Dr. Simone’s Mind Space

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

Sources of anxiety

We have all had a moment of anxiety in our lives, yet living with it on a regular, even daily basis is a different story. In this podcast series, I’ll discuss different types of anxiety, analyze the origin of anxiety in different life stages, and concepts to apply to reduce peaks in anxiety.

 

What types of anxiety are there?

 

The International Classification of Disease (ICD) and the American DSM-V have a classification of disorders:

• Generalized anxiety (GAD)
• Panic disorder
• Specific phobia
• Social anxiety disorder
• Separation anxiety disorder
• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

 

What are potential sources and causes o one might ask?

• Exposure to trauma
• Adverse childhood experiences
• Passing on experiences of worry from one generation to the next (intergenerational transmission)

 

• Genetic predisposition

 

@drschwank

@optimalperformancezurich

@unesurcent

Women’s hormonal balance

Today’s conversation, live from Hong Kong with Katia, Nutritional Therapist, NLP coach, and the founder of Omni Vitality.

In this podcast you'll gain insights in the mechanisms of lifestyle, stress, sleep, nutrition on women’s hormonal balance. We discussed how women can regain control of their bodies and emotions.

@drschwank

@omni.vitality

@optimalperformancezurich

@unesurcent

Mommy recovery plan

To all women in the world. Let’s stick together and be open to share your most valuable moments! Sometimes more than other times. The more we connect with other, likeminded women, the stronger we become. We’re not alone in this! The more we try to be the best in everything, optimising our lives, the less quality work and precious family / couples, but also less quality me-time we get. Such a vicious cycle, which we if ever only realise when it gets too bad and overboard. What a pity!! We all know better, yet societal, family pressure, and expectations weigh heavy on our shoulders. We need to break free, in order to understand the dynamics, how destructive we’ve been to our self and as a result dragged along our surroundings.

 

How do we get out of this cycle?

 

• Get aware and face yourself in the mirror. It’s a crazy vulnerable place!
• Get support that helps you hold yourself accountable to change.
• Implement small changes in your daily life —> new routines ☀️
• Get the right nutritious food into your body💛
• Start with a small daily mommy care routine. 15 min yoga is enough 🧘💛
• Book a guilt free mommy hide away 🌴

 

@drschwank

@unesurcent

@optimalperformance

@omni.vitality

Mommy guilt

Mommy guilt is real! As much as I wish my resources were infinite, they really aren’t and I have to admit, I’ve crumbled. Rushing to pick up my son, straight from work, taking care of my husband, all our Swiss family admin, my research, my clinic, my female empowerment club, just not myself. Lesser sleep quality and daycare germs didn’t help my immune system, so getting sick, something as foreign to me as it could be. That didn’t help my energy equilibrium either.

Now everyone is having a rough time, since happy mommy is happy family.  Taking charge again for myself and reducing the mommy guilt moments!

• Taking time after work for myself
• Do 15min yoga before dinner
• Take a 5 min facial care daily
• Book a massage
• Meet a friend for coffee
• Organise help to go on couples night out!! Essential too!!
• Go on a solo AND guilt free trip
• A walk in nature
• A yoga class

 

@drschwank

@unesurcent

@optimalperformance

@omni.vitality

Perimenopause

Introducing a new and for more than 50% of the global population a lifetime incidence being affected by. Natural menopause does not occur suddenly. A period called perimenopause usually begins a few years before the last menstrual cycle. There are two stages in the transition.

 

Perimenopausal Symptoms

During perimenopause, women may have various symptoms. Symptoms differ among women and may range from mild to severe. Hot flashes, an intense sudden build-up of body heat, are the most common symptom. Some women have no symptoms.

 

Symptoms

Mood changes. Mood changes and irritability are usually due to a combination of sleeplessness and hormonal swings. Some women find the menopausal transition to be psychologically stressful; some develop clinical depression. Women may be more at risk if they have experienced severe PMS mood swings or have a history of clinical depression. Perimenopausal depression usually goes away within a few years after menopause. In general, depression is less common during the postmenopausal years than in the premenopausal ones.

 

Treatment

Menopause is a natural condition. It is not a disease that needs medical treatment. However, some women seek treatment for the relief of perimenopausal symptoms.

 

@drschwank

@unesurcent

@optimalperformancezurich

 

References

https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/report/menopause#:~:text=Early%20Stage.,be%20sudden%20surges%20in%20estrogen.

Lifestyle factors and endometriosis

Many aspects play a role in our body-mind health balance and may contribute to the trajectory of medical conditions. Women’s health issues frequently, remain undetected or mistakenly diagnosed. One of these issues, which affects an estimated of 10% women globally, endometriosis. It has enormous implications on the quality of a woman's life. This severe inflammatory condition occurs  globally in 190 million women of reproductive age (1). Endometriosis can cause constant and intense pelvic pain, especially during periods, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and infertility. Endometriosis is the cause of 70% of all chronic pelvic pain cases in women in the United States (2). The cost of illness burden is significant in women with chronic pelvic pain, particularly the productivity costs (3). They are the greatest contributor to overall costs. Given pain is the most significant contributor, priority should be given to improving pain control in women with pelvic pain (4).

 

• It is a chronic disease associated with severe, life-impacting pain during periods, sexual intercourse, bowel movements and/or urination, chronic pelvic pain, abdominal bloating, nausea, fatigue, and sometimes depression, anxiety, and infertility.
• There is currently no known cure for endometriosis and treatment is usually aimed at controlling symptoms.
• Access to early diagnosis and effective treatment of endometriosis is important, but is limited in many settings, including in low- and middle-income countries (5).

Treatment

Treatments to manage endometriosis can vary based on the severity of symptoms and whether pregnancy is desired. No treatments cure the disease.

A range of medications can help manage endometriosis and its symptoms.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and analgesics (painkillers) like ibuprofen and naproxen are often used to treat pain.

Hormonal medicines like GnRH-analogues and contraceptive (birth control) methods can also help control pain.

These methods include:

• pills
• hormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs)
• vaginal rings
• implants
• injections
• patches

References

 

 

References

1. https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2023-03-14-global-study-shows-experience-endometriosis-rooted-genetics#:~:text=Endometriosis%20has%20enormous%20implications%20on,depression%2C%20anxiety%2C%20and%20infertility.
2. Payne JA. Acupuncture for Endometriosis: A Case Study. Med Acupunct. 2019 Dec 1;31(6):392-394. doi: 10.1089/acu.2019.1379. Epub 2019 Dec 13. PMID: 31871528; PMCID: PMC6918512.
3. Armour M, Lawson K, Wood A, Smith CA, Abbott J. The cost of illness and economic burden of endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain in Australia: A national online survey. PLoS One. 2019 Oct 10;14(10):e0223316. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223316. PMID: 31600241; PMCID: PMC6786587.
4. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/endometriosis
5. https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/endometriosis-facts-and-figures

@drschwank

@unesurcent

@optimalperformancezurich

Lost in translation

LHave you experienced such a situation yourself, where just completely foreign to all around?

Staying in Shanghai for my research after a quick stop over in Hong Kong, which I’ve visited early 2020 and early 2024. Yes, it’s different too, but by no means as much as the city I so love and lived in 10 years ago. The feeling of being all so foreign and seen as a stranger, is quite a unique encounter in today’s globalized world. It’s interesting to face this situation as a white woman. It’s such a rare encounter and I guess a large majority in the west hadn’t encountered it, on any of their global trips. It’s in a way a good thing for the white majority to experience, makes one more humble, but also at the same time more entitled, a strange combination.

How do we cope with the loneliness, such an experience brings?

How to deal with the frustration of being lost in translation?

How to avoid abusing the privileged status and lack of social control?

 

@drschwank

@unesurcent

@optimalperformancezurich

Regaining your balance

Currently on a global research trip in Hong Kong and Shanghai, combining research and clinical work in Europe at the same time is a stretch, considering the 7 hours time difference. On top being in a place that’s become very foreign and without Madarin Chinese proficiency hardly possible to navigate without a local support. Luckily, I do speak Mandarin Chinese and used to live in a very different, way more international Shanghai. Getting around is therefore possible for me, without getting lost.

This daily challenging bridging of obligations in all directions and feeling it’s never enough. That’s the hardest feeling of all. So what can we do to keep up with the best personal balance?

Reflections over regaining and reshaping balance in body and mind:

Rebalancing nutrition and healthy eating habits, sleep, exercise, family obligations, work, and other social activities. Wow, it’s a lot!

Take one step at a time! Seek help to mediate, if it’s too difficult to cope with all the tasks and people involved. Be humble to what you know and seek help from experts, that’s very important!

@drschwank

@unesurcent

@optimalperformancezurich

@omni.vitality

Global female networking

Global female networking

 

Travelling globally for research, takes a creative mind to figure out the options available to make it happen. I love to combine exercising and meeting people, a walk and even just a quick coffee in between meetings, lectures, running errands, and heading to the airport.

Flexibility and creativity are queen.

 

The more we take care and accommodate to the external situation of time zones, season, weather, and our personal rhythm, the smoother the transitions. Female bodies are complex, the hormones, and cycle being impacted by change of time zones, mixing up the circadian rhythm. Be mindful and balance your daily obligations well.

Personally, yoga and running are a very helpful tool to adjust to Jetlag. Yet, I do notice myself to be more hyper vigilant, potentially the circadian rhythm that’s out of balance, the digestive system, and the hormonal balance in the body.

 

Note from a frequent global traveler:

I did understand to slow down, planning less meetings, and being more go with the flow, attuned to my body and mind’s needs!!

 

@drschwank

@unesurcent

@optimalperformancezurich