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That’s Me in the Spotlight: Thoughts on Performance Anxiety
For today’s post, I want to talk about performance anxiety. You know, that debilitating fear or extreme case of nerves. Sometimes we call it “stage fright.” It overtakes some of us when we’re faced with doing a particular task in front of a group of people (um, public speaking anyone?). To start our discussion, let me tell you a story: Ancient History Once upon a time, in a decade long, long ago, I was a competitive figure skater. (OK, it wasn’t that long ago, but it certainly feels that way to me.) It has been many years since I laced up my skates and stepped onto the ice. Even so,…
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Social Comparisons: Why You Should Let Them Go
Today I want to talk a bit about social comparisons, and why it’s often better to just let them go. To kick things off, let’s start with a little story. This past week, I took Little Man to his first music class through our park district. Lately, he’s been acting a bit shy when I take him to new places, so I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I know he likes music, though, and he does the cutest head-bobbing when he’s really getting into a song. (Think Jim Carey, Will Ferrell, and Chris Kattan in the original Roxbury Guys sketch on Saturday Night Live.) How bad could it be?…
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Self-Improvement Vs. Self-Acceptance: Where Should We Draw The Line?
Another new year is upon us. It’s that wonderful time when we all resolve to do better, be better, change our ways, achieve more. New year, new me! Self-improvement is all the rage. I don’t know about you, but my social media feeds were flooded with posts to this effect. Friends and family shared their intentions for the upcoming year or perfectly staged snapshots of the beautifully handwritten lists of things they hope to achieve. “Make goals, not resolutions!” they say (although I would argue the difference between goals and resolutions is predominantly semantic, but I digress). “Sharing this to keep me accountable!” The Quest for Self-Improvement If you’re anything…