We all struggle with self-doubt from time to time, but some people live with a constant fear that their professional success is a house of cards that could come tumbling down at any moment. They believe that their success is just a series of lucky draws because they are not inherently able or competent, and if and when people find out what they are really capable of — they will be exposed as a fraud....
Well-intentioned grandparents, in-laws, aunts, and uncles will have plenty of advice on how you should raise your children which often feels like they are undermining how you’ve chosen to raise your children. Here are a few things to consider when dealing with interfering family members: Get our partner on board If you have a partner/husband/wife, it is important you have the discussion about your parenting strategy because it is important you two are aligned about...
Considering anger can be an umbrella emotion that can be an outward expression of underlying issues such as depression, anxiety, relationship problems, financial troubles, and work stress — I would say it is as significant of an issue as all the aforementioned mental health difficulties. I do not believe it presents here more than it does in other parts of the world. Here are some perspectives on anger management and effective strategies for dealing with...
A heroine is defined as “a woman admired for her courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities”. But what comes to your mind as you read “courage and outstanding achievements?” Is it a woman sitting at the table in a boardroom? Or is a woman who is sitting at the dinner table with her children and her family? If we are all honest with ourselves, our first thoughts when we hear ‘outstanding achievements’ are college degrees,...
When we think of clutter, we tend to think of untidy stacks of useless items in a garage or attic. However, clutter could be anything that you are holding on to that you are not using, or in the words of the famous organizational consultant, Marie Kondo, anything that does not “spark joy” in our lives. This could be designer clothing, useful books, or a beautiful decoration that do not inspire or excite and instead...
While many enjoy the reflective, spiritual and community aspects that are part of Ramadan, they struggle with moodiness and fatigue, which they attribute to lack of food or water during the day. The truth is that being “moody” and “tired” probably is the result of people experiencing withdrawals from addictive substances, dehydration, poor sleep, lack of exercise and eating poorly at sunset. The research is conclusive: fasting, when done right, is healing and restorative for...
So much of our life has changed in the last few years. The world as we know it is no longer the same — what is important to us, who we spend time with, how we travel, how we plan, how and where we work, as well the days we work and spend time with our family have all changed suddenly. And as much as we struggled (and complained), we all adapted to all the...
We feel increasingly lonely in our world. Some people blame loneliness on invasive social media and others blame it on pervasive technology. And while these two factors are major culprits for how disconnected we feel from each other, one of the main reasons for our loneliness is that we are disconnected from ourselves. So when we take the disconnection from the self and throw in the rise of filters, plastic surgery, and the objectification of...
As a culture, we are not very good at handling grief. We want to get on with things or be grateful for what we have, or not be stuck in the past, and so we quickly try to brush the grief under the carpet and move forward into the future. But as it goes with any emotion, if it is not acknowledged or processed, grief stays inside you and eventually blocks your ability to engage...
The holiday season can be overwhelming and overstimulating. With our regular routines not in place, children out of school, healthy diets put on hold, while we are dealing with the hectic pace of traveling or tourists, holiday parties and family gatherings, it is easy for things to start to feel emotionally flooded. And for empaths, introverts and highly sensitive people, as well as those who typically spend a lot of time alone, this flood of...
Over the years, I have noticed an increasing number of people reporting that they are struggling with procrastination. Delaying tasks and not doing what we planned to do not only affects our ever-present to-do list, but also our self-esteem and self-worth. We stop trusting ourselves and lose faith in our ability to show up for ourselves. I believe what most people are calling procrastination is actually a problem with distraction or, even worse, an addiction...