Coming from an Asian family, my parents pushed us to excel in academics. Sadly, combined with low self esteem, this high pressured pushing was a lethal combination that needed years to understand and unwind. An example seared into my memory was an exam where I studied, worked hard on, and scored a 98 percent. My parents picked on the one "careless" mistake which could have brought home a 100. I was devastated. My accomplished was dismissed and everyone fixated on that one missed question. Thankfully I did not spiral out of control. It was just unfortunate that I let it eat away at me so much and I didn't have the communication skills to express my frustration. I internalized it and even gave myself ulcers. Grueling times, but what didn't kill me made me stronger.
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