Chasing the American Dream & Its Consequences On Our Mental Health

Navigating Culture | Sharing The Stories of Bold, Brave & Badass Immigrant Women Creating their Dream Life

Western ideals of success, often deeply rooted in capitalism, are often demonstrated as the only goals worth pursuing in colonized countries.

In the Caribbean, we show this mentality through the extreme focus on rote memorization, earning all A’s in exams and eventually if you’re good enough, if you’re worthy enough, gaining acceptance into an international university (usually one in Great Britain or the USA).
As you can imagine, this extreme focus on winning over the other has mental health consequences. I don’t have stats, but my own experience shows that my desperation to achieve spiked (and maybe even created?) my depression and anxiety. And many Caribbean immigrants agree with this sentiment.
Today, I’m chatting with Amanda Choo Quan, a self-described failed immigrant who is dealing with the fall-out of this hyper-emphasis on success by any means necessary.
She and and I will be chatting about:
1. Why it’s so easy for everyone and even immigrants, themselves, to not see the obvious signs of their burgeoning mental health issues.
2. What it means to want and also critique The American Dream, and

3. How to accept, live with and thrive with anxiety, depression and even a personality disorder.
Listen to this episode if you’ve been thinking about taking a break but feel like pressing pause will leave you miles behind everybody else aka how a successful life also includes resting.