Michelle Obama recently raised the issue about ‘Imposter Syndrome’, a term used to describe feeling a fraud, insecure and/or self-doubt. She has spoken about her life experiences of a lack of insecurity despite the success and status she has achieved. Calling it a syndrome is to down play how universal it is. Whilst a lot of emphasis has been placed on this being a ‘female’ issue, men also experience the same struggle in feeling a fraud, as people of all ages, gender, ethnicity and occupations can be affected. Imposterism is n’t about a lack of confidence, and it’s not necessarily linked to depression or anxiety, so where does it come from and why do people feel like this?
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If you have n’t seen this already, then we think this is a great treat.
This isn’t a typical newspaper. The Happy Newspaper reports on and celebrates the good things happening around the world. It’s sole purpose is to share and celebrate positive, uplifting stories that are often overlooked or neglected in favour of the usual stuff we read about.
As you know, being constantly exposed to negativity impacts our mood, and can leave us feeling down and fed up.
The Happy Newspaper is a wonderful alternative……click here and see.
Anxiety is multi-faceted, involving both hormonal and metabolic imbalances. But here are some changes you can make to your diet to ease your symptoms and help you feel more in control. (They however do not replace professional help, they only play part of the role).
* Skip the Alcohol – in the short term it can make you feel calm, but once the effect wears off it will only disturb your blood sugar and you’re more likely to worsen your anxiety symptoms.
* Reduce any caffeine – caffeine can increase nervousness and contribute to panic attacks – its the same with fizzy drinks, and some sports supplements too.
* Increase your protein – amino acids are the building blocks of neurotransmitters and are high in protein foods. So a diet low in amino acids could increase your symptoms.
* Increase your magnesium – magnesium deficiency has been linked to anxiety disorders, so try nuts, seeds, and spinach.
* Add Selenium – research suggests selenium can improve mood and reduce anxiety. Try salmon, sardines, Brazil nuts.
* Replace one cup of tea each day with a herbal drink, such as chamomile or lemon balm.
* Choose oily fish – now how many times have we heard this? If you’re vegan or vegetarian, choose walnuts, pumpkin seeds and tofu.
* Use mindfulness as you eat – noticing what you eat and really tasting it usually means eating slower. This can have a positive impact on our breathing, our digestion and our mood, both in the moment and in the longer term.
When I meet my business colleagues, a common question we all ask each other is, “How are you, are you busy?” The answer we always hope we can give and hear is “Oh yes, so busy at the moment”. And of course that’s how we should be in business, no-one wants a quiet business. When I meet my friends and family, I often get the same answer and I used to tell them the same, ” I have so much work at the moment, or, its a busy time at work” and so on. It’s as though we’ve programmed ourselves to rush around, without any spare time, filling every moment with busy-ness and developing relationships with technology, rather than, enjoying the calmness of nature, the pleasure of watching life around us, appreciating our differences and simply just ‘being you’.
I hear so many people who are tired and frustrated, overwhelmed and discouraged with a long list of obligations, tight deadlines, things to do, not sleeping well and with deteriorating physical and mental health. Sadly, they keep living this wild, unhealthy life as they don’t feel they have the choice to do anything different.
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Take a real break this summer
With summer holidays fast approaching, how much do you really switch off when you go away on holiday?
Depending on the nature of your work you may be able to switch off very easily and leave all your work behind which others can deal with whilst you’re away, and genuinely relax and recharge your batteries.
However, there are many who do struggle to switch off.
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