A short blog on something I've been thinking about a lot and only recently found there was a name for it! Relative privation
I came across an interesting person on Twitter called Gurwinder (@G_S_Bhogal ) who had set out a long list of useful concepts and reduced them to bite sized explainers. Do go ahead and look him up! The one that caught my attention, particularly now, were his thoughts on relative privation.
Essentially relative privation is this:
Your problem/concern is not really valid or worth solving when there are so many other important and more serious things happening in the world.
or as Gurwinder puts it:
“How can you talk about X when Y is happening?”
By this logic, how can anyone ever talk about anything other than literally the single worst thing in the universe?
Whatever our situation - looking for employment, changing jobs, juggling work life balance or struggling to adjust to something new, there will always be someone worse off than us.
At the time of writing we are filled with news of the appalling war in Ukraine. It is hard to let anything else occupy our thoughts without feeling guilty or choosing to put our own concerns on the back burner. But as you know things left on the back burner can spoil and burn dry if they are left too long.
e.g.
I feel exhausted and ground down by my job search.
I'm unhappy in my current lifestyle and need to change.
My flat mates are driving me insane!
I'm struggling to achieve my goals which I have defined so precisely. Why is this?
I feel directionless.
I ought to be in a better position at this stage of my life.
If you have people in a society and community that are content and well adjusted they can contribute more.
As long as I can remember I have been an advocate of good self care and taking time to look after yourself, on the premise that if you have people in a society and community that are content and well adjusted they can contribute more.
Are you aware of relative privation in your life?
Do you feel that your personal struggles are no longer important in the light of everything else going on?
Like to talk this over with a good listener and someone objective?
Do get in touch!
t 07501817739