Category: Wellness

7 Ways To Love Your Body Immediately

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how to love your body

As warmer weather approaches, many women begin to consider how their bodies might look in the light of day after being comfortably shielded in sweatshirts and stretchy jeans for the better part of the last six months. In theory, it’s best practice not to give a damn about how you might compare to that celebrity in a bikini frolicking across a beach in Cabo – because most of it is unrealistic anyway (photo. shop.) But whether we agree with societal body shaming and industry standards or not, these images and the hyper-sexualization of women have a real effect on how we view ourselves.

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The Evolution of *Your* Identity

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your identity

Who are you? If you ask your mother, she might offer grandiose characteristics such as “amazing, extremely talented, beautiful inside and out…” Your friends might note your excellent dry sense of humor, your talent for belting out “Shake It Off” in the locker room after games, and your insatiable appetite for Peppermint Patty’s. People who don’t know you very well at school might suggest you are “Loud, smiley, and into sports and math.” When you stop to answer the question yourself, it’s probably more difficult to boil yourself down to just a few adjectives and flippant descriptors.

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Happy *Dieting.

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happy diet

Not Pictured: A Fistful of Cheetos.

It’s hard to avoid the word “diet” this time of year, glossing every magazine stand in neon yellow font, or uttered miserably with a deep sigh from the pouty mouths of your mother and best friend. After the holiday season splurge, feeling a little uncomfortable in your favorite jeans is par for the course. But constantly striving to simply “diet” has proven time and again to fail. Why don’t “diets” work? Because life – and the foods we have access to on a daily, livable basis – is not such an easy thing as to contain to a rigid formula.

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Holiday Sadness: 5 Tips To Cope This Season

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holiday sadness

Does December fill you with cheer and excitement for the upcoming year? Odds are, no – not at all. According to the American Psychological Association, half of all people experience sadness or irritability during the holiday season, while up to two-thirds of respondents acknowledge feeling stress and fatigue.

There can be many factors affecting our mood as the days become shorter, darker, colder, and seemingly more hectic; it’s no wonder the month of December can usher in feelings of loneliness and depression. For teens and young adults especially, it can be a time of bitter sweet nostalgia as you remember a time when life may have been less complicated, and the holidays were once actually magical. Maybe family relations are more strained at this juncture in your life or this time of year; maybe your future after the year ends is more uncertain. You could also be experiencing the simple sugar crash from too many icing glazed cookies and party sweets. What ever the reason for your sudden decrease in happiness, there are a few ways to make it through the holiday haze:

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Trolling & On Line Bullying

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trolling and online bullying

There is something about the internet that can often tap into a dark place. You are virtually connected to millions of people via social media at any given time you log on,  yet it’s easy to feel you are removed or anonymous as your eyes skim endless pages of images and data – you are on the outside, looking in. Often, the instances where we peruse the internet are the times we are alone; perhaps it is in the evening when time frees up; perhaps you are in a different state of mind as the stress of the day or feelings of fatigue or loneliness may creep in.

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Dealing with Tragedy and Fear

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dealing with tragedy and fear

In the wake of recent global terror attacks, such as those in France, Lebanon and Kenya, and the frequent domestic mass shootings across schools and public places within the US, it is important to pay attention to what you may be feeling in response to tragedy. It is common to experience heightened anxiety as a result of communal or global events, and it is ok to feel scared, angry, saddened and confused by random acts of violence and terror.

You may see friends and family band together on social media during times of crisis and feel a sense of unity, or you may find that no one wants to discuss the events – including you. Whether you find yourself deeply saddened by these random acts of violence or you’d rather shrug it off as something you are not directly affected by, it may help to take the time to consider your feelings surrounding these issues so that negative sentiments or fears don’t creep up and unknowingly impede other areas of your life. Here are a few ways to deal with tragedy and cope with potential anxiety and fear following a catastrophic event.

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10 Ways To Improve Your Memory

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how to improve your memory

Does it seem like other people around you have a sharper memory? Chances are, you’re just forgetting how great your brain retention really is. Memory is critical to success – and it certainly might come in handy when you run into that girl from French class at a party or sit down for a US History exam. Photographic memory is a superpower – and since most of us are mere mortals, here are just a few tweaks you can make in your everyday life to strengthen your ability to retain information.

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Sleep: How to Get Some in 10 Steps or Zzzzz.

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Sleep How To Get Some

Ok, maybe don’t count this kind of sheep. He’s a little creepy.

Zzzzz… it’s not just the sound of your phone on vibrate.

This is considered a pretty boring topic, but could add years to your life (ok, maybe not years, but at least a few more months worth of Netflix). You probably aren’t getting enough sleep. Only 15% of teens actually clock in a decent 8.5 hours a night. From overbooked schedules to midterm anxiety, late night texts and social obligations, you’re probably only taking in an average of 6.5 hours a night, when in reality you need anywhere from 8 to 10 hours just to function without dribbling that third cup of coffee down your shirt.

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IUDs + Me: All the Gritty, Stringy Details

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I should put what up wear?!

I should put what up where?!

We interviewed a health care professional about all the gritty details when it comes to getting an IUD – so you don’t have to (but it doesn’t hurt to ask around..).

Q: Ok, why on earth would a girl get an IUD (intrauterine device) when there are less invasive forms of birth control out there? 

A: IUDs are a great option because you can ‘set it and forget it.’ With an IUD, you don’t have to remember to take anything at the same time every day, and you can have as much or as little sex you want as soon as it’s in place.

Specifically, if I met someone tomorrow, I could have sex and not have to wait for a week for any hormonal birth control to start working (though if it IS someone you just met, it’s certainly best to use a condom regardless. You can still catch STDs). With an IUD the contraception “coverage” is instantaneous. You don’t have to worry if you took your pill yesterday, or if you removed your vaginal ring during the wrong week (little things like that could unintentionally lead to pregnancy). 

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Is It Safe If A Guy Pulls Out?

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Toilet Roll Does Not Protect Against Unwanted Pregnancy.

Toilet Roll Does Not Protect Against Unwanted Pregnancy. Or Anything Else.

In a generic Google search, the phrase “is it safe if…” immediately autofills with “…a guy pulls out.”

Let’s save you the data on your cell phone for this one: No, it’s not safe if a guy pulls out.

Honestly and statistically speaking, sure. You might just dodge a few voracious swimmers from seeking and destroying your egg (sperm are like tadpole versions of heat seeking missiles). Pulling out before ejaculation could significantly lower your odds of getting pregnant, but all bets are on baby once an unsheathed penis descends upon the vaginal slip n slide (teens do still use slip n slides, according to Google.)

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