Hello and welcome to another edition of the Lounge Wellness roundup! Every Saturday, we bring you our pick of the wellness stories we have published over the past week, lest you've missed any of them.
This week we unpack three important wellness concepts for you: vanity sizing, mutually toxic relationships and games in therapy. From Jen Thomas' assessment of Kim Kardashian's Met, look to Divya Naik's thoughts of the Depp-Heard trial and then her take on how ludo and scrabble can help you feel happier, we've got you covered.
Read on to know more
What Kim Kardashian's Met look tells us about vanity sizing
If you've not been living under a rock, you'll know about Kim Kardashian losing 16 pounds in three weeks to fit into that skin-coloured, dazzling nude dress that Marilyn Munroe wore to sing Happy Birthday, Mr President to John F. Kennedy. And yes, while weight-loss coach Jen Thomas—like Lili Reinhart before her—does not approve of the means used to fit into that dress, her focus is more about dress sizing and women's bodies and what has changed about them over the years. "We have been operating under a modern misconception that sizes not only have been standardised but are capable of being standardised," writes Thomas, going on to explore the phenomenon of vanity sizing, aka the practise of assigning smaller sizes to articles of manufactured clothing than is the case, to encourage sales. "Retailers are cashing in on the message to women that to be beautiful and worthy, you must be perceived as small," she adds, going on to break down how this could lead to depression, eating disorders and anxiety, among other things.
How games can be used in therapy
In this story, Lounge explores how therapists are going beyond conventional talk therapy, using play to get their clients to open up and heal. "Therapists have started seeing play, art, and visual aids as tools that can get their clients to open up and start the process of healing in healthier and more comfortable ways," says Naik, who then goes on to talk to three therapists who have started using games to aid therapy sessions and lists out their experiences and preferences. Quoting Divya Srivastava, a counselling psychologist and founder of Silver Lining Wellness Center, Mumbai, she writes that toys can act as symbols and take on deeper meanings. "It helps us get a glimpse into the client's world without the latter being guarded or feeling rushed to communicate and process emotions," writes Naik.
What the Depp-Heard trial tells us about toxic relationships
We've all been following this explosive trial, gasping at every new revelation and piece of evidence that came out exposing the personal lives of two very famous people. And yes, while much is still unknown, and we shouldn't be concluding anything just yet. Divya Naik is inclined to believe this: "Both Depp and Heard have their own baggage, their own set of mental health issues, that make this trial extremely complicated. So far, the relationship appears to have no clear victim-perpetrator dynamic; Depp and Heard might have both been toxic to each other." She then talks to psychologists to break down toxic relationships and explores how you can recognise if you are in one. "Two people could just be bad for each other- they could be highly co-dependent, not mindful of their needs, thus projecting it on their partner; they might cheat on one another etc.," she writes, quoting Tanu Choksi, psychologist, counsellor and associate fellow and supervisor in RE- CBT, The Albert Ellis Institute, New York.
