Tag Archives: issue

Bullying Prevention

Posted on by
Reply

url

Act to Change

What is bullying?

Bullying is the act of intimidating someone through influence or through force.

Can bullying happen to anyone?

Yes, bullying does occur everywhere and to anyone of any backgrounds. Bullying doesn’t have to happen person to person. Bullying can occur through online, social media apps, letters, and more.

What can I do if I or a friend is experiencing bullying?

It depends on the severity of the bullying to know what you can do, but here are some tips on how you can handle the situation:

  1. Reach out for help. Whether it is your parents, a legal guardian, a counselor, or your close friend, make sure to let them know that you are being bullied. You don’t need to feel helpless or ashamed of anything. There are people who will support you to help you solve and cope with your situation.
  2. Try to avoid confrontation. If possible, avoid getting into physical fights or argument with bullies. It will not help stop the bullying, it is better to ignore and walk away when you can.
  3. Use {free} services to address about bullying. You can call or email a hotline or a online tool to help you talk about your bullying experience. They will keep you anonymous and your information confidential. This link is a government website that gives your free resources.
  4. Don’t watch, stand up. If you see another person being bullied, the best thing you can do is grab a adult nearby to stop it. If you feel that the situation can be handled by you stepping in, you can try to deescalate the situation by using methods such as:
    1. Pulling the victim away to a place far from the bully
    2. Show up and ask them where they have been (acting as a friend to neutralize the negative space)
    3. If you have someone nearby or ask a stranger to aid the victim to escape the situation
    4. Call 911 if you feel that the situation is dangerous

From the Act to Change website:

  • About 1 out of 5 students report being bullied during the school year
  • Bullying occurs once every 7 minutes 5 to 6 times more likely
  • Bullied students were 5 to 6 times more likely to miss school than those who were not bullied 50% of AA students
  • Half of Asian American students in New York City public schools reported biased based harassment

World Stroke Day

Posted on by
Reply

On Oct 29, 2016, it is recognize as World Stroke Day to bring awareness and provide information on what people can do.

stroke-info

http://www.strokeassociation.org/

“Responding quickly can be the difference between recovery and disability, or even death. Luckily, stroke is largely treatable when you know the signs and act fast. A few seconds could save a life, possibly your own.” – http://www.strokeassociation.org/

What are the signs of stroke?

  • Numbness in the face and arms
  • lack of coordination
  • trouble speaking or understanding

fast

http://www.strokeassociation.org/

Call 911 right away if notice the signs of someone having stroke.

Go Back to School Tobacco-free!‏

Posted on by
Reply

image001

Let’s go back to school with a positive mindset on living healthy! One thing to encourage your peers and friends is to be tobacco-free. Although statistics shows that tobacco use is gradually decreasing, many are still at risk.

Use some of these tips to support this cause:

  • Set yourself or others to be a good role model. It can help change people’s perspective that tobacco usage is not cool or good for your body.
  • Say no to tobacco! Don’t let peer pressure get to you or to your friends! Only do what you want to and not what others say to you.
  • Quitting it sooner is better than never! If you are currently using tobacco or know someone who is, try to convince yourself/them to stop. Extensive research has show that by using tobacco it can cause diseases like lung cancer, breathing problems, stroke, and more.

Here are some quick facts to help you learn more about being tobacco:

  • From 2011 to 2014, current cigarette smoking declined among middle and high school students.4,5
  • Nearly 3 of every 100 middle school students (2.5%) reported in 2014 that they smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days—a decrease from 4.3% in 2011.
  • In 2014, more than 12 of every 100 high school students (12.7%) and approximately 3 of every 100 middle school students (3.1%) reported use of two or more tobacco products in the past 30 days.4
  • In 2014, nearly 25 of every 100 high school students (24.6%) and nearly 8 of every 100 middle school students (7.7%) used some type of tobacco product.4

image004

image003

Credits to www.cdc.gov

Ways to Help Cope With Social Anxiety

Posted on by
Reply

s.a.-pic

http://www.hendersoncounselingservices.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/s.a.-pic.jpg

Being in a social environment can be daunting and very uncomfortable to many people. It is a problem that many of us face when being put an socially awkward position. Or even the thoughts of having to socialize or being in a social place can make people anxious. Some people may have social anxiety worse than others or experience it in different ways, locations, and situations.

According to http://www.webmd.com/, social anxiety or social phobia is an “anxiety disorder in which a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. Anxiety (intense nervousness) and self-consciousness arise from a fear of being closely watched, judged, and criticized by others.” Some symptoms include:

  • Experiencing intense anxiety
  • Sweating
  • Increase in heart rate
  • Avoidance of social situations
  • More at -> http://www.webmd.com/

Here are some ways to help people cope with social anxiety:

  • Make sure to go to your doctor or local clinic to help you if you think you are experiencing social anxiety in unusual or extreme ways. If it is heavily impacting you, it would be very helpful for you to receive help and be aware of your medical condition. Ask your doctor if there is a possibility that it could be linked to another illness or a result of medications that you may be currently on.
  • Practice your social skills with close family, friends, and relative members. The more comfortable you are with yourself, you can start to relax and worry less. They will help you slowly communicate and adjust to social situations. Try different conversation starters, questions, and follow-up responses. Put yourself in social settings so that you can become more used to social settings.
  • Try to avoid thinking about what other people think about you. Whether they may or may not be judging you, you are in charge of how you feel about yourself. Concerning yourself over how you appear to others is not worth your time. Other’s judgements does not evaluate you as an individual.
  • Understand that you are not the only one who experience or goes through this. As part of growing up and developing, expect to be placed in weird situations, expect to be given endless criticisms, expect to have unwanted judgements, and above the all. You can’t stop it or avoid it, but you can learn and grow from it. You will eventually develop your own resilience, have thicker skin, and understand that not everyone wants to be your friend or perceive you in positive ways.
  • Your mental health is very important because it determines how you perceive and respond to stressful situations. Invest in some time for yourself to reorganize your thoughts, worries, goals, and such. Do little things that help make your life easier, simpler, or healthier.

Push for No More Tobacco

Posted on by
Reply

tobacco-figure1

From http://www.hhs.gov./

Source: Johnston, L. D., O’Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2014). Monitoring the Future national survey results on adolescent drug use, 1975-2013: Volume I, Secondary school students. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan.

Over the last 40 years, the use of tobacco has steadily decreased due to many enforcement of laws, regulations, government and local support, and established health awareness programs. But the concern is now focused on teens and adults who are still buying and using tobacco in different forms. Once someone has used tobacco, they could eventually or become immediately addicted to nicotine.

So what are the trends of using tobacco besides smoking tobacco:

  • Oral tobacco products that dissolves in the user’s mouth; they still contain tobacco properties that puts the user’s health at risk and they can come in different forms and flavors.
  • Hookah is a mouth piece smoking pipe that is commonly popular among teens and is used among groups where they pass it on to each other. Not only is it not sanitary of bodily fluids, it is technically like smoking a cigarette where the toxins are released and inhaled into the body.
  • Smokeless tobacco is in the form where tobacco can be sniffed and chewed. “For smokeless tobacco use, the highest rates of initiation are in the seventh through 11th grades. Although approximately equal proportions of male and female adolescents smoke cigarettes, users of smokeless tobacco products are nearly all males.” – http://www.hhs.gov/
  • E-cigarette is a cigarette that can be used electronically to vaporized a liquid that gives off the feeling that one is smoking tobacco. Although e-cigarettes has no tobacco, they still contain nicotine.

Sometimes, people don’t understand the consequences of using tobacco. The fact that tobacco was scientifically proven to lead to other cancer diseases and cause the user to have other health related problems is already a concern. We can’t stop the production of tobacco, but at least try to educate the public what tobacco can do to the body.

  • Increases the risk of almost every organ disease such as the mouth, bladder, stomach, lung, heart, kidney, and more.
  • Worsen asthma symptoms
  • Nicotine is scientifically proven to be a addictive stimulant and can cause people to rely on it for temporarily relaxation
  • Affects the body’s sexual, thyroid, pituitary, and adrenal hormones
  • Affects the production and sensitivity of insulin that could lead to type 2 diabetes and other potential health issues
  • Trying to quit smoking tobacco can cause physical reactions such as strong cravings for the substance, an increased appetite, insomnia and sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal problems and mood-related complaints including anxiety, anger and frustration, depression, irritability and restlessness. –  [source: MayoClinic]” – http://science.howstuffworks.com

So before using tobacco in any way of any form, think about how it could affect you, your body, and your health in the long term.