September 11, 2019 at 06:31PM by CWC During my yoga teacher training, I was enthralled with the “Om” symbol, my one and only doodling muse. I drew it everywhere—in the margins of my notebooks, on my hands, in the sand at the beach—but I never stopped to think too much about the motivation behind such a repetitious act. That is, until graphologist Tracey Russell explained how to decode the meaning of doodles and what each style says about your personality. “Doodling is proactive daydreaming, produced casually and unconsciously—often on auto-pilot—whilst the writer is busy focusing on something else at the same time,” says the handwriting expert. “Doodles are not intended for any particular recipient. This means that doodles are the complete free-flow of uninhibited symbols, ‘live and direct’ from the subconscious.” Each doodle is like a secret map to your psyche. While most will begin with basic, universal shapes like a circles, squares, and triangles, how they evolve from there can paint a pretty interesting picture of the goings-on between your ears. “For example, drawings may consist of single objects, mini scenes, childlike scribbles, shapes or even complex patterns,” says Russell. They may be precise or slapdash, big and invasive, or small and insignificant. Many are repetitive but rarely look like works of art.” At the end of the day, how you draw is as unique to you as your fingerprint or eye color. That said, Russell does have a few ideas for what certain doodling habits may say about
Category: You and your body
4 steps to stop imposter syndrome from putting out your charismatic fire
September 11, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC If I’ve learned one thing from life in New York (and about 40,000 re-watches of Almost Famous), it’s that the best way to come across as charismatic is to act like you belong. Charisma gets results; it’s why the best way to walk into a music venue without a ticket is with your head held high. So it’s not shocking to learn that imposter syndrome (AKA the often unwarranted fear that you don’t belong or aren’t worthy of your position) can impede your charisma factor, as reported in a recent New York Times article. But, um…how do you stop internalized issues such as imposter syndrome from stifling your charisma? And furthermore, is it even possible to learn how to be charismatic? Well, it helps to regard charisma as a forward-facing, perception-based personality trait that’s not necessarily reflective of anyone’s inner self. “Charisma is a public quality,” says clinical psychologist and author of I Know I’m in There Somewhere: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Her Inner Voice and Living a Life of Authenticity, Helene Brenner, PhD. “It’s not a quality you have in private with the people you are really close to. Charisma is not about intimacy; intimacy requires vulnerability, allowing someone to see you as just human, with flaws and weaknesses like everyone else. Charisma is almost the opposite of that.” Meaning? Faking it is essentially the name of the game, especially because being uncharismatic can be a problem in the pursuit of getting
It’s not news to me that I have acne, so stop commenting on my skin concerns
September 11, 2019 at 06:10PM by CWC To know me, you should know this: Getting my eyebrows done is the only thing that makes me feel like I have control of my life. Born with a caterpillar of a unibrow that could rival Count Olaf, each time I look in the mirror and see clean, non-conjoined arches, I breathe a sigh of relief. Yet, during my last brow sesh, an esthetician ripped that privileged feeling from my skin as if it were an unwanted facial hair, telling me that my skin was broken out and suggesting products to clear it up. Whoa. Please back the hell up. I’m very used to my waxer asking me if I’d like to add on additional treatments like getting my lip waxed. And separately, I’m very used to people, unprompted, talking about the quality of my skin; however, never before has the negative energy of both fused together into a hellish half-hour dialog about my hormonal acne. One singular thought screamed over and over in my head: “Please don’t talk about my skin problems.” Because, while she was transfixed on “clearing up my skin,” I couldn’t help but think that I’d like to clear up why it’s no longer appropriate to comment on the state of someone else’s complexion. In case you don’t realize it, having acne sucks If you have never had to deal with acne, you have no idea how all-consuming it can be. One 2017 study reviewing 13 separate articles showed
How to make sure that you have good form when you’re working out alone
September 11, 2019 at 03:11PM by CWC We called it back in 2017: Digital fitness is one the rise. More than ever before, you can now get world-class trainers in your living room. It’s made working out easier and more accessible than ever, and while there’s no doubt that at-home fitness is a great way to get in a sweat sesh, if a fitness pro can’t see you, they can’t know if you actually have good form and are doing your workout the right way. But let’s be honest, having a trainer watch you work out via your phone is not only unrealistic (and like a tad creepy), it makes verbal cues trainers give even more important. “I think that programs have to start from the basics and really explain techniques and modalities, and explain the exercise from beginner to the most advanced level,” says Bergen Wheeler, national director of mind body innovation and talent at Exhale. “There should be different level classes, and each class should offer explanations and modifications for more challenging moves.” If apps are going to be offering classes for anyone, they have the responsibility to offer them for everyone, too. A lot of this comes down to hiring talented instructors, who can coach students into proper form without actually having to see them do the moves. “When you’re a great instructor, you know the top five things in any position that your client is going to hit,” says Brynn Putnam, creator of The Mirror, adding that
Microplastics are in our oceans, our air, and our bodies—but what does that mean for our health?
September 11, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC It’s hard to believe that when plastic was first invented in the early 1900s, it was seen as a technological miracle. Now, plastic is so deeply ingrained into our daily lives that it’s impossible to avoid (just ask one editor who attempted #PlasticFreeJuly). It’s in our clothing, beauty products, phones, furniture, toys, and now, our bodies. According to a recent study, humans are unintentionally breathing and ingesting tiny particles of plastic, aka microplastics. These microplastics, which are each roughly the size of a sesame seed, can come from larger plastics that have broken up or from microbeads of plastic that are deliberately added to beauty products (like cleansers). The study found those tiny plastic particles showing up in stool samples from people living all over the world. Having plastic pieces floating around in our bodies does not sound particularly ideal. But what does the ubiquitousness of microplastics truly mean for our health? Here, some of the top toxicologists who have studied microplastics share what we know—and what we don’t know. How microplastics end up in our bodies It’s understandably unnerving to think about how there’s very likely tiny pieces of plastic in your body right now. But it’s also important to know that microplastics are small—like, really small. According to the National Institute of Health, they’re less than five millimeters big. (That’s half a centimeter.) “They are in consumer products such as synthetic clothing fabric, toothpaste, and skincare products,” the NIH’s site reads.
This is the absolute worst bag for your posture, according to a chiropractor
September 11, 2019 at 02:01PM by CWC In middle school, I thought that having one of those rolling backpacks was the epitome of coolness. (It wasn’t.) While everyone else schlepped around their canvas messenger bags, I proudly wheeled my rolling backpack through the hallways. Nowadays, I favor a leather tote to carry around my work supplies. But that is basically the worst thing I could be doing, according to Jonathan Leary, DC. (The chiropractor also tells me that a rolling bag is best for your back, but we’ll get to that in a moment.) “In this day and age, we spend a lot of time hunched over our computers typing, eating at our desks, texting, the list goes on. The problem here is that we are always contracting the body in a forward motion, which causes all of our postural problems to increase,” explains Dr. Leary. “The more our posture is affected, it will lead to lower back or neck pain.” You exacerbate this pain when your bag—like my aforementioned leather tote—isn’t balanced on your body. But the worst offense he sees is something I am also guilty of: choosing the biggest bag possible and carrying around you entire life in it. (How am I supposed to flirt with cute single guys at the coffee shop I work at if I don’t have a travel makeup bag, quarters for laundry, and the CVS receipts from my last 10 trips there on hand at all times?) “The bigger the bag, the
What it actually means to raise your vibrational energy—plus 12 ways to do it
September 11, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC If your first inclination upon hearing the phrase “vibrational energy” is to associate it with a mediative practice related to spirituality, well…you’re on the right track, but think way less woo-woo. The practice—which indeed does have a connection to the wellness world and cultivating a healthy mind—is rooted in physics. “Einstein taught us that everything is energy,” says Sharon Hart, certified professional coach who focuses on alignment. So because everything is made up of energy, every person, place, and thing vibrates at a different frequency. “High vibrational energy is energy that is good and strong,” says Marlene Vargas, co-founder of metaphysical shop House of Intuition. “This energy is pure, and it can come from whatever you want to call it—source energy, universe energy, God energy.” On the flip side, a low vibration energy is dark and dense and feels heavy, Vargas says. It’s often associated with negative emotions such as suffering, fear, and anger. Based on this intel, then, the term “raise your vibration,” reflects that you have a self-awareness of your thoughts and emotions, says Tracee Dunblazier, spiritual empath, and shaman. You’re able to recognize when you’re in a low vibration emotion (like jealousy or grief) and do something to shift yourself into a high-vibration emotional state (such as joy, gratitude, or peacefulness). But what is that “something” you can do to shift your vibrational energy from a low to high place? Check out 12 tips from the energy pros that you can
Confession: I only have one pan in my kitchen and I use it for everything
September 11, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC When I moved out of the apartment I shared with my ex, I basically started from scratch when buying for my new one. If you’d like more details about how woo woo decor helped me cope with my loneliness, here you go. But one thing I didn’t realize I had going for me in my old place (aside from a dishwasher and in-unit laundry, sigh) is that I had full access to a chef-worthy assortment of pots and pans. Now, I have exactly one pan—and I use it to cook everything. I know that in practice there are specific uses for different pans, and some pans are better suited to cook eggs or stir fry vegetables. But realistically, even with approximately 100 pans at my disposal, I wasn’t using them. I would just pull out a new pan because it was the one that wasn’t still sitting in the sink with cauliflower gnocchi stuck to the bottom. Having tons of pans did not make me a better cook, or inspire me to try harder to be a better cook. It just meant I ended up having to do more dishes (well, make my ex do more dishes, but potato potahto). When I moved into my new apartment, I had to get a whole new kitchen set—and that stuff is expensive. Since the breakup was new, I figured I’d probably be subsisting on a diet of Postmates for a few weeks (#toosadtocook), but I
Learn how to stand up for yourself with a psychologist’s top 5 tips for setting boundaries
September 11, 2019 at 01:00AM by CWC For many, it’s not quite second nature to know how to stand up for yourself. This is especially true for people who are branded as pushovers, regardless of whether they were self-appointed to the title or the reputation grew over time as a result of experiences personal and professional that colored them as veritable human doormats. Regardless of how people come to be walking, talking embodiments of those well-known “WELCOME” mats, sticking to your opinions and speaking your truth is no small task. Perhaps as a result of a deep-seated belief of being a pushover, you’ve come to associate friction as conflict and conflict as The Worst Thing You Can Ever Come Up Against. What some may find surprising here, though, is that root problem at play isn’t so much a struggle with asserting your beliefs so much as setting boundaries regarding what you’re willing to accept from others. “When I work with people on this issue, women in particular seem to struggle with setting healthy boundaries—and solidly standing up for themselves—if this was not modeled for them as children,” says clinical psychologist Carla Marie Manly, PhD. Though standing up for yourself doesn’t need to be scary or something to psych yourself up to do, Dr. Manly does note that many do grow fearful that they’ll be perceived as rude or aggressive if they take the steps to do it. “Thus, a piece of the work is learning that a person can stand
6 confidence tips and tricks career experts practice themselves
September 10, 2019 at 09:46PM by CWC It’s a complete myth that some people come out of the womb just bursting with confidence. You’re not born with or without it; it’s learned. This is important to remember if you have a tendency of sitting in your office chair, stewing with imposter syndrome, wishing you were a bit more like the calm and collected woman giving off total boss vibes to your left. According to life coach and author of What If It Does Work Out? Susie Moore, there are small rituals you can do every day that in time lead to increased confidence and self-assurance. Both Moore and Joanna Stahl, CEO of Go2Practice, put their own confidence tips into practice every day, and it’s easy for you to follow their lead. Tips for confidence 1. Smile like you mean it “Yes, even f you don’t feel like it,” Moore says. “Roll your shoulders back, tilt your chin up, and put a smile on your dial. Studies show that acting the way we want to feel can impact our mood and confidence levels, fast.” She’s right: A study out of the University of Kansas found that smiling actually works to reduce the body’s response to stress. And when you aren’t stressed, it’s much easier to give off chill vibes. 2. Throw out a Compliment While you want to make sure it’s genuine—giving out compliments you don’t really mean is and seems insincere, Moore says that complimenting someone else is a quick way