SuperWoman Syndrome - Do You Have It?

How to handle Super Woman Syndrome

Who runs the world? GIRLS! But a tad bit balance would run every girl's world so much better.

With women's day a stone throw away, we decided to let the mom take a backseat and let the woman take over! Women play numerous roles in their daily lives; as a daughter, as a mother, as a wife, a daughter-in-law, a Bhabhi, a homemaker, as an employee, as an employer and much more. Wearing so many hats on one tiny head can get overwhelming even if you don't accept that it does! Being a woman is a 24 x 7 job with no sick leaves.

It gets harder for the women who strive for perfection and want to keep everyone around them happy at all times. These powerful women do this with no intention but love for those around her, and in this people-pleasing project of a lifetime; she often ignores the most important person in the world: herself!

This creates an imbalance of a kind at some point in her life, which is termed as the superwoman syndrome (SWS) and the sad part is that most probably she won't realise that she is responsible for this very imbalance, when all this while she thought that she is fulfilling all the roles just fine.

We strongly believe, the most important role is the one with yourself. Happy is what happy does. If you are content with yourself, you will exude sunshine without even trying and that's the people-pleasing project halfway through right there!

Do you have the SWS and how to find out?

• Do you consider yourself as your competition or do you compete with yourself?
• o you rarely say “No” to others?
• Though you know you cannot afford more responsibilities but still, do you accept more responsibilities on your shoulder?
• Are you never satisfied with your achievements?
• Do you always feel you could have done a certain duty better than you performed?
• Do you always expect yourself to achieve 100% of all your roles in life with perfection?
• Do you feel like you want to fulfil all people’s expectations somehow?
• Do you always strive to be the best of all the roles you play?
• Despite doing everything by the book, do you feel a sense of emptiness in the end?
• Do you always over-deliver?

If your answer is yes to most of these questions, then you might have Superwoman Syndrome and it would be wise to see your therapist at the earliest to get their approval on the steps mentioned below and begin your journey towards nurturing yourself!

How to come out of the SWS?

1. Spend at least 1-hour minimum for yourself

Every woman should spend time for herself, you must spend at least an hour in a day to nurture your soul, to do exercise, to do things you love, this can be anything from listening to music to having a fun chat with your friends, to catching up on some reading!

2. Be bold enough to say “NO”

If you know you cannot take more responsibilities, be bold enough to say “NO” do not indulge in the dangerous experiment of “Let me give it a try” this can be counter-productive in many cases. Also, when you need help from others be straight forward to ask it.

3. Pour your heart out to your family, even your kids.

You can try to explain your feelings and difficulties to your kids, most kids do understand your feelings, explain it to them how hard is your work at the office, why you get angry at times, and what are the reasons for losing your patience. Sharing will make you feel relaxed, and ease your stress.

4. Complement and Appreciate yourself

Consider yourself as a special person and you will not be wrong, you just need to realize it. Love yourself, embrace yourself, compliment yourself. Do not hesitate to do things that truly make you happy and content.

5. Buy stuff for yourself

Do you like ice cream? eat it!. Do you want to buy new clothes? Buy it. Do you want to sing and dance? Just do it, do not let anything hold you back from things that you want to do.

6. Do not strive for perfection

Do not expect perfection in every role you play and in everything you do. Do it to your satisfaction. Do your best and forget the rest.

Always be clear with the reality of life, this world will not come to a halt without you, it will continue to function pretty well when you are not around, so take good care of yourself and make yourself happy. Being a woman is hard at times, but being a superwoman is harmful to your mental health! Identify the difference instead of blurring the obvious line. Do the best you can in playing all your roles, but every once in a while give yourself the timeout you so obviously deserve!

Now tell us, did you know of the term superwoman syndrome before reading our article? Share your answers in the comments below!