SAMIRA VALLADARES BLOG 2

 

BLOG PRESENTATION #2

INTRODUCTION:

This research was made on "self-care", "paying it forward", and "good eating". Each group presented a different chapter, showing us the different examples of each topic. (26)

Group 1: self-care

This group in particular shows us that self-care is the practice of looking after and prioritising own mental and physical wellbeing. Looking after your mental health and physical health. Carin for others in your community, friends, and family can help take the focus fear off yourself and deflect in a healthy manner. (53)

What causes a lack of self-care? Self-neglect can be a result of a person's brain injury, dementia, other mental disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder or holding disorder, or physical illness which has an effect on abilities, energy levels, attention span, organizational skills, or motivation. (45)

How do you improve self-care? 

If you visit screening.mhanational.org you can get some tips for self-care including living healthy, eating healthy, getting enough sleep, exercising, avoiding drugs and alcohol, and how to manage stress, and going for regular medical check-ups. (42)

"Self-care is important because it enhances our well-being by keeping us connected to ourselves and what matters most to us," said Kaylee Crockett, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine. "It can help prevent illnesses from occurring or recurring, and it builds our capacity to handle stress and recover from adversity." Unfortunately, self-care is sometimes seen as a luxury instead of a need; but Group 1 reminds us that self-care is something that everyone needs daily, not just those who may feel stressed. (92)

This group showed us the importance of making self-care part of one's routine and intentionally protecting time for self-care activities. This can look like putting time in the calendar for self-care or setting standing dates with friends, family members, and partners to connect or take time to do something both parties enjoy. While engaging in self-care activities, take steps to limit distractions such as turning on "do not disturb" on devices during time set aside for self-care activities. (82)

Group 2: paying it forward

From this research, we can say that those receiving an act of kindness can choose to pay it back or, better yet, pay it forward. Paying it forward entails doing or giving something of value after receiving similar virtues in the past, thereby keeping a cycle of kindness going. (49)

You can accept a good deed in return, or you can ask them to pay it forward. When you ask someone to pay it forward, it simply means that you ask them to repay your kindness by doing a good deed for someone else. In this way, you can help others to keep spreading kindness to even more people. (59)

What is an example of paying it forward? Surprise a neighbor with freshly baked cookies or treats, let someone go in front of you in line who only has a few items, leave a gas gift card at a gas pump, throw a party to celebrate someone just for being who they are, which is awesome. (55)

In the film "Paying It Forward" it boldly reveals that kindness and putting others first are acts of moral beauty. It concretely proclaims that each person can make a difference in the world by doing good. And it reveals that although we'll probably never know the effects of our acts of compassion, that's okay. The importance of Pay it Forward in its message, doing good deeds for others and inspiring them to do good deeds for others can truly change the world for the better. (85)

Group 2 states that Paying it forward inspires generosity and compassion. All too often, we think too much about our own needs without considering how our behavior affects others. What we say and do matters. Ultimately, the person paying it forward grows as much as the person receiving the act of kindness. For example, there are three primary ways leaders can pay it forward in their day-to-day roles assuming the role of a leader-teacher, role modeling their personal true north to set the example, and ensuring the organization operates in a socially responsible manner. (96)

Group 3: good eating

Basically what group 3 is teaching us is that a healthy and well-balanced diet can help us think clearly and feel more alert. It can also improve concentration and attention span. Conversely, an inadequate diet can lead to fatigue, and impaired decision-making, and can slow down reaction time. For example, eating high-quality foods that contain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants will nourish the brain in a positive way. At the same time, a diet high in processed foods and refined sugars can impair brain function and worsen mental health symptoms. (91)

As it turns out, food really does make us happy, chemically, and increasing evidence shows that good food ( your leafy green veggies, unsaturated fats, fruits, etc.) improves long-term mental health outcomes on top of physical health indicators. We can see that hormones and neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine are being released in the body to reward you for enjoying a healthy meal, and even the trillions of microorganisms living in your gut microbiome communicate with your brain through neural, inflammatory, and hormonal signals to let you know that you made a healthy choice. (94)

So what is good food? Our diets change across cultures, and ages, and even fluctuate periodically depending on health, access, and finances, so understanding what diet is good for one person at one point in time, is probably not the same good for another person. This is why variety and moderation are always key and why you shouldn't stress too much about having the perfect diet; there is no such thing! (71)

CONCLUSION:

The wanted outcome of this research is to help people meet their needs to achieve the outcomes that matter to them in their lives and which in turn promote their wellbeing.