Maintaining and Deepening Friendships

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By: Fahad Alden, Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Well-being Leader

In our busy lives, friendships frequently take the back burner to our many other commitments and priorities.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the best indicator for long-term happiness is not money or marriage, it is deep friendships. Having healthy friendships increases your sense of belonging, allows you to navigate challenges, and encourages healthy lifestyles. We all have friends we may say hello to when we run into them or grab lunch here and there, but how do we deepen those friendships? The recipe for deepening a friendship is built on three foundations, positivity, consistency, and vulnerability. 

The first foundation is positivity, or being a cheerleader for your friends. Everyday encouragement, such as complementing them on winning their recent tennis game or getting an A on a physics exam. Cheering them on and helping uplift them, for part of the beauty of reaching a milestone is the beauty of sharing it with others.  As well, sometimes people have amazing qualities in that they’re nurturing or have great fashion or are kind, but they need that other person to echo that to them. At times, this can be tricky as we may naturally feel envious, but it is important to show how much you care for your friend. 

The second foundation is vulnerability, which can be a complicated one to dissect since people often shy away from being too vulnerable [removed or not enough]. However, unless you know someone well, you must be wary with whom you share information; take the time to fully know and understand someone before making a choice to open up. I suggest that once you have been friends with someone for a while and they are shown to be mature, loyal, and kind, it is best to open up to them. You also do not want to sway to another extreme by holding everything in- many of us can be guilty of doing this, including me. 

People often assume that I have it together because I am in leadership positions or because I tend to have an upbeat personality. While this skill is great at work or school, it can be hard to have in terms of friendship. When I held back on sharing my insecurities or if I was going through a rough patch, it made people feel like they could not confide in me.  People began to share more with me and supported me until I started sharing. Vulnerability is the most significant sign that a person is strong, despite the assumption otherwise. 

The third foundation is consistency in seeing or being in touch with friends. This can be hard for students who are juggling sports, school, and jobs, but it is helpful to see that spending time with friends is a form of investing in yourself. When we neglect time spent with our friends, we may see ourselves being irritable, venting our stress to anyone [removed with fear], or burning out at school or work. But, I think about this summer and my great friendship with James. We were both very busy with work, volunteering, sports, and other things, and usually didn’t get home until 7:00, or even later.  We had to get creative to find time to hang out; we would go to the gym together, garden, or take nighttime walks. Even on days when we were exhausted and stressed, hanging out with each other even for 30 minutes could turn it around. It’s important to remember that no matter how busy you are, you can always make time for friendships. If you have time to watch Netflix, scroll through Instagram, or go for a run, you have time to call that friend for 10 minutes or grab lunch with them. It’s always worth it.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/friendships/art-20044860

Four Ways to Bring Self-Care into Your Schedule

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by: Casey Tiernan, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences Well-being Leader

Self-care is the process of taking care of oneself with behaviors that promote health. In this post, I am going to give you four ways you can implement self-care into your daily life.

The first way to improve your health is to unplug. How you start and end your day can make a big difference in your stress levels. When I first wake up, I make sure not to check my phone.

The brain needs time to wake up before responding to texts, emails, etc. It also affects the brain’s ability to prioritize tasks. Checking your phone when you wake up disrupts the chances of starting your day with a calm mind. This is very important on school or workdays because your brain will be working hard all day.

The next way to implement self-care is to try and get outside. It is always good to connect to nature whether you find a spot to sit, or exercise at, or even a small walk. Some ideas include a park, garden, or a field. Natural environments can help reduce stress in your daily life. It doesn’t have to be an everyday thing, but just spending a few minutes with nature every week can go a long way.

Another way to provide self-care would be doing something you love. This can include watching your favorite movie, reading a book, taking a bath, etc. It is important to nurture our bodies such as a massage, bath, or whatever appeals to you. When I feel myself getting burned out and stressed beyond belief, I like to take a bath and bring a book to disconnect from my phone and take time for myself. It is my favorite part of my daily night routine.

One last self-care activity you can implement is support from others. Having the support of a friend, spouse, professor, etc., can be valuable nourishment in reducing stress. It is important that we can talk to our support people to express our feelings and feel understood. When I feel overwhelmed with life, I love being able to talk about how I am feeling to my boyfriend, and it just helps so much having someone listen and support you. The best thing about self-care is todo what works for you.

https://www.timesnownews.com/health/article/what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-look-at-your-phone-first-thing-in-the-morning/512627

https://www.progressivelifestylesinc.org/post/self-care-activity-ideas-for-caregivers-and-family-membersgclid=CjwKCAjwqJSaBhBUEiwAg5W9pwehvUX3OTLVTBfleSo82RvIK7dyku7Q9XXi14E8LdpcerDboWB7-xoCuOEQAvD_BwE

https://www.taps.org/articles/17-3/selfcare/?gclid=CjwKCAjwqJSaBhBUEiwAg5W9pwxunhE8zB

Study Tips to Relieve Stress

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by: Yashvi Patel, Kennedy College of Sciences Well-being Leader

In this post, I will give you some tips on how to study effectively that I have learned and practiced throughout my time in college. Being a pre-dental student who has to fulfill classes for my degree pathway as well as take prerequisites for dental school, I can assure you it is not easy. I hope these study tips I learned in one of my wonderful cognitive psychology classes can alleviate exam-induced stress.

 The first study tip is to participate in class even if you don’t get credit for it. There were two studies performed to back up the effectiveness of this study tip. Intro-psych students came into a lab and sat down in front of a computer screen. They were presented with pairs of items, in which they read pairs and had pairs for which they had to generate the second word. It was found that if you generated the second word over reading the pair, you were more likely to remember the pair (the generation effect). In another study, the effect of generation is magnified if words were read aloud compared to silently (production effect). That being said, you should participate in class. I used to be afraid of saying the wrong answer, but I’ve noticed most professors at UML help guide you in the right direction without outrightly telling you are wrong, which is why some people don’t speak up.

The next tip would be to take notes by hand instead of the laptop. A study was conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of note taking. Participants watched videos and were asked to either take notes on laptops or notebooks, take a distractor task, and a test, thereafter. The test consisted of factual and application questions. It was found that for factual questions, the recall performance was consistent. However, handwritten notes were better for conceptual memory. I know a lot of people take notes on their laptop because its faster, but I suggest transitioning to handwritten notes because the bulk of evidence leads to the advantages of taking notes by hand. I started taking handwritten notes on my iPad this semester and I can attest to these claims as I feel like I understand and remember the content better. This might have also impacted my grades, which are better so far than the semester before.  

Another tip is to study often and as early as possible, so you are able to space study. There was a study performed to test the two types of learning: massed and distributed. A group of people were learning a second language. Half the participants performed massed study, while the other half spaced studied. Both groups were tested a day later or a week later. It was found that massed studying was effective for memory performance if the test was a day later. However, distributed studying was better if they had to remember information a week later. This is called the spacing effect. Essentially, if you want to remember something for the long run, do distributed study.

The next tip is to study before sleep or rest. There were pairs of words that were studied, either unrelated or related to each other. Half the group studied at 9 am and were awake the rest of the day, whereas the other half studied at 9 pm and then slept. The study found that when you study at night, sleep, and take the test the next morning, you recall more information for unrelated and related content. The benefit of studying at night is especially prominent for unrelated content. The likely reason for the finding was that if you sleep, your memory processing system consolidates the information and there’s no interference when you sleep.

All in all, studying effectively can save a lot of time that can be expended towards other things like relaxation or career-oriented endeavors. It is also beneficial in reducing stress as effective study habits allow one to manage time better and score higher.

Citation:

Geraci, Lisa, D. (2022, May 2). Learning Tips [PowerPoint slides]. Psychology Department, University of Lowell Massachusetts. 

Maintaining Balance as a College Student

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by: Haiya Patel, Kennedy College of Sciences Well-being Leader

How many of you were excited about starting college but also, anxious and stressed about the changes? Mostly everyone! When you first start college, it is easy to get distracted, as college students have various new factors to explore such as: independence and freedom, academics, career, making new connections and being able to get socially involved, extra curriculars and campus life in a new location. As a college student, it is easy to get distracted and overwhelmed when multiple factors are on your radar. However, some solutions can be to make a schedule and set realistic goals, and balance the activities for each week based on priorities.

As the year begins, it can be easy to get ambitious and make unrealistic or vague goals at times, without any solid plan. Often the major outcome difference between realistic and unrealistic goals is disappointment, which leads to the thoughts of failure when you’re not successful in achieving the goal. Rather than having big goals, breaking down your goals into mini goals with timelines makes the much more achievable. Often, we as students will write big goals in our to-do lists and then feel like we did not achieve any part of the goal if we cannot cross it off. However, when the goals are broken down, and we can check off the mini goals more often, we will feel relieved and can also observe the progress that we have achieved so far.

One major aspect of success is balance. It can be easy to get caught up focusing on only one aspect of your life if you go in hyper-focus mode with the goal, but it is crucial to maintain the other aspects of your life as well. To create a balance, you can separate your goals into categories: academic/ career and social/ personal which gives you a sense of balance with social interactions as well as career.

One method to having balance is to have a schedule. For example: if you know you have an important personal event coming up next week, make sure you factor some extra hours into the alternate weeks to keep up your academics. Perusing further with the goals, having too many ongoing activities and experiences can cause burnout. Rather than having multiple activities, prioritize the activities and have depth in your extracurriculars with the few activities you choose. Reflecting on my personal experiences, I became too ambitious and joined many more extracurriculars than I could balance. Having felt a sense of commitment to the extracurriculars, (similar to performing chores), I felt I had to do it. I would be disappointed in myself when I could not attend the events or meetings because I was double booked. Eventually, I had to take a step back and pick few activities. I picked one extracurricular that correlates with my cultural background as I want to stay connected to my culture, one activity that aligns with my career goal, and one volunteering activity that helps me give back to the community. I genuinely resonated with my goals by participating in these limited activities, which allowed me to have a depth of connection with my goals, as well as truly able to invest my energy and time.

Starting a new chapter can be overwhelming with a variety of emotions rushing through, and it is easy to be distracted. However, having an end goal which is broken down into multiple sub goals can prevent you from getting distracted. Additionally having a schedule for your priorities will allow you to maintain a sense of balance in your life.

Take a Break and Hear about Fall Fest!

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By: Ashley Asuncion, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences Well-being Leader

Every year on campus, there are a tremendous amount of events hosted  at different times, which are open to all students, faculty, and staff to attend; some are even open to even the public. I’m here to tell you the inside scoop of how the annual South Campus Fall Fest 2022 was an afternoon to remember. On September 29, from 12pm to 3pm, South Campus hosted their annual Fall Fest where food, lawn games, giveaways, live entertainment, and school clubs were there to provide a good time!

The Office of Student Life and Well-being did not hold back to bring out the “Well” in well-being, if you know what I mean. Well-being leader Casey Tiernan and I had a table in front of Durgin Hall welcoming students, giving away positive appreciation cards, postcards with information of our office and events being hosted and last but not least, a weighted blanket that was a part of a giveaway. To participate in this giveaway, students were asked to follow @zuckerberg.wbl and @umlwellbeing. By the end of the fest, our mason jar was full of tickets. Luckily, we had our last visitor fellow student, Felix J.  pick out the winner of the giveaway. To see how it all went down feel free to visit our Instagram page, @zuckerberg.wbl

It was a great turnout for the Fall Fest, as an opportunity for students to really engage with each other, making long lasting memories and indulging in the nice weather and appreciating the experience of being a UML college student. It was truly a pleasure to be able to meet so many students and do something fun like enjoying a fest.

As a student and a well-being leader, I recommend all who have the time to step back from all the hard work of being a college student and indulge in the joy of being educated. It is always important to allow yourself to have a break once and while. There are plenty of studies that can support the fact that breaks are healthy. According to The Wellbeing Thesis, “The Importance of Taking Breaks” (n.d.): “A relaxing break can help to facilitate recovery, by returning your mental and physical functional systems to their baseline…. Social breaks, such as chatting with your peers, have also been found to be beneficial. …. Taking breaks has been shown to be important in recovering from stress [7], which can, in turn, improve your performance”

So, whether you decide to take a break for a few seconds, minutes, hours or days it will never do you harm! I mean it says it in science- when it comes to the facts best to weigh out the options. But always remember to maintain your health above all, because the work will always be there but your wellbeing is crucial to your quality of life. Therefore, do what you must but don’t forget to cut yourself some slack and take a break. We hope to see you at next year’s fall fest!

The Importance of Taking Breaks

How To Manage Your Time Well

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by: Doa Jamal, Francis College of Engineering Well-being Leader

Oftentimes, when asked about what our skills are, we say we are good at time management. For many of us, this may be a blatant lie, and we are aware that this is a skill we need to work on. So, how do we get better at managing our time? Once again, I think most of us are aware of the obvious answer. The answer is to make a schedule (and then actually stick to it!).

Before we get to the actual schedule-making, here are some things to recognize if you are looking to improve your time management

  1. Your schedule is based on your priorities. Before you make your schedule, you need to know your priorities. Are you an athlete that needs to make it to practice on time? Is piano important to you,and you have to make sure you attend your daily piano classes? Do you prioritize sleep and your health?
  2.  Once you’ve made your schedule, although you need to use the schedule, you are not confined to the schedule! You can still go out with friends even it is not on your schedule. You can still go to bed earlier if you feel sick or tired.

Now to the schedule-making! We are going to skip forward to after you have made your class schedule. Remember that your class schedule was already built around your main priorities (i.e sports practice, work, etc). Now, I encourage you to print out a 24-hour schedule sheet so you can write on it. If you are tech-savvy you can do this online if you prefer.

Here is a template you can use:

For a printable version of this, please email wellbeing@uml.edu

First, add on those top priorities For example, write in when you have practice and/or when you have work. Next, add in any extracurriculars. What days and times are club meetings? Then, you can add in what times you are going to exercise. If you like, you can block out times to eat as well.

Finally, the most important part! Sleep! Block out when you’re going to sleep! I am legally obligated (not really! I’m just kidding!) to encourage you to get a full 8 hours of sleep every night. Realistically, as we know, that is nearly impossible for college students. So instead, I recommend you choose a minimum number of hours of sleep and a strict absolutely must-go-to-bed-by time. This may change depending on the day. For example, I make sure to get at least 5 hours of sleep each night. If I have to get up at 6:00 am on a certain day of the week, I only allow myself to stay up until 1:00 am (although I usually try to be in bed by midnight). If I have to get up at 7:00 am, I can stay up studying until 3 am at maximum (this rarely happens though since I value my sleep). You may choose to plan for 7 or 8 hours a night (good job!), however, I implore you to not try and get by with 4 hours or less of sleep. Coffee and energy drinks can only take you so far. If you don’t get enough sleep it takes a toll on both your body and mind and your body will eventually crash and burn.

Here is a sample schedule:

Now, your general schedule is built! You may choose to add specific times to study, or you may not. Building your schedule was one step toward better managing your time. The next step is figuring out what goes in the blanks of your schedule. That is, when you have time in between items, what are you doing? For example, if you have two hours in between classes (and this block of time isn’t the scheduled time for exercise) what do you choose to do? Do you take a break and watch Netflix? Do you choose to do homework/study? And most importantly, which homework do you do? Do you work on a project that is due in a week or do you do your homework that is due in 2 days? The choice may seem obvious when stated with the deadlines but often you may not be aware of the deadlines until they sneak up on you. I am a strong advocate for turning in assignments on time!! Getting a few points taken off may not seem like a big deal but those little points add up fast if you make a habit of turning assignments in late.

To organize your to-do list and make sure you complete your work on time, I highly suggest using a planner/agenda book. This allows you to see when everything is due and what events you have, and thus be able to prioritize your actions. In your planner, write the deadlines of assignments. Add in the dates when you have tests and quizzes. Then, and this is the important part, write in when you are going to work on that assignment or study for that quiz. For example, as shown in the photo below, I write that my quiz is on Wednesday and that I am going to study for it on Tuesday. I write that my Biostatistics homework is due on Thursday, and I am most likely going to do it on Wednesday. If there is time before then,  I can do the Biostatistics homework before Wednesday. However, this makes me at least aware of my deadlines and keeps me on track. Another example is that I have to fill out a form by a certain date so I write when it is due and when I plan to fill out the form. Additionally, I have events in my planner such as when the Pre-Med E-board meeting is, as well as work to do for the club. Essentially, no task is too small to not be included in your planner. For instance, I also include reminders to email a professor or to post a reminder about a club event on Instagram.

If you truly make a schedule, stick to it  and utilize your planner, you are almost guaranteed to be much better at managing your time (Source: Trust me, bro). So, if you do not already have a planner, go out and buy one! Start organizing your time and be more productive!

Motivation vs. Discipline

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by: Medi Woldemichael, Manning School of Business Well-being Leader,

What is “Motivation”? It is the general desire or willingness of someone to do something. Take a moment and ask yourself, “Am I always motivated?” or “When do I lack motivation?” Motivation is a powerful, yet delicate feeling that is good at playing games with us. It will sometimes appear as an energetic and enthusiastic friend. Other times, you’ll catch yourself in a pit of laziness that echoes procrastination. When something around us motivates us to make a change in the early stages, we are encouraged to take on the task. However, at some point, that motivation may fade.

I used to think that motivation was the most crucial factor in accomplishing my goals and achieving success in different areas of my life, and many of you might still feel like that. However, from experience, I know discipline is essential for achieving goals, not just motivation. When we set goals for our lives, we might not always be able to rely on that motivation to stimulate our effort consistently for an extended time; that’s where self-discipline comes in. Self-discipline will help us in deciding to resist daily temptations that may stop us from progressing toward our goals. In a world where motivating advice and resources are readily available, it becomes evident [MHM1] [WS2] [MHM3] that motivation alone is insufficient to result in achievement and achieve goals, or else everyone would be achieving their goals. That’s why we must choose Discipline on top of Motivation.

Motivation is the starting point. It excites emotions, ideas, inspiration, and excitement, which are wonderful and important! Yet some people stop there. We stop ourselves when we think, “I just need to get motivated,” but it requires more. To be successful in any area of our lives, we must move from motivating feelings to disciplined acts.

To the person who wants to be fit – be disciplined to continue that weekly routine of exercise and quality diet choices.

To the person who wants to start that business – be disciplined to do the research, planning, and journey step by step.

To the person who wants to be in a better financial position – be disciplined to make wiser decisions by spending less, investing, and saving more.

To the person who wants to step into their desired career – be disciplined to do the studying, gaining experience, and hard yards required to get there.

To the person writing that book – be disciplined to write daily and stick to your word-count goals.

Maintaining discipline through everyday routines and habits may appear tedious, yet you grow one step forward each day. You’ll be surprised at how quickly discipline spreads to other aspects of your life after you apply it to just one!

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/discipline-take-you-places-where-motivation-cant-hamza-khan/

Is comparing ourselves to others a bad thing or a good one?

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by: Alejandra MalagaWalters, Francis College of Engineering Well-being Leader

Have you ever felt less than someone or insecure because you are not living up to the accomplishments of your classmates? We are constantly comparing ourselves with the people that surround us, just as our siblings, friends, or high school classmates, but why? Why do we compare ourselves to others? According to psychologists, comparisons are a natural human tendency. In fact, people do it all the time. However, comparisons can also be a double-edged sword. They can be a powerful motivator, but sometimes they can be a strong deterrent from doing something you want, and that’s when they become not good for our mental health. Here are a few tips to change your perspective.

If you think about the people whom you consider to be “better” than you in some way, you can often fall into this trap. You may look at the person and think, “I’ll never be able to do that”, or “I’ll never be as good at that as that person”. The strategy is to change those thoughts. Instead of thinking about “what you can’t do”, think about “what you can do to achieve that”. This doesn’t mean you have to do what others do because that would be unauthentic to you, and what if you don’t like what they are doing? You should focus instead on things you like, enjoy, and are good at. Use what people did to achieve their goals as a motivation to start doing what you love. Then, find people that love that too. You will learn from them and be inspired by them.

Comparisons are normal in human beings and can be good motivators to increase personal achievements. It can also be helpful to challenge yourself to do what you have always wanted to do or be. However, if we start comparing ourselves too much it can lead us to pain. Be aware that everyone has completely different life experiences and goals. Don’t be too hard on yourself!

References

Why Do We Compare Ourselves to Others

How to Get Enough Sleep Step-By-Step

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by: Casey Tiernan, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences Well-being Leader

Do you ever wake up with little to no energy? Me too. This is a normal college experience for many students. This will be a step-by-step guide on how to get enough sleep to help you wake up feeling refreshed and energized. Getting enough sleep has many benefits to your health and well-being. It boosts your immune system, strengthens your heart, increases productivity, improves memory, and reduces stress. All of these benefits prevent chronic diseases and help to live a long fulfilling life. 

First, set a sleep alarm on your device. Setting an alarm when it is time to get some rest allows your brain to follow a set routine. I like to try and get to bed at the same time every night to set my body into a healthy routine. 

Second, set up a restful environment. Personally, I like to have my room cold with a fan on as well as a humidifier to help me breathe better. I also cannot sleep with any lights on. I will not get any sleep if my room is too hot because I get very irritable. Make sure to have your room environment to your likings to get comfy and ready for a good night’s sleep. 

Third, put your phone on do not disturb mode before bed to prevent being woken up by notifications. Every night, I turn on “do not disturb” so I will stop checking my phone and this allows me to disconnect and get some sleep. Before I did this, I would check my phone every time I got a notification which started to annoy me because I could not put my phone down. Such a small task but makes a huge difference. 

Fourth, do not take longer than 20–30-minute naps. A quick power nap (20-30 minutes) can help improve mood, sharpen focus, and reduce fatigue. If you nap longer than 30-minute naps, you may find yourself feeling groggier and more fatigued. Also note that naps should not replace the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep.

Fifth, make a homework schedule each week. I block off different parts of my day to complete assignments and studying and by 6pm every night, I do not look at my work. I use this time until bed to focus on myself and my well-being. I like to read, take a shower, watch a movie, etc. Doing this allows you to take care of your emotional health and well-being and prevents burn out. 

After doing these steps for myself, I have managed to balance a tricky college life due to getting enough sleep. I can focus on my assignments without feeling drained and unmotivated. I started doing this in my junior year and noticed my academic success. It may sound silly, but getting enough sleep truly goes a long way.

https://health.gov/myhealthfinder/healthy-living/mental-health-and-relationships/get-enough-sleep

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/17-tips-to-sleep-better

How To Turn Into An Optimist in Four Easy Steps

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by: Fahad Alden, College of Fine, Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences Well-being Leader

Many people believe that optimism is something inherited, that as little kids, they were always cheerful and bubbly and go-getters. For me, becoming an optimist was something I had to develop through trial and error. 

At 8 years old, I would groan and complain about everything from school to going to the playground. To some extent, there was a reason  I was so miserable at that age. As a Middle Eastern boy, my heritage and culture made me an easy target. Things escalated as I got older when a group of kids taunted me for years with racial slurs. The fact that I also was horrible at sports made it harder for me to make friends with other boys my age. I was also pulled out of classes to be in special education classes, which made me an even easier target.

While these factors help to explain why I was a bitter and miserable person, they do not excuse it. Yes, I dealt with hardships, but I allowed my flaws and weaknesses to define who I was. No one wanted to be around me, because all I would do is complain. I also grew envious of kids who were more athletic or more intelligent than me, thinking that the universe dealt them better cards. 

This pathology is something no one should subscribe to. When I fixated on everything that was wrong with my life, I neglected the great things I had: loving parents, living in a safe neighborhood, and having food on my plate. 

I left this toxic mindset once I  watched a video about spirals. A spiral is when  you go into school thinking of the worst-case scenario, like before the first day of school when you think about how you will go to your classes, no one will look like you, and you will eat lunch alone.  Positive spirals are about flipping that script. An example would be “I am going to go to school and make many friends.” Another example is, “I am going to kill it this year in physics, and my parents will be proud of me.” At the beginning, this may feel inauthentic or unnatural. Andjust like learning to ride your bike, you may fall a couple of times, but it is important to get back up and keep trying. 

So how might one go about changing their mindset? The first suggestion is to start listening to empowering music, such as the work of artists like Nicki Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion, and Dababy. Their music highlights being assertive, making money, and loving yourself. When Megan raps about how she is the most fly in the room, channel that about yourself. When Nicki Minaj talks about how her lyric game is on point, and she’s the best in her game,envision yourself as the best at what you do. I began to carry myself differently when I stepped away from sad songs and switched to confident and upbeat songs.

Second, expand your reading horizons. When you’re reading a self-help book, it is like engaging in a conversation. You are hearing a story and an experience with some sprinkles of advice on top. Reading about world leaders’ or spiritual advisors’ advice will help you on your journey. Reading books from Gandhi or Oprah will make you feel like you are meeting them in real life. You will hear about their advice, their triumphs, and their failures, reminding you that life is not a linear path to success. 

Third, keep a journal so you can better track and monitor your emotions. You can also list things you are grateful for. Start small, such as writing that you are thankful for having a bed, listing one friend you cherish, and being able to have a job. While those may seem like simple things, when you realize how much privilege you have (which I learned when I volunteered at a homeless shelter), you realize how big those can actually be. 

Finally, I also recommend meditation. Go to a quiet area, preferably outside on the beach or at a park, and close your eyes. Reflect on the positive things in your life and on things you could be doing better. For example, maybe youthink about how you are lucky to have a safe and calm place to decompress or how fortunate you are to have the opportunity to continue your education, Feel all your emotions, whether they are positive or negative  Make time for yourself to feel these emotions instead of distracting yourself through work, relationships, or partying. 

Change is something, my 8 year old self would never think was possible. I went from being bullied to library trustee in my town. Even though I have made great strides I am still a work in progress.  So come on, this article can be the key that unlocks your potential.