Workaholics and overachievers are those most at risk…
You’ve heard of burnout; ‘the state of being stressed and overwhelmed whilst meeting constant demands’, but have you ever considered the opposite? A state of focus and motivation so strong that it spills into your weekends and holidays? There have been studies into Paradise Syndrome for over twenty years and most of us will probably self diagnose ourselves by the end of this article. Why isn’t it spoken about more?
This year has caused us to reevaluate our goals and ambitions. It’s left us scrambling for inspiration and heavily reliant on our own mindset. We have been inundated with ‘multiple…
CULTURE
Reporting from Stockholm, truly shocked.
So, you’ve watched as Scandinavian countries have continuously ranked highest in the World Happiness Report for nearly a decade, and you want to try it for yourself?
It was only a few months ago, before coming to Sweden, that I too, in my excited state, was scrambling to find videos and articles that will reveal more about my future Scandi life.
I was aware of the obvious: the long and dark winter days, the Swede's obsession with nature, the fact that the majority of the population takes the entire month of July off, and that…
LIFE LESSONS
It’s all so exciting — until you arrive…
Moving is healthy and experiencing a new city, culture and lifestyle — essential. You know the old saying; life isn’t meant to be lived in one place. But to many, the thought of up and leaving all they know can seem immensely daunting.
For such a logistically simple move, it isn’t done enough. A plane ticket, some savings, and a whole heap of courage are all it takes to break away from your monotonous life.
A few months of preparation pass as you sit watching the countdown on your phone whilst daydreaming about your forthcoming new life and then you…
A friendly warning to those who aren’t aware of what it can do
At 26, I am lucky to say that my first two jobs were in the early beginnings of two hugely successful startups. One, a rather unimaginative copycat model to Uber, and the other, a complex blockchain business.
It isn’t the usual introduction to work that most people get fresh out of University. There wasn’t ever any time for me to take it slow or learn on the job — when you’re creating something from scratch, time is very much your enemy.
Being a type-A personality made me believe that this aggressive and ambitious line of work was my calling. …
PRODUCTIVITY
Without it, you don’t stand a chance.
The idea of productivity is something that we romanticize greatly in today's society. However, telling by the floods of encouraging Instagram posts that reassure us that it’s ok if we weren’t productive today, it’s pretty clear that many of us are struggling.
We become frustrated if we don’t manifest the Monday morning that we all strive for. The Happy-Go-Lucky attitude, a flat-white in hand, the sun beaming down on us, and a chock-a-block busy week ahead to look forward to.
For most of us, this rarely comes to fruition because we have failed in the preparation stage. We blindly believe…
PSYCHOLOGY
…and how they can actually be good for you.
We all have at least one. Friends who perhaps we grew up with but would never befriend as adults, or mutuals with whom we are forced to spend time because of our social circle. Either way, I’ve got to admit — I’m an addict.
Despite real-life (hopefully) not being as dramatic as Mean Girls, it sure can get pretty competitive out there. We can find ourselves in situations where negativity is hard to avoid.
So, instead of focusing on the bad, I try to find the silver linings.
They motivate me
I am very much aware of how any good news utterly infuriates…
Life Lessons
The end of multiple eras at once can only mean one thing …
With the end of P.S looming over us, it has caused me (and clearly many others) to reflect on the past and present goodbyes, as well as future goodbyes that await us.
The word “goodbye” has always deeply shaken me. Whenever and wherever I could, I’d avoid having to say it.
Growing up, I would go as far as excusing myself to the loo, to then secretly escape through the front door at birthday parties, just to avoid even the most casual of farewells.
Throughout my life, I was always the one leaving. I was always the random cousin who…
For me, freedom is owning your own time.
Freedom — the most lusted-after, lifestyle concept of the 21st century. We dream of it in every area of our lives: financially (which we equate with living a Nomad life in Bali), in love (where we get to have our cake and eat it too), career-wise (time to actually do the things that we want to do) — but more often than not, for most, the sacrifices end up being too grand to make.
We’re often shackled to imaginary conventions of society. The ‘right age’, the ‘right circumstance’, being the ‘right kind of person’. …
RELATIONSHIPS
You’re never too far from those looming eyes…
We’ve all had it happen — either to us or someone we know; the person that we chased and yearned for hits us up with that text. We’ve all seen the endless memes about the beeping radar that exes seem to have when you finally have the audacity to move on — and how that sets us back or drives us further forward.
There are countless reasons why your phone may buzz with a message from that number you deleted but oh-so recognise, but the truth is, it’s probably one of the…
Cheap and easy methods that (somehow) worked for me…
After ruining my hair as a teenager, there was just no way I could see it coming back. None of the popular fads were working for me and I wasn’t about to be fooled by the gummy-bear vitamin marketing campaigns of influencers.
There were many reasons my hair was dry and resembled a comfy old haystack for horses to perch but two stand out as the most to blame — bleach, and extensions. With the latter, it was a neverending loop, a catch 22, if you will, that I didn’t quite…
Sandra Michelle
Law Graduate in London. Encouraging new perspectives. Writer for Better Marketing, P.S I Love You, The Ascent & Mind Cafe. Top Writer in Love & Self Improvement
