Working towards a goal can be exciting and energizing.  Goals give us something to focus on immediately, while also providing something for us to look forward to.  Whether you're saving for a winter vacation, working to improve your running time, or striving to be more punctual, the focus and discipline required to achieve a goal can bring out the best in us.

On the other hand, instead of feeling inspired and motivated by our goals, we can sometimes find ourselves feeling trapped by them.  There's nothing to be gained from pursuing a goal that only leaves you feeling burdened and drained.  Here are 4 ways you can prevent that from happening. 

It feels good to be around authentic people.  Whatever their individual personality and temperament, they come across as honest and genuine.  They don't pretend, and they don't hide behind a contrived, artificial image.  Instead, they show up with a commitment to being their true selves, allowing you to see them as they really are,  In a world where so much of what we see and experience is highly contrived and manipulated, authenticity carries extra value.  It comes across like a breath of fresh air.
 
While authenticity comes more easily to some of us than others, we can all work on developing our authenticity muscles.  Here are 5 ways to be more authentic in how you live your life.

Most people are aware of the placebo effect, when a treatment with no medicinal value results in healing due to the patient's belief, trust, and confidence in that treatment.  Fewer people are familiar with the corresponding nocebo effect, which is defined as:  "a harmless substance having harmful, undesirable, and adverse effects on health." 

It's important to realize just how powerful the nocebo effect can be, particularly in the form of words.  There are documented cases where a misdiagnosis has caused someone's health to decline rapidly, even to the point of death.  We truly need to guard against unwarranted negative beliefs that compromise our health and well-being.  

Here are some areas to watch out for, where the nocebo effect can crop up through negative language and interactions.

Imagine someone coming away from a serious car crash with a major leg injury.  The car crash may have only lasted a few seconds, but the person won't get over their leg injury instantly.  After the initial emergency has been dealt with, a physiotherapist will likely be enlisted to help with rehabilitation over the long term.  
 
We have no problem accepting that getting back to a place of full functionality after a physical injury takes time, effort, and support.  However, we tend to expect much more of ourselves when it comes to emotional injuries.  We can be incredibly hard on ourselves, thinking we should be able to recover quickly and easily, all on our own.  Or, perhaps we open up and share with someone in hopes of receiving support and empathy, but instead we're told we should "just get over it" and move on.  We're left feeling dismissed and diminished as a result.