Are self-care, safe spaces and box-set binges turning us all into ‘snowflakes’? Perhaps it’s time to embrace the new trend for positive discomfort, says Fleur Britten
Would you choose to spend your hard-earned spare time sitting in a circle with a group of strangers gathered to tell you exactly what they think of you? It might be as innocuous as, “Actually, you’ve got a bit of a resting bitch face” or take the form of a round of “I don’t like you” and “I don’t like you, either”. This is ‘circling’, in which people share their honest perceptions of each other – and the franker, the better.
Why on earth would you endure that, you may well ask. After all, isn’t this the age of self-care, and if you’d rather spend the evening with Netfl ix, a nice red and Uber Eats, you should, right? Wrong, according to trend forecasting agency The Future Laboratory, which, in a recent briefing highlighted the concept of ‘positive discomfort’. The agency’s deputy foresight editor Kathryn Bishop describes it as the “reframing of that uncomfortable feeling as something that’s good for us”, adding that recent studies have shown discomfort can be a stimulus for growth. “It’s the idea of healthy stress,” she says.
Indeed, back in circling hell, there are apparently plenty of benefits in experiencing “the discomfort that comes with feeling unmasked”, says Sara Ness, the Texas-based founder of Authentic Revolution, which runs circling sessions around the world for, among others, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, lawyers and artists. Circling, she claims, enhances self-awareness, creates connection and expands people’s capacity to tolerate more. What doesn’t kill you, people.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2019-Ausgabe von NEXT.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2019-Ausgabe von NEXT.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Caitlin Cady Shares Her Journey
Caitlin Cady always liked being in control, so the thought of meditating scared her. But once she sat down and let her thoughts leave her mind, it proved to be incredibly important to her health. She shares her journey
The Wright Direction
Back on home soil after her stint in NYC, Rebecca Wright shares with Monique McKenzie what she thinks the future holds for the US, and why she is proud of the positive role modelling New Zealand offers her young daughter
View From The Top
She’s just turned 50 and Hilary Barry is feeling happier and more comfortable in her own skin than ever before. The Seven Sharp host sits down with Phoebe Watt to talk about gratitude and why she won’t let the odd barb bring her down.
How To Magnify Your Meal
There are certain natural foods that offer higher nutrients than others, but how do we know which to choose? Anna King Shahab looks at how we can make choices that are backed by science.
My big BREAK
Sometimes things come together in ways we could never have imagined. Sharon Stephenson speaks to three Kiwi women about the pivotal moments that helped launch their careers and businesses to success
MOTHER AND SISTER
Linda Armstrong attended the Linwood Islamic Centre every Friday and on the day of the Christchurch mosque attack she confronted the shooter, asking him to stop. Now her daughter Angela Armstrong is going back over her mum’s footsteps to learn more about her conversion to Islam and the community she loved
The Acid Test For Anxiety
Microdosing involves taking tiny amounts of illegal psychedelic drugs such as LSD or magic Microdosing, the practice of taking tiny amounts of illegal psychedelic drugs, is being hailed by some as a new form of therapy. We separate the shamanism from the science in pursuit of the truth
Queen Of The Beehive
Tova O’Brien is living her career dream, leading Three’s all-female political team in parliament. She tells Sharon Stephenson about reporting from Europe’s hot spots, landing in jail, and what they really talk about in the press gallery
Passion Project: How To Write A Romance
Have you ever secretly thought you could be the next Nora Roberts or Diana Gabaldon? Award-winning Kiwi romance novelist Bronwyn Sell takes you through her 10-step plan
The End Game
Everyone has their own approach to goal setting, but do some work better than others? Monique McKenzie shares the methods that will help you get to where you want to be.