Getting Honest About What it Means to Be a Modern Woman

In this episode, Wendy gets honest about what it means to be a modern woman in today's world. Can we really have it all despite having to walk the tightrope of life. A life that sees most women trying to balance the competing demands of children, their partner, elderly family members, work and society's expectations of them. Wendy looks at the negative effect this has on women´s physical, emotional and mental health. Before sharing more than a dozen ways to better manage and cope with the demands that modern life puts on women. KEY TAKEAWAYS • Many women just have too many people to take care of to be able to always keep things in balance and find time for themselves. • Being overstretched leads to snappiness. • Feeling constantly guilty because they can´t do it all is very common. • Guilt leads to not feeling good enough. • Being constantly under stress leads to not being able to breathe, feeling deeply unhappy and exhausted. • Not having time means no time to spend talking through your emotions, which makes things even worse. • Treating yourself to something extra nice to eat or drink is a way to unwind a bit. But it is important to choose a healthy option. • Writing down how you are feeling is a highly effective way of venting. • Regularly enjoy things that give you a little lift or make you smile e.g. Nice perfume, family photos. • Accept that your best is good enough. • Stay in the moment, really notice how good that piece of fruit tastes, watch that film. • Learn to say no. Use Wendy´s clever tips to help you do this. • Share the burden when you can e.g. Share childcare. • Negotiate strong boundaries. • Several times a day take 5 or 10 minutes out to relax or do something nice for yourself. BEST MOMENTS “I walk a tightrope of work and life balance myself every single day.” “Beneath that veneer is burnout, overwhelm, guilt and emotional exhaustion.” “We think we have to help them with their problems. Because we're trying to be perfect all the time we don't have any place to vent our emotions.” "Learn to be your own best friend." “Keep that self-compassion going.” "Really savour the moment." "Try to negotiate some flexible working." VALUABLE RESOURCES www.wendycastelino.com https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/ https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798 https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino ABOUT THE HOST Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential. Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience. Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own. Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/