Month: September 2025

Who works well under pressure!?

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To be extremely honest, I do not work well under pressure. Well yes, I work under pressure, I can tolerate stress, but sometimes I barely make it.

I’ve seen some people even claim to “thrive” under pressure. Do they? Or what they really mean is: I am able to mitigate the stress and maintain a certain level of effectiveness under any kind of constraints? What I really want to see is how the results are, compared to when they work without those constraints. Do they really work better or best under pressure?

And I imagine how those people would be if there is no pressure or stress. They must be work monsters smashing task after task. Their mind is free. They see things clearly. They make best decisions. They even enjoy their work!

What a world of performative fools are we living in! I see that we are still far from moving away from all that capitalist performative culture. To whoever is claiming to work well/best under pressure, are you well? To corporates, organizations, can you stop asking your candidates if they work well under pressure. The science says it: no one thrives under pressure due to stress, cognitive impairment, illusion of “inspiration”, etc. (just google it!). So all you will receive will be no more than just an answer in an interview. Besides, having pressures of any kind exist in your company means that there are systemic problems.

Let’s just be honest. We are humans, not work machines to need mechanical pressure engineering us.

Things I would do if I didn’t give a f*ck

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It’s been over a month of me settling back in Hanoi. Living at my parents’ house and having a decent job have really allowed me to reflect through a different perspective. Compared to the life in Italy, here in Hanoi, it is a whole other dimension of survival mode (my survival mode was also on in Italy) as I am now perceived, treated and expected in a different way. I find myself putting on a thick mask in the front of what the society demands from me. And since it is all still fresh, I would like to jot down all things that I would do if there wasn’t all these expectations that I am too afraid to disobey, before the mask becomes a part of me, before I forget what I really am.

1. I would shave my head: I dream of the day when hair is out of my daily thoughts, money saved for shampoo and haircuts, and the feeling it DOESN’T give during hot sweaty days.

2. I would craft and paint all day and turn it into my job until NO MORE OFFICE WORK. The office culture, the hierarchy, the emails, the stacks of tasks, the meetings, the performance tracking. They don’t pass the vibe check for me, personally.

3. I would wear slippers EVERYWHERE. I do not like shoes as a concept. Or even better, BAREFOOT. I would do earthing everyday.

4. I would speak louder. I was raised to not raise my voice but I do want to speak my mind and freely express who I am.

5. I would tell my foreign colleagues to stop calling themselves expats. I did not call myself one when I was in Italy, neither should they. Unfortunately, we live in a world where language matters as injustice exists and no one can be chill.

6. I would spend 10 years to learn how to grow my own food and build my own house. So one day I could have my own regenerative agri-food system in the country. This point goes with the crafting job.

7. I would sing a lot. Not many people are aware that I love singing, I do want to learn how to sing professionally.

8. I would also like to offer a healing hub for people. I like to gather people and see them having fun. I like organizing fun activities to BOND people. I also like to create a space for people to release their emotions and feel seen.

9. I would learn to dance hiphop. Or I would just dance more. I would go to the club, not to party and drink alcohol but to dance to loud music. I would dance like no one watching but also feel OK to be watched.

10. I would continue learning German. I would get my C1 certificate for no reason.

And to be continued.

So how about you? If you don’t have to give a fvck about what others think, what would you do?