Michele Matta, Scientist at International Agency for Research on Cancer, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Living in Two Realities
Something I’ve been thinking about a lot these days.
When you live far from home, you often learn to live in two realities at the same time.
One is the visible one – work, meetings, projects, speaking on panels. For example, I had the privilege of sharing my journey in research at an event organized by L’Equipe des Lyonnes, talking about navigating a career in science as a woman.
While I am very grateful for the experience and the people, there is another reality running in the background. For me right now, that reality is Lebanon and the Middle East.
Checking the news. Making sure family is safe. Carrying a quiet worry while still showing up to do the things that need to be done.
Many people in the diaspora know this feeling. Most of the time we manage it. But when conflict escalates, the weight of those two realities becomes heavier.
And on days like this, it’s also okay to acknowledge that your mind may not be fully here. That your productivity might slow down. That you may be carrying more than what people see.
I’ve also noticed that people sometimes don’t know how to approach someone who might be going through something like this – what to say, whether to ask, or whether it’s better to stay silent.
So perhaps opening that conversation can help. So, I would like to ask you:
How do you uplift the people around you when you know they might be carrying something heavy behind the scenes?
And if you are someone navigating two realities right now – what kind of support or gestures make the biggest difference for you?”
Other articles featuring Michele Matta on OncoDaily.
