Episode 47 • Difficulties
Man up
Cut someone some slack
Push someone
Can't take it anymore
Hang in there
Story
Friend: So.. How was going back to the gym after quarantine? How did it go with your personal trainer?
Jim: Well, honestly, a bit harder than I thought. So, here’s what happened, I was there and…
Jim: That’s it, Mike… I can’t… I give up.
Mike: Oh, come on! Man up! This is only the first exercise!
Jim: Will you cut me some slack? I haven’t exercised in weeks!
Mike: Hey, my job is to push you! Seriously, Jim. It’s all in your mind! Your mind is what controls everything.
Jim: I promise, though! The pain is in my body… That’s it. I can’t take it anymore…
Mike: Come on… Hang in there…! You’ve got this!
Jim: And… three! I did it! That was three push ups… Now, can I go home, please?
Questions
I think this is pretty relatable, the story. I don't know about you guys, but I haven't exercised at all during this quarantine. I'm actually not planning on doing anything about it anytime soon.
Man up
'Man up! This is only the first exercise!'
• Who would you tell to man up? Someone who is showing bravery or fear?
If you tell someone to man up, that means that they're showing fear. I don't know, maybe they're not brave enough or they feel like they don't want to do something. They don't want the responsibility. You tell them to man up, to act like a man, like a real grownup man.
• Can you tell a woman to man up?
Yes. Actually, you can tell a woman to man up. Now, careful, I think people now consider this expression quite sexist, meaning as a pretty discriminatory expression because it implies that women cannot be as brave as men. I don't know, but people do use it to encourage someone to act more responsibly or do something, even though they're afraid of it.
• Can you think of a time you were scared to do something but then manned up and did it?
We've been having problems ever since we moved into this new house with a type of bug, they're actually cute. They're called silverfish. You can Google them. They're like teeny tiny. They don't do anything, but they're annoying. To me personally, they're gross because I don't like bugs. The other day I caught one, I saw one and it was in my bedroom, on the wall. At first, I didn't want to do anything about it, but then, you know what, I manned up and I killed it. I don't know how you guys feel about killing bugs, but if you're against it, I get it. I do consider that manning up because that's something that requires bravery.
Cut someone some slack
'Will you cut me some slack?'
• If you cut someone some slack, do you give them more freedom or less freedom than usual?
If you cut someone some slack, you give them more freedom. You're a little more lenient, a little more relaxed with the rules so to say.
• Why would you want to cut someone some slack? As a reward or because they’re going through a difficult time?
It's because they're going through a difficult time. Imagine someone has just lost a relative or someone in the family or someone dear to them and maybe they're not doing well at school. Well, the teachers could decide to cut him some slack because he's going through a difficult time. Maybe they're not going to be like, "Hey, why are you not studying?" That's cutting him some slack. That's allowing him to just go through this time without too much pressure.
• When was the last time someone cut you some slack because you were going through a tough time?
I think the last time would probably be like a month ago when I was still in Asia and I found out that I had to go back to Spain. I was working two jobs at a time that I'd actually just started working for a new company. I had to tell both my bosses that I was not going to be able to work for a few days because, obviously, I had to take a bunch of flights and then I had to look for an apartment. It was a very complicated time, but both my bosses were super nice and they cut me some slack. No issues there.
Push someone
'My job is to push you!'
This is not a three-year-old whose dream job just came true. Yes. I get to push people. That's not what we're talking about.
• If you push somone do you encourage them to keep going or give up?
If you push someone metaphorically, that means that you encourage them to keep going or to do something that maybe it's difficult.
• Did/do your parents push you to do your best?
I think my mom definitely pushed me when I was little. My mom's a teacher or she used to be a teacher, she's now retired. Yes, I definitely felt that pressure and she used to push me a lot when it came to schoolwork.
I can’t take it anymore
'I can’t take it anymore...'
• If you say you can’t take it anymore, how do you probably feel? Angry, happy, sad, or surprised?
If you can't take it anymore, that means that you're feeling either angry or sad. Imagine someone's really annoying you, then you go, "I can't take it anymore," or maybe you're really sad because there's something going wrong in your life and you'd be like, "I can't take it anymore." It's usually connected to a feeling of frustration. Yes, it just means you've reached the limit.
• When was the last time you said or thought “I can’t take it anymore”?
When was the last time that you said or thought, I can't take it anymore? I think I say or think I can't take it anymore once a week. I don't know why, but I get stressed out very easily and I complain a lot. I don't know how my boyfriend puts up with me. Let's see, the last time that I thought I couldn't take it anymore, I know a good example. We just got a bunch of new furniture and we're like trying to fix it and paint it and stuff like that. We were doing it a couple of weekends ago, I think I did it for maybe 30 minutes and then I was already like, "I can't take it anymore." It was on a weekend and it just felt like I did not want to deal with that. I think I said, "I can't take it anymore," then I just stopped doing it. I just stopped painting it or whatever. Not my best moment, but that happened.
Hang in there
'Come on! Hang in there...'
• If you tell a friend to hang in there when they’re in a difficult situation, you’re telling them to stop worrying because there’s nothing they can do about it or to not give up?
When you tell someone to hang in there, you're telling them to not give up, to resist in that situation because better times will come in the future.
• Do you remember the last time a friend or relative of yours was feeling down or stressed and would’ve been appropriate to tell them to hang in there?
I think, again, this is a very stressful period for a lot of people and it's very easy to find someone who needs to hear, "Hang in there, you can do this, just wait and things will get better." I think lately, I've had to say it a lot to my mom because my mom is spending this quarantine by herself and I cannot go visit her because I live in a different country. I've told her a couple of times to hang in there because I know how hard-- I don't know, but I can't imagine how hard it might be. These are words of encouragement that you can use.
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