The Myth of the Superwoman

As I sit here in pain, unable to participate in the activities I’d planned, I had an epiphany.  The shame and guilt I feel are ridiculous.  Those feelings cropped up because I started comparing my life to my friends’ lives.  Somehow sitting on the couch was making me falling behind as if we were all in some competition.  

I also started thinking about other friends who pushed themselves until they ended up in the hospital.  They too have chronic medical conditions.  They too have Superwoman Syndrome.

What is Superwoman Syndrome? 

It is the belief that we as women have to do it all.  If we don’t do it, fix it or handle it then the world as we know it will cease to exist.  I’m using dramatic language, but this condition requires it.  Ask for help?  No, that’s a sign of weakness.  Superwoman doesn’t ask for help!!

Times have changed

When I was younger, the women in my community helped each other.  The kids would congregate at a different house on the weekends.   In retrospect, it was probably to give each other a break.  They planned events together.  They carpooled all the time.  There was always some sort of interaction between them.  Positive interaction. 

This sense of community is needed now more than ever.  The information age has brought with it a need to be everywhere and everything to everyone.  However, we can take control of our lives.  What are some of the ways we can learn to lean on each other?

Self-care is self-love.  You have to take care of yourself first.  If you aren’t 100%, then you can’t truly give to others.  Find time to recharge doing the things you love whether it is reading, taking a walk, exercise, etc.  You may find that the first step is to rediscover your passions.

Respect one another.  Honor each other as women.  This is our common ground.  From there, get to know each other.  Listen and share your stories.  Our lifestyles may be different, but at the end of the day we all want to be understood.

Resolve conflicts.  You want to be considered mature and wise?  Learn how to resolve conflicts in a productive manner.  It is important to understand different perspectives.  The result may be that you agree to disagree, but this is possible without harboring resentment and bitterness.

Look for ways to serve others.  A small gesture can go a long way.   Maybe you notice someone appears weary.  Make an extra portion of dinner and deliver it to them.  You could send them flowers or a hand written note.  Most times, we just need an empathetic ear and someone to reassure us that it’s going to be alright.

These are just a few ideas off the top of my head.  Share other ways that we can build a stronger community or how you have achieved this yourselves.

6 Myths about Bottled Water

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from the Meatless Monday Website

(Marie Claire) MYTH #1: BOTTLED WATER IS BETTER THAN TAP.

Not necessarily. While labels gush about bottled water that "begins as snowflakes" or flows from "deep inside lush green volcanoes," between 25 and 40 percent of bottled water comes from a less exotic source: U.S. municipal water supplies. (Bottling companies buy the water and filter it, and some add minerals.) That's not really a bad thing: The Environmental Protection Agency oversees municipal water quality, while the Food and Drug Administration monitors bottled water; in some cases, EPA codes are more stringent.

MYTH #2:PURIFIED WATER TASTES BETTER.

The "purest" water — distilled water with all minerals and salts removed — tastes flat; it's the sodium, calcium, magnesium, and chlorides that give water its flavor. The "off" taste of tap water is the chlorine; if you refrigerate it in a container with a loose-fitting lid, the chlorine taste will be gone overnight.

MYTH #3:BOTTLED WATER WITH VITAMINS, MINERALS, OR PROTEIN IS MORE HEALTHY THAN REGULAR WATER.

"Vitamins, color, herbs, protein, and all the other additions to water — those are a marketing ploy," says Marion Nestle, Ph.D., professor of nutrition studies at New York University. Plus, the additives are usually a scant serving of the vitamins you really need in a day, adds Amy Subar, Ph.D., a nutritionist with the National Cancer Institute. Enhanced waters usually contain sugars and artificial flavorings to sweeten the deal and can pack more calories than diet soda. When it comes to providing fluoride, tap water usually wins, though that element is increasingly being added to bottled waters.

MYTH #4:YOU NEED EIGHT 8-OUNCE GLASSES OF WATER EACH DAY.

The Institute of Medicine recommends about 91 ounces (a little more than 11 8-ounce glasses) of fluid daily for women. But here's the thing: It expects 80 percent of that to come from water, juice, coffee, tea, or other beverages and the remaining 20 percent from food. That means if you drink a 12-ounce cup of coffee and a 12-ounce can of diet soda, you only need 48 more ounces (three 16-ounce glasses, or four soda cans' worth) for the day.

MYTH #5:AFTER AN INTENSE WORKOUT, BOTTLED WATER IS BEST.

There's a reason volunteers hand out Gatorade during marathons. If your workout lasts longer than an hour, you need to replace the water and electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, that you've lost (that's what sports drinks generally do). For less intense workouts, regular water is fine.

MYTH #6:WATER BOTTLES ARE EASY ON THE ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE THEY CAN BE RECYCLED.

Wouldn't it be nice? And it's not just the bottles. Eco-costs include manufacturing, trucking, shelving, and marketing. And meeting the annual U.S. demand for plastic bottles requires enough oil to keep 100,000 cars on the road for a year, says Janet Larsen of the Earth Policy Institute. Sure, the 70 million empty water bottles the U.S. produces per day can be recycled, but the sad truth is, about 86 percent of them end up in the trash. Hardly worth it, for what flows out of the tap and into a reusable glass for free.