Reuters: Health
Students caught vaping in school can expect a lot more than a warning or detention in one North Texas district starting this fall. They will be forced to attend a special, isolated disciplinary school for a month.
From removing doors to checking sleeves, U.S. schools seek to snuff out vaping
From removing doors to checking sleeves, U.S. schools seek to snuff out vaping
Reuters: Health
Students caught vaping in school can expect a lot more than a warning or detention in one North Texas district starting this fall. They will be forced to attend a special, isolated disciplinary school for a month.
Reuters: Health
Students caught vaping in school can expect a lot more than a warning or detention in one North Texas district starting this fall. They will be forced to attend a special, isolated disciplinary school for a month.
Adolescents with higher levels of physical activity performed better in school during transition from primary school to lower secondary school than their physically inactive peers, suggests a new study (n=635, ages 11-13 years), even after controlling for parental education and pubertal status.
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The majority of the cost of alcohol's harms is borne by those who don't drink excessively or who don't drink at all, suggests new US study, which found that the total harm caused by excessive alcohol consumption is $2.05 per drink, but alcohol taxes only bring in about 21 cents per drink on average.
How to Build Confidence & Self-Esteem After a Job Loss
Deal with your job loss and bounce back better than ever.
In the midst of unemployment, it’s easy to lose hope and wallow in your low self-esteem, but you can learn how to build confidence again and take back your life.
Losing or getting fired from your job can seem like the end of the world. You might feel disbelief, anger, sadness, uncertainty, fear, and even panic — and these are all normal emotions given the circumstances.
Being unemployed can feel very personal in the beginning.
“Why me? Why now?” you ask.
Companies decide to make structural or personnel changes for many reasons. And while it doesn’t make it right or pleasant, the truth is the reason for your termination doesn’t ultimately matter.
What counts is learning how to deal with this unexpected life change, so you can mentally prepare for re-entering the job market. And there’s no harm in hoping for the best, either.
It’s easy to get stuck in pity and feel discouraged when your self-esteem has taken a hit and your wallet is empty, but there is a reason for optimism.
There are lessons to be learned from this job loss experience and by slowly building confidence, you will have better success moving on when you adopt a positive mindset.
Here are 10 ways to build your confidence and self-esteem so you can have hope again in the face of unemployment.
1. Give Yourself Time to Mourn.
A loss is a loss. Losing your job can cause you to doubt your abilities and put you on shaky ground for the next opportunity. You might even feel paralyzed.
On the other end of the spectrum, I sometimes see clients jump into job search mode right when they’re not ready — they haven’t dealt with their loss. I don’t suggest taking off too much time, but a few days or weeks to decompress is healthy and wise.
Allow yourself to feel whatever emotions come up for you. Recognize that you won’t feel these things forever and you are not alone. If you take some time to grieve the loss of your job, your future in that organization, and your colleagues, you’ll be on the path to healing.
Skip this step and you’ll risk holding onto resentment.
Hold onto the positive experiences you had. In time, the negative ones become a distant memory. Most of all, give yourself some compassion.
How to Help Your Spouse When They Lose Their Job
2. Communicate With Your Loved Ones.
Share your job loss news with those closest to you. I’ve heard stories of newly terminated employees dressing up, leaving the house every day and pretending they are going to work because they can’t face telling their family.
There is no shame in job loss.
Your loved ones might have their reaction to your job loss and it’s normal for them to have insecurities around it. In a time of feeling loss of control, what you can control is what and how you tell your family.
Let them know that you’re getting support — perhaps in the form of severance, benefits continuance, and outplacement services — and that you can work through this challenging time together. Your job loss may end up being a bonding opportunity for your relationship.
Resist the urge to shelter your kids, also. Teach them about bouncing back and solving problems.
Gradually widen your circle over the coming weeks. You’ll be bound to find others who have experienced similar circumstances, and you’ll realize you’re not alone.
People have a natural inclination to help, too, so when you’re ready, take them up on their offers.
3. Ask for Help.
Consult a lawyer to ensure your severance terms are fair and reasonable, given all the circumstances. Make sure you investigate your health and benefits coverage, also, and make a note of important dates to get in your claims or convert to a private plan.
If your severance package didn’t include outplacement services, consider hiring a career coach to jump start your job search process or asking a mentor for assistance.
An accountability partner can work with you to uncover your strengths, open up new possibilities for your career, keep you on track with your goals, and help you to shift your mindset.
4. Create a Budget.
Concerning your financials, it’s best to take a balanced approach. Don’t go overboard with spending, trying to prove that you’re going to be all right and don’t catastrophize about your financial situation.
Give yourself a spending budget and get creative to make your dollars go farther.
5. Make Time for Self-Care.
Take this time to do things for yourself that you might not normally do. Read a book, indulge in a nap, get a massage or acupuncture treatment. It’s also essential to eat well and take some extra supplements to boost your ability to manage your stress.
Go to the doctor for your overdue physical and attend to your mental health, too. Let your doctor know if you’re having trouble adjusting and it’s interfering with your ability to function.
6. Put a Daily Routine in Place.
Resist any urge to stay in bed all day. Get up at your regular time and create a routine for yourself. Block off time to relax, eat and sleep on a consistent schedule, and go to the gym as usual.
Make sure that you also dedicate time each day for your career transition efforts, which might include reflecting on your strengths and ideal job, and marketing yourself. Consistency is key.
7. Reflect and Focus.
Take the next few weeks to come up with a game plan instead of sending out 100 resumes. Putting in a quality application takes a lot of time and effort. Make sure you’re applying to the right roles in the right organizations, or you’ll get disappointing results.
Success often means digging deep, connecting to your inner wisdom, looking back at your life’s lessons, and projecting forward. Focus on what you love, what’s important to you, and what you can contribute and then create a crystal-clear vision of your future work.
When you do this, you will be in an excellent position to market yourself and your resume.
8. Get Some Perspective.
It may seem like forced time off to lose your job, but you can use this time to take a step back and look at your circumstances with fresh eyes. Get into nature, go near a body of water, or climb up a hill or mountain – a little height can give you a view from a new angle.
Often it helps to speak with someone objective about your situation and realize that your situation is not as bad as you think. You have something unique to offer an employer and the world.
9. Find Joy.
Use this time off to consciously look for happiness in simple pleasures. Reconnect with hobbies like gardening or sports, or reinvigorate your life with music — in fact, singing is scientifically proven to lift your spirits.
Most of all, be mindful of all the beauty that is around you. Inject joy into every day.
How to Cope If You’re Constantly Worried You Might Lose Your Job
10. Be Positive.
You have a lot to bring to a new job, and you’ll find that this period is just a blip in your overall career.
If you’re having trouble believing this just now, write out some affirmations and keep saying them until you are confident they are true:
- I have amazing talents to offer an organization.
- I trust myself, and I trust in the universe.
- I am energized to find my next job.
- I believe in myself and my ability to do my ideal work.
Here’s the glimmer of hope in your job loss: you’re free!
You’re available to reflect on what you want and take your career to new heights.
If you do these 10 things, you’ll be in a healthier state of mind and ready to land a better-suited job.
So, don’t look back. A bright future is on the horizon.
This guest article was originally published on YourTango.com: 10 Ways To Find Hope And Confidence When You’ve Just Lost Your Job.
How to Listen to Yourself—Especially If You’re Really Out of Practice
When was the last time you listened to yourself?
That is, when was the last time you checked in with your thoughts and feelings? When was the last time you expressed an opinion? When was the last time you considered your needs and actually met them?
When was the last time you said yes and actually meant it—you genuinely wanted to attend that get-together or take on that project or do that favor?
So many of us don’t listen to ourselves—and with good reason. Ignoring and dismissing our thoughts, feelings, and needs can be adaptive in certain situations—particularly in childhood. According to New York City psychologist Snehal Kumar, Ph.D, maybe you grew up in an authoritarian home, had to care for an unwell parent, or learned that maintaining peace meant minimizing your needs (and yourself).
“Over time, this way can become our default method of operating and perceiving the world, which perpetuates this cycle of not listening to ourselves,” she said.
You also might not listen to yourself because you’re afraid of what you’ll hear, said Kumar, who specializes in burnout recovery, diversity-related stress, mindfulness, and mental wellness. You’re afraid that you’ll be “disappointed, hurt, or angry…Sometimes the emotions and thoughts that come up when we try listen to ourselves can feel so utterly heartbreaking, overwhelming, and even chaotic, that we’d rather not listen to ourselves.”
We also might not listen to ourselves because we assume that everyone else knows better than we do. We assume that “everyone else is smarter, wiser, and has the answers,” said Kirsten Brunner, LPC, a therapist who specializes in perinatal mental health and relationship counseling at her private practice in Austin, Texas.
And sometimes we simply pick the easier option—at least in the short term. “There can be a lot of work, emotionally and sometimes physically, in trying to give ourselves what we need,” Kumar said.
But even if it’s been a while since you’ve listened to yourself—really listened—you can start at any time. In any moment. Because every moment is an opportunity to check in with yourself and honor what you hear. Below, you’ll learn eight tips for doing just that.
Look for clues. Figure out how you’re listening to yourself in the first place. One helpful strategy is to consider if your words match your actions, said Panthea Saidipour, LCSW, a Manhattan psychotherapist who helps people in their teens, 20s, and 30s better understand themselves and their relationships so that they can live more intentionally.
“For example, if you say yes to an invite, are you eager to show up or do you find yourself dragging your feet?”
Other clues that you’re not listening or honoring your own boundaries are feeling resentful, irritable, or uninterested, she said.
Something else to watch out for: physical aches and pains, such as headaches, chest discomfort, and gastrointestinal issues. Saidipour noted that when we’re not listening to our emotions, they can express themselves through various ailments. “This is the body’s way of getting the mind’s attention.” (Of course, it’s important to first get these checked out by a doctor.)
Journal. “Start a ‘tuning into myself’ journal in which you let your feelings and thoughts flow without fear of being corrected or influenced by anyone else,” said Brunner, co-author of the book The Birth Guy’s Go-To Guide for New Dads: How to Support Your Partner Through Birth, Breastfeeding & Beyond. She noted that when we write down our words, our thoughts naturally slow down, “which helps you to hear your voice more clearly and tune out other distractions.”
Ease in. “If [we] begin our practice of listening to ourselves by trying to face the most traumatic thing, it can make us feel completely overwhelmed, scared, and more afraid to listen to ourselves,” Kumar said. Which is why she stressed the importance of reflecting on something that’s a level 3 or 4 on a 10-point distress scale: a movie you just watched, a recent conversation with a friend, or three experiences you’re grateful for.
Check in throughout the day. Listening to ourselves means “creating time and space every day to check in with ourselves, feel what we’re really feeling, and ask ourselves what really matters to us,” said Keely Clark, LCSW, a therapist who offers supportive counseling and coaching to moms as they navigate the transitions of motherhood at her private practice MotherBloom Wellness PLLC in Asheville, N.C.
One simple way to do that, she said, is to set a timer for 5 minutes and practice a gentle meditation or sensory scan (asking yourself: “what am I seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and feeling?)
Clark suggested pairing your check-in with other routine parts of your day, such as taking bathroom breaks or getting into your car.
Put up reminders. This is a visual way to check in with yourself. Brunner suggested putting up Post-It notes around your house, office, and car with different phrases and questions, such as: “How are you feeling today? Your opinions and desires matter. What does your gut say? What do you want right now? What are you needing in this moment?”
Pick what comes naturally. Kumar noted that it’s important to choose practices that feel accessible and enjoyable to you—and have the “least barriers.” For instance, she’s found that athletes, yoga enthusiasts, and performers tend to gravitate toward dance, finding it a powerful way to express experiences through movement. She’s also found that people who prefer talking and reflecting through listening—versus writing out their thoughts—like to create audio notes. What self-reflective practices resonate with you?
Teach your kids. If you’re a parent, Brunner suggested encouraging your kids to listen to their inner voice—which, in turn, encourages you to do the same. What does this look like? When your kids approach you with a challenge they’re having with a friend or a question about the world, avoid giving your thoughts and opinions, she said. Instead, first “ask them how they feel about the situation, and ask them what they think.”
Work with a therapist. Therapy is a powerful place for learning to listen to yourself. Saidipour noted that therapy helps you “hear more of your own unfiltered thoughts without having them crowded out by other people.”
“Therapy is also wonderful because you can work with a non-judgmental and respectful trained professional, who’ll help you sort through and understand your experiences,” Kumar said. Plus, she said, therapists can “use their training to equip you with strategies that address your unique barriers.”
Whether you seek therapy or not, make it a habit to listen to yourself—a habit that’s as natural as brushing your teeth and getting to sleep. After all, it’s just as essential.
As Clark said, “when we learn to dial into ourselves more…we tend to feel happier, more balanced, and connected in our lives.”
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