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How does culture affect the practicability of the methods proposed by the author?

That depends. In some religions you would not be seem with good eyes if you practice meditation, Islam, for example, others you would not be allowed to take the medicines. Other slow paced, contemplative cultures, some islands in Japan, you wouldn’t need the methods in the book, avoid anxiety in daily life is the norm.

Leaving aside plain superstition, I think every culture has some innate way to deal with anxiety. For example in Japan, it is believed that if you are nervous you can draw the kanji symbol for 'person' and eat it. In Christianity too confessions are a great way to relieve stress.

The book is pretty comprehensive. There has got to be something in it for most cultural parameters.

I was just having this conversation with some christian friends the other day. Yoga is mentioned in the book as an effective way to cope with stress, but it’s not seen as “in line” with the scriptures by many Christians because its roots are in non-Christian religions. Culture and religion are two separate things, but I live in southern italy where they tend to mix a lot.

Different cultures in the world have different ways of addressing stress and anxiety. For example, some cultural rules don't allow people to mourn the dead. If the family of the deceased is stressed, they can't speak out for fear of being isolated.

Patrick Maina1 wrote:
> How does culture affect the practicability of the methods proposed by the
> author?

Some of the practical remedies recommended may not apply to all cultures. And even though those remedies may suit a member of a certain culture, their beliefs may not align with the guidelines given.

espo wrote:
> I was just having this conversation with some christian friends the other
> day. Yoga is mentioned in the book as an effective way to cope with stress,
> but it’s not seen as “in line” with the scriptures by many Christians
> because its roots are in non-Christian religions. Culture and religion are
> two separate things, but I live in southern italy where they tend to mix a
> lot.

True. And this also depends of the interpretation that a certain group makes of the bible. In west of US there are Christians that allow vipers to bite them every gathering, based on a particular view of the old testament. Maybe they would disagree with many suggestions of the author.

Joseph_ngaruiya wrote:
> Different cultures in the world have different ways of addressing stress
> and anxiety. For example, some cultural rules don't allow people to mourn
> the dead. If the family of the deceased is stressed, they can't speak out
> for fear of being isolated.

Interesting. This remind me of some groups in the US: when someone dies they party! To them the person is better now and being happy is the best course of action to offer. A part their belief, this sure avoid a lot of stress.

Culture can change the perspective on many of these remedies. It's important to be open-minded and work with what you think will help you.

mpsmaster wrote:
> That depends. In some religions you would not be seem with good eyes if you
> practice meditation, Islam, for example, others you would not be allowed to
> take the medicines. Other slow paced, contemplative cultures, some islands
> in Japan, you wouldn’t need the methods in the book, avoid anxiety in daily
> life is the norm.
Islam encourages people to practice spirituality and build connection with the Creator for an anxiety-free life. A meaningful life in which helping others is the basic aim is an ideal way to lead a peaceful life according to Islam and its principles.

djr6090 wrote:
> The book is pretty comprehensive. There has got to be something in it for
> most cultural parameters.

Yeah, nowadays it's trending to seek medication treatment rather than religious practices in most parts of the world. People take appointments from psychologists and psychiatrists to resolve their problems and gain insight into their unconscious. All this is happening because now people tend to live alone, separate from joint family systems. Busy life routine weakens the friendship connections which result in isolation feelings. Efforts to maintain the standard of life have made man so busy and full of anxiety that it seems moments and opportunities to be more rich are just getting out of reach which makes man ignorable to all other factors and demands of life. Man is a social animal and needs a proper social setting, some free time, some sincere old built-up relations with family and friends to be psychologically fit and calm. In this industrialized world, no one has time to listen to other's unconscious feelings and resolve issues. When unexplored, they become complicated with the passage of time. And there's the time then a man feels so helpless that he hires a psychologist to listen to his unconscious ties for money.

cookiedough wrote:
> Culture can change the perspective on many of these remedies. It's
> important to be open-minded and work with what you think will help you.

Yes, absolutely. Now people are educated and take wise decisions for themselves.

mpsmaster wrote:
> espo wrote:
> > I was just having this conversation with some christian friends the other
> > day. Yoga is mentioned in the book as an effective way to cope with stress,
> > but it’s not seen as “in line” with the scriptures by many Christians
> > because its roots are in non-Christian religions. Culture and religion are
> > two separate things, but I live in southern italy where they tend to mix a
> > lot.
>
> True. And this also depends of the interpretation that a certain group makes of the
> bible. In west of US there are Christians that allow vipers to bite them every
> gathering, based on a particular view of the old testament. Maybe they would disagree
> with many suggestions of the author.

Culture can affect if you let it affect it. Of course, many would not be able to adapt to many treatments but every culture has some way to cope with stress.

cookiedough wrote:
> Culture can change the perspective on many of these remedies. It's
> important to be open-minded and work with what you think will help you.

Yes, culture is something which is in our roots. However, you need to get proper awareness to deal with problems when the situation asks for it. Thinking outside the box or taking the road less taken is definitely needed in those situations.