In essence, HR is the buffer between humans and systems. They create the systems that allow humans to do things like work and be compensated for their work, or to work in an environment where they can expect not to be harassed—at baseline. They clean up everyone's mess when the interface between human and system is compromised.
If a system breaks down, it's HR's job to figure out how to handle the errors. Every company's HR will encounter unwinnable situations where all HR can do is remember the "error code" for next time and, if they're lucky, create systems or policies that prevent it from happening again.
Some (very few) companies have more thoughtfully designed systems that enable the HR team to act proactively on behalf of the employees.
And some (most) companies are poorly structured such that the system is constantly breaking and it's HR's job to keep the company's cadence going as best they can.
I'm guessing most people in this thread have experienced more of the latter.
Simple things to focus on without needing outside help with: sleep, diet, exercise, and a means to reflect.
More advanced / things that might require help: blood work, therapy, medication.
Sleep: Many chronic conditions are exacerbated by lack of sleep. There's been a general push for better quality sleep lately, but I still feel like we're not placing enough importance on sleep. Without good sleep, your diet and exercise won't be anywhere near as effective. Some easy wins: blackout shades, white noise machine, avoid blue light in the evening, and find a consistent bed / wake time.
Diet: Your mental and physical well being is a rolling average of the things you eat. Cheat days are fine; cheat weeks are not. A lot of chronic conditions come from inflammation, which can largely be improved by eating smaller meals with more colors in them (for most people). We’re only just discovering how important a healthy microbiome is for both physical and mental health. Eat more things that have or had roots. Eat less red meat. Find a good probiotic. HYDRATE. Most people don’t drink nearly enough water—so many issues disappear when you get enough water. Easy wins: use spices, avoid fried food, consider intermittent fasting (good for inflammation) if your doctor is okay with it.
Exercise: I hardly do it for physical reasons (though they are very positive), but instead for chemical reasons. Exercise is very important for your brain, and to flush toxins. I play soccer and lift weights, but you might find something else that you enjoy. Getting your body moving can make a very big difference with chronic conditions. Get the lungs and blood pumping. Easy wins: go for a walk after eating, do 10 pushups + squats + situps after a Zoom call or when you finish a task.
Reflect: Whether you do a 5-minute journal, transcendental meditation, 'Getting Thing Done', or whatever system is popular today... give yourself time to zero out your “stress box” the same way people zero out their email inbox. I personally enjoy using an infrared sauna several times a week—30-45min of uninterrupted time to let my thoughts go. An adrenal system that is constantly bombarded by stress causes so many of the chronic diseases that people suffer from (such as my own thyroid). The more you learn to de-stress, the better you become at detecting when you feel mentally or physically stressed. It takes time. Easy wins: schedule time to unwind on a consistent basis, learn some simple breathing techniques (here is a good one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FyE3VOWJI0 ), find a ritual you enjoy.
Bloodwork, therapy, medication: it helps to have a few thorough blood panels done so you can get a good idea about where your body needs some assistance. Chronic illness doesn’t always manifest itself the same way in everyone. If you can afford it, find a doctor who charges per unit of time and not per visit; they will be better able to properly listen to your problems and work towards fixing the cause of the problem rather than just the symptoms. Just as a chronic illness doesn’t mean you’re broken, medication also won’t fix you. It takes time to figure things out and adjust your lifestyle.
Chronic illness can be very stressful, and sometimes people might tell you there’s nothing wrong with you even though you have the deep sensation that something is. Consider seeing a therapist. Doesn’t necessarily need to be for psychological reasons. I personally visit a physical therapist 2-3 times a month as a way to better understand how my body is feeling and where I can make improvements over time. Being receptive to help is a big first step for many people.
Or (remembering older tweets from him), keeping out political content/messages that might appear too blatant, preachy or out-of-place in the context of the game.
With the caveat that his idea of "preachy" or "out of place" is existing, sure.
There is a mendacious and regressive strain of insecurity amongst game consumers these days where being expected to countenance the existence of those unlike them in their entertainment--when that Other doesn't just exist to be killed anyway--is an attack on that consumer, and Kern has done a lot to feed that tire fire.
The big insight in this post to me is learning how someone else handles a crisis of identity. Something you usually don't know you're going through until it's over and have had time to reflect.
I needed enough time distance to really analyze if things were making sense or not. As a generally even keel person, I didnt notice how stressed I was until I signed the offer and realized, oh yea, I was holding back a lot of my thoughts and potential.
Put in time on one of the three each day until you fatigue.
Work then on one of the smaller goals.
Cross one off? File it for future reference, then replace.
Don't be hesitant to edit out and replace outdated goals. Your perspective can (and absolutely should) change quickly as you accomplish things you set out to do.
Similar Warren Buffet's methodology - consider your top 25 priorities. Then pick the top 5. The next 20 are your "avoid at all costs" list, since they will always try to distract you.
I really like the idea of working on large and also small projects, since just sticking to one and only one thing is not always feasible.
I just had a discussion about this with my physical therapist yesterday. In Texas, only three types of people are allowed to touch patients for healing purposes: doctors, certified therapists, and priests.
In many cases, the certification process for therapy is such a time and money sink that people will become priests in small "religions" as a legal workaround to taking 1yr+ of archaic training.
Obviously there are risks involved in occupations involving contact, as your allusion to priest sexual abuse scandals references, but people need human touch.
How much depression, suicide and drug-abuse is caused by the desire to tightly control commercial human contact and the resultant dead-weight loss of people not getting enough of it?
Unless there is a pressing public health threat from an activity (e.g. someone who doesn't know how to drive, operating a motor vehicle on public roads), society should think very long and hard before restricting people from engaging in that activity.
If there is going to be licensing, it should be limited to restricting how people can market their skills, where only those licensed can market themselves as licensed. This gives quality-conscious consumers an easy way to identify licensed practitioners, while giving those who value affordability over safety the option of unlicensed services.
If a system breaks down, it's HR's job to figure out how to handle the errors. Every company's HR will encounter unwinnable situations where all HR can do is remember the "error code" for next time and, if they're lucky, create systems or policies that prevent it from happening again.
Some (very few) companies have more thoughtfully designed systems that enable the HR team to act proactively on behalf of the employees.
And some (most) companies are poorly structured such that the system is constantly breaking and it's HR's job to keep the company's cadence going as best they can.
I'm guessing most people in this thread have experienced more of the latter.