The mental load is when you have to think about everything instead of your spouse (or spouse): cleaning, shopping, organizing holidays, administration, washing, schooling for children, appointments with the doctor … Because otherwise nothing will come, there will be nothing done, nothing prepared. In other words, the mental load is not something visible. They are things that fill your head, occupy your mind, consume free time and force you to think about others before you think about yourself. To make it visible, Manon decided to film it. Explanation.
Manon has a relationship with Thomas and she has been sharing the same roof with him for a year now. Only then, over time, did she realize that she too was a victim of mental stress: naturally, but unconsciously, most of the household chores rested on her. When this reality came to her mind, she tried to talk to Thomas about it, but he didn’t understand. So to open her eyes, she decided to film her daily life for two weeks.
To look :
@bubble.show For two weeks I try to show my friend what the load is, and what level it is with us! The target? To show that small everyday gestures do not come naturally and are a big job. Job often assigned to women 🫢 ready to follow the adventure?
♬ The winner is – DeVotchKa & Mychael Danna
the HuffPost collected excerpts from his video and collected Thomas’s response. Result, a report that should appeal to many people, especially among women. To look :
Did Manon’s strategy work? It would seem so. In any case, this is what Thomas suggests, who admits to having accomplished certain things by looking at the footage filmed by Manon:
“What bothered us most was not doing it, but not thinking about it. When she said to me, “There’s a machine to hang up,” I did, but I didn’t think about it. It was a reflex I didn’t have.
“I now understand what my girlfriend does on a daily basis. The mission was positive, because I know more about what she does during her day. It was a realization.”
Until it is recognized and identified within every family where it exists, the mental load could not be better distributed. Hence the importance of talking about it, hence the importance of showing it. In this sense, Manon’s initiative can undoubtedly be adopted elsewhere.