I’M JANXIOUS!
But instead of worrying I looked in the MIRROR and channelled my inner Marilyn Monroe. ‘You’re GORGEOUS,’ I said to myself. It sounds crazy, but it’ll boost your CONFIDENCE, says king of self-help Paul McKenna
Every night is the same. I lie awake worrying about the ever-increasing size of my waistline as well as my to-do list. My inbox at work never gets any smaller and the only thing that calms the panic in my chest is knowing that soon all this will be over. In fact I’m counting down the days to when I hope normality resumes. That’s because I’m suffering from a serious case of Janxiety – the anxiety that comes in January when we’re trying to keep our New Year resolutions.
We all vow to diet, exercise, spend more time with our children and on ourselves and our health as the clock turns midnight at the beginning of the year. But failing to drastically alter my lifestyle (as I always do!) can have psychological repercussions. Experts warn this recent phenomenon can trigger overwhelming guilt, high blood pressure, low motivation and rising tension.
Normally, I’d turn to Facebook to take my mind off not going to the gym and finishing off the children’s sweets while they were at school, but now research has shown that the social network can cause stress too. In a study of more than 1,000 people, half were asked to give up Facebook and reported back a week later that they were happier, and didn’t feel as stressed or lonely as the other half.
So instead I looked in the mirror and channelled my inner Marilyn Monroe. ‘You’re gorgeous,’ I breathed to my reflection. ‘You’re thin, smart and beautiful.’ It may sound crazy, but it’s the easy way to boost your confidence, according to king of self-help and hypnotist Paul McKenna. By pretending to be our favourite idol we can become charismatic, confident and charming, he says in our feature on page 30.
In case you haven’t guessed, it’s our self-help issue, so check out more on how quitting Facebook can make you happier on page 42 and our exclusive health report on Janxiety on page 36. And don’t forget – February is just around the corner! Until next week,