Lifestyle
Be My Valentine
Preparing for College
By Alexis Mejia
Many young people attend college every year and they realize that things get serious now. Young adults are now exposed to the real world and encounter some life challenges. The first step to take is to develop strong mental health skills which means you must learn how to be more independent, practice emotional regulations, and problem-solving skills. Don’t try to fix every problem you see or otherwise you’ll get behind, just let it be and fix at next time. “Parents will always try to fix things”, Dr. David Romano said. Instead they should validate your feelings not fix your problems.
Maintain good self-care, take care of your body so that you could succeed. Try to maintain sleep consistent in order to be well rested for the upcoming day. make sure to always plan ahead of time and set up goals as it will help you stay more organize and work harder to achieve in school.
Attend class every day and take good notes because no one want to fall behind. Finally make sure you turn assignments on time and if you don’t understand something don’t be afraid to ask. Do whatever it takes in order to have a successful career and life.
Change
By Claritza Rangel
A person can change drastically in a short time. One can change many things about themselves which we would think are insignificant like the way they style their hair, the way they dress or the things they like but is an enormous change for them. Just like the world is changing and trends are coming and going telling others what to do, wear or say it is hard to keep track and really identify if you or someone close to you is changing. Sometimes when people change or make a change in their life’s it is for self-growth and self-improvement.
Self-improvement and growth is something we all experience at one point of our life’s. So, when people go around and say, “you’ve changed” or “that person was different I wonder what happened to her” I don’t understand why they say it in a such a callus way. There is nothing wrong with bettering yourself. I believe that when one wants to change it is because in their lives they have become something they don’t want to be, they are living patterns of bad habits that make them miserable. When you set your goals, and put them in action there are positive and negative situations that come along, the road to change and self-improvement is challenging.
When one changes their attitude or their mentality, many tend to take it personal. One of the challenges that I experience while on the path to self- improvement is the way others see you. While trying to get rid of a toxic friendship that person and others made me seem as a bad person for leaving and saying that after years of friendship it wasn’t fair for them, but I asked myself “how is it fair for me to surround myself with people that make that belittle me?” So, when that situation happened I didn’t pay much attention to it because I knew that what I was doing I was doing for me and my inner peace.
While on my road to self-growth I learned that you can’t depend on the opinions of other to validate yourself. You must embrace yourself and love yourself that way you want to be
loved. Set goals and put your effort into them. Many times, when set goals we tend to forget about them and go back to the same old routine. Start with small goals that better yourself and work up to big changes. Remember the road to self-improvement isn’t easy, practice good habits and you will soon notice all the improvements you can have in your life if you just put effort into it.
A Teenager’s Room
By Claritza Rangel
As teenagers we spend most of our time in our rooms. Our rooms have become our own safe-havens, a place where we can hide, confide and express ourselves. It is a place where we go and escape from the hectic world around us, as young adults our rooms are the only places we can call our own. Our rooms are places that we can make our own by personalizing them as much as we want, from hanging pictures, painting walls, and having all those tokens of memories around. Those four walls in our rooms have seen us grow, cry and laugh they hold those special memories and they have been there all along. So why is it important to keep your room clean?
I am guilty of being a messy person, I can never keep my room clean for a week straight. I can spend hours cleaning it to perfection, until I need to find a specific blouse or item and it goes back looking as if a hurricane had struck the place. Since your safe-haven is supposed to be a place where we feel comfortable in, I think we should all take some time and clean our rooms to restore the energy it transmits. When we walk into our rooms, they should feel like our own and we should also feel calmed and comfortable in them. This cannot be achieved if they are a complete mess. Believe it or not without even noticing we can feel lonely and sad when our rooms are completely trashed. One of the purposes of keeping a clean room is to help you see that you have some aspect of your life organized and it can help you feel in control.
When someone looks at your room they should be able to see a part of you in it, and when you are in your older years you should be able to look back and reminisce all those memories you created in your room. From the old Justin Bieber posters, 1st grade spelling bee medals, to those outdated teddy bears in your bed, you can always make a room you own have fun making it your own. Cleaning your room can save you from your parents getting at you for not keeping it tidy. Think about taking some time out of your day and throw away that piece of paper in the floor or pick up that sock. Don’t let the small things accumulate and take away the sense of peace that your room has.
February Horoscopes
Aries- This month you are the main attraction, but don’t let it go to your head. Being the center of attention comes with perks but some may take it as cockiness, so try your best to be generous and courteous to others. Remember you have the responsibility to be a leader and show love this month and always.
Taurus- This month there may seem like there is something always wrong or out of place, and it may be nothing big so don’t stress about it, you will find a way to make it all better. Be alert to opportunities that might be presented as difficulties at first because those are hidden treasures.
Gemini- This month your brain will be quite occupied. There are chances to create and do good to those around you. Have fun while you are creating and don’t let this opportunity pass because you’ll regret not helping out.
Cancer- This month some of the decisions that you made before may be catching up to you, some good and some bad. Depending of the outcome of said situation you might be going through some different moods but don’t let those emotion affect your friendship and family bonds.
Leo- This month some of projects of yours may not have had the best outcomes but don’t take is as defeat, instead use them as a learning experience to help yourself and others improve in that certain area.
Virgo- This month there will be a few leadership moments that you need to take advantage of. These might let others see potential in you. Don’t let arrogance get in the way of these opportunities as they can make others look at you in a negative light.
Libra- This month it seems like you have a lot of things in your plate and you might think that you can handle it all by yourself and that may be correct, but don’t go over your head. Ask your friends and family for help to achieve everything you need to do and you will have time to accomplish more things.
Scorpio- This month you will have opportunities that you will have to let go for reasons way out of your reach and you might blame yourself for them, but don’t. Those opportunities where just not right for you. You are exactly where you are supposed to be better opportunities and growth will come for you when the time is right.
Sagittarius- This month you might feel out of place like out of place like you don’t belong. Don’t worry it will all pass soon and you will gain control of your friendships and decisions. Keep an open eye for those people in your life that seek to make you miserable.
Capricorn- This month you might need to be more confident. Great opportunities will come if you open up your character. Many doors will open due to the sudden change of confidence other will notice in you.
Aquarius- This month you may be able to use your charm and loveliness to benefit others. You should also take a moment to yourself and look around and appreciate all those sincere friendships you are able to have due to your kindness.
Pisces- This month you might be under a lot of pressure. But don’t make irrational decisions, think with a straight unbiased mind. Those decisions you make may either benefit or harm those close to you.
Why You Should Openly Be Yourself
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People Don’t Actually Care if You’re Weird
For those who say they can’t be their real selves because judgements are too rough, they need a more logical perspective on outside opinions and their own mortality. If you break it down, a negative thought someone else has of you is not tangible, and does not harm you like a fist to the face would. It is a fleeting stream of thoughts, thought usually by a stranger, that enters and exits their mind in a span of 10-20 seconds. People tend to worry about themselves more than they care about you. The reality is, people don’t care as much about you as you think, but in a positive way; they’re not going to devote more than a few minutes on judging you, as most people are insecure about themselves too.
2. You’re Going to Die One Day
Now, mortality wise, you are currently living this one life. It might be the end of your existence forever, and you might never live a life like this again. You are also a mere speck of importance in the entire earth, solar system, milky way, and universe. If you compare the span of the entire universe to this meaninglessly small stream of thoughts others might have about you, you see how mundane these worries are. Are you really going to live your short fleeting life worrying about these judgements, living your life for other people when they actually don’t care, instead of being happy?
3. Rich and Famous People are Openly Unique
Think of someone like Tyler the Creator. Does that dude look like the type to care what others have to say about him? Of course not; and that’s exactly what brought him to fame. He’s entertaining, and he makes unique music. No one really gets hung up on his eccentric behavior. He rose up because being so unique makes him stand out immensely from everybody else trying to be the same person. And really, trying to be like everyone else is the most boring and lame thing you could possibly do. I walk into school day in and day out and im never astonished, no one leaves an imprint in my mind, everyone dresses the same and acts the same. Almost no one has an interesting personality or can keep up a good conversation, and only a small group of people are legitimately funny. People are boring, because they are either too afraid to be themselves, or they’ve put on a mask for so long they’ve forgotten who they once were. Or maybe, everyone’s perfectly content being another clone with boring clothes, boring conversations, fake friendships, fleeting relationships, and an empty lifestyle, and I’m actually the one who’s insane. (but it doesn’t sound likely because all anyone ever tweets about nowadays is how much they want to die.)
4. They Asked Old People What They Most Regretted in Life, and their top answer was…
It’s no secret that once one decays to an old or dying age, you regret not living a life true to yourself. The Huffington Post refers to the book “The Top Five Regrets of The Dying” done by a nurse noting the regrets of her dying patients, and lists the most common regrets in a list of five, from most common to less common. Take a wild guess what the #1 most common regret was: “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” Coming in close, #3 was “I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.” Do you really want to wait until you’re withering of old age to have this realization, or start now, and make a better use of your life and have a greater experience of it now?
By Guadalupe Sanchez
JaiL fOr MeMeS?
By iSaIaH cHaVeZ
Memes are everywhere they are taking the world by storm. Words are being replaced by memes and even the news. If you don’t know what a meme is, a meme is a humorous image or video that is slighted altered and spread by internet users. They can ruin your life or make you a celebrity with just one wrong move. My friends and I send memes to each other all the time. They express emotions, facial expressions, and can give a good laugh to the sender and receiver. But are memes just too much to handle? The European Parliament thinks so; they have voted to ban memes for cOpYwRiTe MaTeRiAl but perhaps this is false and they are only banning these hilarious pictures because their feelings were hurt. Articles 11 and 13 of the EU’s copywrite directive states that even a viral video that is not published by the main publisher is a crime and should be taxed. Article 12a will stop people from posting pictures and highlight sports videos, but personally I see most sports highlights, scores, and pictures on social media. Big companies such as Google, Facebook, eBay, Amazon, Netflix, and Wikipedia are all opposing from this law and there is a hashtag going around #saveyourinternet. Just think if this already happened in another country this could happen anywhere.
opinion piece
Students and Mental Health
By Anyssa Maese
Why do us teenagers feel such a constant need to conform to the peer pressure of those around us? Why would we do so much to fit in, when we know the impact on our mental health, could be tremendous?
Now I’m not a doctor (yet anyways) but I do have a couple ideas of what could lead to mental health destruction based on what I’ve seen and experienced. The peer pressure of high school today is enough to set any one individual over the edge into a downward spiral of anxiety, fear, and stress.
Sometimes I like to sit back and think about “fitting in” and what that phrase, actually means. Is it wearing the right clothes? Driving a nice car? Playing varsity sports? Wearing the most makeup? I think now, more than ever, we need to step aside and realize that “fitting in” is actual nonsense. We fail to step aside from the drama and gossip of high school, to check up on ourselves and those around us. Although some find fitting in and finding ourselves to be a good, the choices we make each and every day affect us and our mental health status because it adds up inside. Playing along to this “game”, for lack of better words, takes a toll, and a strong one at that.
Peer pressure can’t take all the blame though, there are many other aspects that can impact an individual, including homework, teachers, and extracurricular activities. Students are faced with up to seven classes a day, classwork/lectures, homework, chores at home, and then, on occasion, extracurricular activities. This means, saying for example, one wakes up at 6:30 AM for class at 8:20 AM, we are spending up to eleven hours doing school based work. If you ask me, that’s a long day for a teenager. Tell me, did not just reading that give you anxiety as well?
With all of this have been said, the one thing I ask you to take away is; Make time for yourself, and stick to who you are. Relax. Push the stresses of school aside for a little bit and just cuddle up with a blanket and watch your favorite movie with your favorite snacks. I ask you please, have some you time so you can keep your mental health in check, and make sure to constantly be checking up on those around you and those you love, because you never know the challenges they are facing inside as well.
If you or anyone you know is dealing with anxiety or has mental health issues, I encourage you to visit our Student Based Health Center located at 501 W Florida St. Contact them to schedule and appointment today at (575)-543-1017