Dr. Simone’s Mind Space

Me time at the beach

Happy wife happy life, happy mommy happy family! In order to give, we need to be able to breathe ourselves. Make sure you spend some time alone. May it be a walk along the beach, a yoga class, reading a book uninterruptedly, getting a massage or good night sleep. We can only share our energy if there’s any left.

@drschwank

@optimalperformancezurich

@unesurcent

A practical guide from a global female traveler

Working around the world calls for experience in preparation.

Travel planning:

1. Start your mental inspiration well in advance to imagine the place and increase your “Vorfreude” (anticipation excitement)
2. Pack outfits not clothes!
3. Work with accessories (scarfs, bags, shoes)
4. Shoes: pack a variety of comfort styles for all occasions and long walks!
5. For the flight: a comfortable outfit both for ground and up in the air (a list follows below)
6. For the lounge: focus on light meals, lots of water
7. Relax

 

Flight outfit and essentials:

• Compression socks
• Noise cancelling earphones
• Silk eye mask
• Skin care (sheet mask, cream mask, calming mist, hand cream, lip balm)
• SNACKS the more the better! You never know!
• Wear: cashmere sweater, tights, top, oversize shirt, silk scarf, mules!

@drschwank

@optimalperformancezurich

@unesurcent

Morning Routines for a Confident Day

A guides for a morning routine designed to boost self-esteem and reduce anxiety for the day ahead.

 

Morning steps to self-esteem:

• Get up, look into the mirror and tell yourself: hi good morning, I’m just good enough right the way I am!
• Refresh and pamper your face with a daily practice.
• Practice a morning routine; yoga, meditation, running, a nice walk around the block, a swim. You’ll feel energised and calm for the day.
• Dress for success: choose an outfit you like, flatters your silhouette, and there with boost your self-confidence.
• Breakfast

@drschwank

@optimalperformancezurich

@unesurcent

Visualization for Self-Empowerment

Teaches visualization techniques aimed at self-empowerment and managing anxiety.

How to boost your sense of self-empowerment?

Honestly, not an easy task to answer! We’re brilliant in second guessing ourselves, putting ourselves down, when in theory the exact opposite is what we should be doing! During my training and research, I’ve encountered several inspiring role models. My grandma, PhD supervisors, two incredible females, my PhD mentor, as well as the female opponent at my thesis defence. All these women have their own unique, genuine aura. They are confident in who they are, dare to take space or not if not needed, always willing to support younger women unconditionally, without jealousy, without competition, simply out of passion, and curiosity in sharing values.

Isn’t this amazing?!

That’s how we should get up every morning!!

 

Visualisation of female power:

• Think of a moment you truly felt in a stage of flow and competency. Go back there!
• Sometimes it helps to turn the world upside down! Inversions are great to reduce anxiety, increase blood flow, reduce swelling after a long flight, and rejuvenate (headstand, shoulder stand, legs up the wall for a more relaxing version)
• Envision yourself in a position you’d like to be. What do you need to get there?
• Have a positive outlook regarding success and failure.

@drschwank

@optimalperformancezurich

@unesurcent

 

 

Quick Confidence Boosting Techniques

Today’s episode demonstrates fast and effective methods to boost confidence before important events or decisions.

How can we boost confidence before important events or decisions?

-Exercise and get an endorphin booster and reduce stress at the same time.

-Turn the world upside down, do an inversion pose such as headstand, shoulder stand. It will sharpen your attention, make you feel more confident, and calm.

-Present always standing, you can breathe better, reduce stress and anxiety. Standing up signifies a powerful posture.

-Dress for success. Wear clothes that convey confidence and feel powerful while wearing them.

@drschwank

@optimalperformancezurich

@unesurcent

Understanding Self-Confidence

This episode explores how the psychology of self-confidence, impacts mental health, sprinkled with practical tips to enhance it.

Self-confidence starts in earliest childhood. It’s related to a feeling of autonomy and mastery. The earlier children are given the freedom of action to try new things, the more they grow their self-confidence. In order to gain self-confidence, we need to be able to trust in our abilities. A mental construct developed early. However, it can be enhanced later in life, by choosing activities, partnerships, that support your skills and passion.

Engage in actives that require your full attention and dedication, where you’re one with the action.

 

@drschwank

@optimalperformancezurich

@unesurcent

Anxiety in everyday life

Waking up, immediately starting to ruminate, worry, notoriously planning the day, trying to control and organize the entire day. Further, second guessing each action one does with a feeling of never being good enough.

How can it be stopped, this constant worrying?

How can we boost our self-confidence?

 

-Ask yourself what this worrying stands for.

-Is it reasonable and anything you can control?

-The more you think, the more you worry.

-Focus on relaxing routines, to disconnect the mind from worrying.

-Try to break the spiral by yoga, a walk in nature, meditation or simply reading a book or bake/ cook.

-Engage in an activity you are fully dedicated to, experiencing a state of flow.

-Dare to try: Mastering a challenging situation boosts your self-esteem.

 

@drschwank

@optimalperformancezurich

@unesurcent

 

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

What is generalized anxiety disorder?

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive and uncontrollable worry about a variety of events. It is often accompanied by physical symptoms such as headaches, muscular tension, restlessness, heart palpitations, and stomach upset. Children and adolescents with GAD may worry excessively about their performance and competence at school or in sporting events, about personal safety and the safety of family members, or about natural disasters and future events.

 

GAD is relatively common disorder among children and adolescents. It begins gradually, often in childhood or adolescence, with symptoms that may worsen during times of stress. Worries may switch from one concern to another, and may change with time and age. GAD may result in significant academic, social, and familial impairment. If left untreated, the disorder may be chronic and predicative of adulthood anxiety and depression. However, early identification and effective management can help reduce the severity of symptoms. 

 

What causes GAD?

As with many other mental health conditions, the exact cause of generalized anxiety disorder is unknown but may be linked to:

• Genetic factors: GAD may run in families. Just as a child can inherit parent’s brown hair, green eyes, and nearsightedness, a child can also inherit that parent’s tendency toward excessive anxiety.
• Biological factors: Neurotransmitters, that send messages back and forth to control the way a person feels. Serotonin and dopamine are two important neurotransmitters that, when disrupted, can cause feelings of anxiety and depression.
• Temperament factors: A child whose temperament is timid or shy or who avoids anything dangerous may be more prone to generalized anxiety disorder than others are.
• Environmental factors: A traumatic experience (such as a divorce, illness, or death in the family, or major events outside of the family) may also trigger the onset of an anxiety disorder.
• In addition, anxiety may be learned from family members and others who are noticeably stressed or anxious around a child. I.e. children whom’s parents display perfectionist tendencies may become a perfectionist, too.

References

1. https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions

@drschwank

@optimalperformancezurich

@unesurcent

Separation anxiety disorder

What is separation anxiety disorder?

• difficulty being away from parents or other loved ones.
• excessive worry about harm to loved ones.
• excessive worry about danger to self.
• difficulty leaving the house, even to go to school.
• difficulty sleeping.
• feeling physically ill when away from loved ones.

 

Treatment for separation anxiety disorder usually includes therapy, medication, or a combination of both. Therapists can help parents to understand how their behavior may increase their child’s anxiety (for example, allowing their child to skip school). It is very important to seek out medical advice if you are concerned that your child has separation anxiety disorder, because if left untreated, anxieties can grow bigger.

 

Who is affected by separation anxiety disorder?

About 4 percent of younger children have SAD, while the estimate for adolescents is slightly lower. Girls are affected more often than boys.

 

How common are anxiety disorders?

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental, emotional, and behavioral problems affecting children and adolescents. About 13 out of every 100 children ages 9 to 17 years old experience some kind of anxiety disorder, such as separation anxiety disorder. Approximately 4 percent of children suffer from separation anxiety disorder (1).

 

What causes separation anxiety disorder?

Nearly all children experience brief feelings of anxiety about being away from a parent and display clingy behavior. Typically these normal bouts occur when a child is between 18 months and 3 years old, although older children can have passing feelings of separation anxiety during times of stress. The difference between these normal feelings of anxiety and a disorder like SAD is that a child with separation anxiety disorder will experience an extended and extensive period of fear and distress about being apart from familiar people and places and the degree of anxiety or fear is notably out of proportion to the reality of the situation. Anxiety disorders like SAD are linked to biological, family and environmental factors.

@drschwank

@unesurcent

@optimalperformancezurich

Overprotective parenting

Early exposure to overprotected parenting, sending signals that the world is a dangerous pace. When a child falls and the parents respond anxiously, the child will pick up on it and respond accordingly. Hence, not daring to try to run and explore anymore and therewith lacking experience in the future and be even more vulnerable.

 

Once upon a time - because of that! Fairy tales are always up to date. They build bridges and stand metaphorically to understand basic human interaction. 

 

Fairy tales speak the language of the unconscious and thus also connect us to our unconscious self. The story of “Sleeping Beauty” provides a prime example of how fairy tales help us not only to understand crises but also to overcome them.

 

The “sleeping beauty” effect, as it can be called. Out of concern, parents don’t expose their children to challenges, remove all obstacles out of their way to make life easier for their children, which in itself leads to unexperienced, unskilled children. These children are unequipped for the real life and unexperienced handling challenging situations. Encountering such “sleeping beauty”children, one can observe their inadequate response to challenges.

 

As parents and caregivers; it is important to be aware of our actions and reactions when engaging with a child. How we respond to a child will impact the child’s response to the situation at hand. Caregivers are a sounding board of a child’s development of his internal world. 

A famous concept of these unconscious processes, is the concept defined by S. Freiberg “the Ghost in the Nursery”. It describes the intergenerational transmission of early childhood experiences. S. Freiberg described there with the imprint of care experienced in the previous generations. The way children are raised will impact their own parenting style.

Besides ghosts, there are also protective intergenerational transmitted processes: “Angels in the Nursery”. These angles refer to states of mind when the person evokes memories of feeling especially loved, understood, or protected.

 

@drschwank

@optimalperformancezurich

@unesurcent