meditating, going to the spa, having a girl’s
night, listening to podcast or getting a manicure.
Working to open your chakras can help you embrace your full
potential. “Chakra” means “wheel” in Sanskrit and refers to the seven primary “subtle
energy” discs running through your body. Each relates to a different body part
and impacts other aspects of your life, such as creativity or self-confidence. In
a healthy person, energy moves freely between each chakra but stress, poor
diet, negative thoughts, or a lack of exercise can block your chakras,
triggering emotional, mental, and physical ailments. The following chakras must
be worked on through modalities such as breath exercises to improve the overall
well-being.
1.
Muladhara – the “root chakra” is associated with
being secure and grounded.
2.
Swadhisthana – the “sacral chakra” is at the
bottom of the belly button and lets us tap into our creative and sexual energy
3.
Manipura – the “solar plexus chakra” is in the
abdomen and balancing helps us express ourselves with confidence.
4.
Anahata – the “Heart chakra” is in the center of
the chest, opening it helps us with healthy, loving relationships
5.
Vishuddha – the “throat chakra” is in the
throat. Balancing it helps you express your authentic voice.
6.
Ajna – the “third eye chakra” is on the
forehead. It is associated with trusting our institution.
7.
Sahasrara – the “Crown Chakra” sits at the top
of the head and balancing it connects us to higher self-purpose.
Self-confidence can be built by believing in yourself to remember
that you have the power to achieve your dreams, educating yourself to pursue
different approaches to building self-confidence and taking action to align our
actions to achieving our goals.
Kamala Harris, the VP of United States, Kim Ng, the first
woman general manager of a major sports team, Savitri Jindal, the world’s
richest Asian woman, and Sanda Oh, the first Asian actress to win several
golden globes remain inspirational.
Sheena Yap Chan hosts the award-winning podcast “The Tao of
self-confidence”, which interviews Asian women on their “inner journeys to
self-confidence.”
Previous book summaries: https://1drv.ms/w/s!Ashlm-Nw-wnWhOYIIwJbPCitSu_D5A?e=bz918M