Discovering YOU Magazine April 2018 Issue | Page 41

SPIRITUALITY AND FAITH

Everyday Heroes Part 2:

Do you wear the “S”?

Superman/Ironman and Superwoman/Wonder Woman Syndrome

Submitted by Francine Houston

Trying to live up to the expectations of others can be hard; trying to have it all and striving for perfection can be ways people cause stress/anxiety to develop in their bodies. I am talking about overcoming the superman and superwoman syndrome. I know as a Christian, we are told that all things are possible to those who believe. However, I also believe in balance, self-care, health, beauty, and wellness.

The Superman complex/Superwoman syndrome consists of:

- High achievers

- Setting unrealistically high standards

for yourself

- Can’t or won’t acknowledge a need for

rest and breaks

- Workaholic

- A belief you must be “on” all the time

- An urge to do whatever it takes to

provide for and take care of everyone

you feel responsible for.

- Measure your self-worth in terms of

productivity

- Believe you can be superhuman; others

might not be to handle it, but you can/

must

- Have an unhealthy sense of

responsibility

- Experience these things in all realms of

your life: work, relationships, parenting,

volunteering, running your household,

etc.

I and several of my family members suffer from this male and female alike. I have overworked myself to the point of hospitalization. While others just need a sense of balance. There is no sense of balance, it is either one extreme or another; no middle ground. Ask yourself, “Do you “feel” this way?” Empowered or powerless,

in control or overwhelmed, confident or inadequate, realistic in your interpretations or guilty, energized or exhausted, in a state of flow or pulled underwater, happy or unhappy, calm or anxious.