Best of the Month – September, 2014
It’s hard to believe that September has wrapped up and we’re already kicking off October. September is a traditionally busy month – back-to-school, the season for business conferences, and more. The pressures of our suddenly overwhelming To Do lists can create a lot of anxiety and stress. Try to keep it in control – and remember, turn your anxiety into action by keeping your focus on the end goal.
Speaking of anxiety, there were some good articles on it this month, as well as others on women and couples. These are all topics near to my practice and heart, so I’m sharing them with you. Enjoy!
Women
Women continue to face challenges in the workplace, but they also continue to grab the reins of leadership and drive companies to new heights of success. The NFL is certainly hoping that’s the case for their organization. This piece in Fortune states, “If these women were in positions of leadership to begin with, the crises that spurred their hiring may not have even happened in the first place.” Read more on “Why It Takes a Crisis to Get Women in Leadership”
A new study “speaks to the impossible tightrope women must walk to do their jobs competently and to make tough decisions while simultaneously coming across as nice to everyone, all the time.” How can women deal with the criticism and not worry so much? Dealing effectively with feedback, and our fear of it, can help diminish the anxiety bump that women experience over men in the workplace. More on “Learning to Love Criticism” in the New York Times.
If you haven’t seen it yet, I’d be surprised. Actress and UN Goodwill Ambassador, Emma Watson, recently stood up at a speech at the UN Headquarters in New York Cityand invited men to fight for gender equality, stating, “It’s your issue, too.” Bravo, Emma, bravo.
As brave and impressive as Ms. Watson’s move was, the concerning mysogynistic threats against her demonstrate that we do indeed still have a long way to go. “Feminism,” one message board user stated, “is a growing cancer.” Sounds like yet another case of people fearing what they don’t understand.
Anxiety
This is a great piece about daily anxiety by Chelsea Stephens at the Huffington Post. Her insights about the exacerbating impact of caffeine, sleep loss and social media on anxiety and depression are spot on. Good for her for taking action to reduce her symptoms, and for sharing.
It can be tempting to dull anxiety with medications, but new research suggests repeated use of anti-anxiety medications may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Anxiety is packed with information, and energy, that can help us cope with life’s demands. Next time anxiety strikes, try listening to its message, and harnessing its energy for action.
Love, Couples
More evidence that the desire to attach and bond is shared by men and women alike. Read more in, “15 Truthful Reasons Men Want to Get Married.”
This is an interesting advice roundup on calculating risk of disclosing your feelings. While stating your emotions too soon can be scary and risky to your mate, research shows that disclosing feelings, and taking risks in relationships, is tied to more happiness and relationship success over time. Check out “I love you” – A Guide to Saying Those Three Powerful Words
An interesting study finds that in older couples, wives’ satisfaction was a more powerful predictor of marital happiness than that of husbands’. The authors speculated about the findings stating, “Women satisfied in their marriages tend to do a lot more for their husbands, Dr. Carr says. And as the researchers put it, ‘Women typically provide more health-enhancing support to husbands than vice versa.” More details at “Happier Wives Lead to Happier Couples” via The Wall Street Journal
