Thursday, April 26, 2012
Which Minute Action Are You?
Monday, April 9, 2012
Green Your Spring Clean
Spring is my absolute favorite time of year…and it’s finally here! Well… kind of if you live in New York City where it’s gorgeous and almost shorts weather one day, and the next it’s blustery bring your coat back out weather. However, I would have to say things are looking up, and it’s almost officially time to pack away all the winter gear and forget about it!
With the arrival of spring, I, like so many of us always like to start out the season with a good old-fashioned spring clean. Let’s face it, we’ve been cooped up all winter, probably haven’t opened our windows much, and things around the house could probably use some sprucing. This spring, my cleaning methods could also benefit from a little sprucing.
I’ve always been of the mindset that the stronger the cleaning product, the better. When I clean I usually channel Arnold Schwarzenegger and turn into the Terminator bent on mass destruction. I’m also a bit of a germaphobe, which doesn’t help my mission of total demolition, and also makes New York City living a little scary at times. However, the more reading and research I do, the more I’m realizing that not only are these products that will destroy every living bacteria, mold or mildew particle that so much as thinks about cohabitating with you bad for the environment, they can also be harmful to us loyal users. There’s nothing worse than knowing that something you’ve been using regularly contains toxins that get into our water systems, and that some of them cannot be removed through purification processes. Here’s some info from motherearthnews.com:
Most antibacterial cleaners, air fresheners, dishwasher detergent, oven cleaner, carpet cleaner and toilet/sink/tub/tile cleaners contain toxic ingredients that can seep into groundwater. Earth 911 says cleaning products pollute the air, increase smog formation, cause asthma and inhibit plant growth. Not only are most cleaning products bad for the environment, they can be bad for your respiratory health, too. To minimize these effects, dispose of the unused products at your local HHW site. An easier solution may be to buy or make your own greener cleaners.
To read more go to: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Nature-Community/Hazardous-Household-Products.aspx#ixzz1nh77d3oJ
Here are a few handy tips that I found from eartheasy.com. These cleaners are inexpensive and just as efficient as their environmentally hazardous equivalents, so give them a try if you don’t already use them!
• Baking Soda - cleans, deodorizes, softens water, scours.
• Soap - unscented soap in liquid form, flakes, powders or bars is biodegradable and will clean just about anything. Avoid using soaps which contain petroleum distillates.
• Lemon - one of the strongest food-acids, effective against most household bacteria.
• Borax - (sodium borate) cleans, deodorizes, disinfects, softens water, cleans wallpaper, painted walls and floors.
• White Vinegar - cuts grease, removes mildew, odors, some stains and wax build-up.
• Washing Soda - or SAL Soda is sodium carbonate decahydrate, a mineral. Washing soda cuts grease, removes stains, softens water, cleans wall, tiles, sinks and tubs. Use care, as washing soda can irritate mucous membranes. Do not use on aluminum.
• Isopropyl Alcohol - is an excellent disinfectant. (It has been suggested to replace this with ethanol or 100 proof alcohol in solution with water. There is some indication that isopropyl alcohol buildup contributes to illness in the body. See http://drclark.ch/g)
• Cornstarch - can be used to clean windows, polish furniture, shampoo carpets and rugs.you
Citrus Solvent - cleans paint brushes, oil and grease, some stains. (Citrus solvent may cause skin, lung or eye irritations for people with multiple chemical sensitivities.)
From more excellent tips head to: http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm#substitutions
In addition to having a nice clean home for the new season, I also love to feel like I’m walking into a tropical oasis when I come home from the less than pleasant smelling city streets. However, much to my dismay, air fresheners can also be harmful. But wait, not to worry! There are many simple and safe solutions that will still give your home that welcoming and delicious aroma. Here are a few helpful tips from naturalhome.org:
• Use baking soda and white vinegar to eliminate odors. Strategically place small dishes of one or the other throughout your home.
• Simmer spices such as cinnamon, clove or orange rind in a pot of water.
• Dilute a few drops of your favorite essential oil in water and store in a spray bottle. Use instead of a commercial air freshener.
• Scent small spaces with natural potpourri scented with pure essential oils. My favorites are sweet, smoky vanilla, spicy clove and bracing peppermint.
Happy spring and happy spring sprucing! If you readers have any other helpful tips up your sleeves, please feel free to share!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
April Stress, May Flowers?
April is National Stress Awareness Month…
I can’t help but notice ... how not-stressed I am, which is a blessing, especially considering how stressed I was this time last year. But as the thought for today goes:
“Your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts.”
And a beautiful diamond forms in high pressure and heat.
They say when something good happens, don’t question; just run with it. I don’t know about tomorrow, but right now, I feel at peace. Maybe it’s because I’m learning to accept even the moments when I feel sad, scared, or anxious because by living through them, I can better appreciate and what it means to be happy, brave, and trusting.
But I realize that a peaceful, (relatively) stress free state also has to do with everyday, practical choices like: it how often I relax everyday; how much I exercise; and how much work I pile on my plate. So I took an online stress test to see how I’d score. I got a 6 for " a few hassles” – just one point shy of the “pretty good control” bracket. Like I said, “I’m learning…”
Adopting a calm, collected state of mind in often hectic, stressful surroundings can be difficult. Stats posted by Fast Company show:
STRESS BALLS, RELAXATION TAPES, and other stress-fighting products and services account for $14 BILLION of spending in the U.S. EACH YEAR.
62% of American are stressed about WORK, according to the American Psychological Association.
ONE-THIRD of American children ages 8 to 17 say they worry about their family's finances.
...Which reminds me – I heard this joke the other day. It went something like:
When I was a kid, my grandfather would always say, ‘Want to know what’s important in life? Always watch your health, never mind the money.’ He’d say, ‘watch your health,’ And I did. Then one day I woke up and my grandfather had stolen all my money!
Twisted, maybe, but the joke did get me thinking about what is important to me in life. A person can spend a lifetime chasing after tangible measures of success, or instead, making the most of one’s possessions while staying healthy, being kind to others, and living a balanced life. It can be easier said than done, but I wouldn’t mind being the person if the joke if when I woke up I could say: Yes, the money is gone, but I still have my health. I share in the lives and happiness of those closest to me. And even though this situation is crummy, I know what my purpose is in life and I have the ability to move on.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Six Simple Rules for a Better Life, an interview with author David Singer
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting David Singer. He is the author of the book - Six Simple Rules for a Better Life. .
Jess's mission with What You Can Do has always been to break down the world's most pressing issues into tangible steps. That's why were were so interested in David Singer's message. His ideas were very comparable to ours. He took the time to answer a few of our questions.
What inspired you to write the book?
Nothing feels better than knowing that I’ve made a difference in other people’s lives. I’ve always tried to help family and friends. I wrote Six Simple Rules for a Better Life to be able to help a wider audience.
You talk about six simple rules. Was it hard to narrow it down?
Six Simple Rules for a Better Life is highly personal and these “rules” have been ones that have worked for me. Most of them are things I think about all the time: be happy, be nice, be organized, and be healthy are long-time parts of my core being. Being happy, nice, and healthy were ingrained in me by my parents. Being organized is something that developed for me as a young adult when I realized how it helped me to be successful, less stressed, and happier.
Being a lifelong learner is something I fell in love with, a happy addiction that I developed after college. And as part of that learning, a big part of which was from reading, I became absorbed by the stories of leaders—people who have made the world a better place.
I had been collecting all kinds of wisdom for many years and when I began to organize it to write the book, everything I wanted to talk about fit into one of the six rules.
Your section "be a leader" fits right in line with the spirit of what you can do. can you talk a little about simple ways that people could be a leader?
When I was writing the book and told a friend about “Be a leader,” he said, “I don’t think everyone can be a leader.” I explained that I wasn’t talking about the kind of leaders that business books talk about, rather the kind that is demonstrated by the people who changed the world, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Teresa and that the leadership I was writing about includes making the world a better place even in “small” ways. We all have it in us to be a leader.
Being a leader is about volunteering and taking on responsibility. It’s about setting an example in everything you do at home, at work, and in your community. Getting involved in your community is one of the simplest ways to be a leader. There are so many opportunities, so many places that need your help. And a side benefit is that it’s tremendously gratifying to help other people—possibly the greatest secret to happiness.
One of the things that really stuck with me in reading the book was the idea that it takes 21 days to develop a new habit. Can you talk about that a little for people who may not have read the book?
We live in a world filled with offers for immediate change. “Get rich quick,” “get thin now,” “stop smoking today.” Those quick fixes, when they do work, rarely last. In the same way, we’re encouraged each year to make New Year’s resolutions—grandiose plans, which nearly always fail.
You know how it works—gym memberships spike in January and then those same gyms’ parking lots are empty by February. Instead of creating the once-a-year, New Year’s resolutions type of list, the better way is to create and maintain a running list of goals—an ongoing list of life-improvement ideas.
The key to accomplishing those goals is to then break them down into small pieces, small enough changes that you can stick with them. It takes 21 days to form a new habit, so if you slow down and focus on one new habit every 21 days you can experience many positive changes each year. This slow and steady approach is extremely effective and adds up to the positive changes we all want.
Even if you slow down further (for example, one new habit every month, or every six weeks), you can accomplish a great deal because slowing down to make changes is the secret to making real, lasting change.
One more thing.. Looking forward to more accomplishments is a great motivator and a list of goals is great raw material for our progress. But it’s important that we don’t end up seeing the list of goals as a list of shortcomings. Even someone who would not be officially labeled as a perfectionist could become frustrated by a list of things that they have not yet accomplished—so, it’s important to make a second list—a list of achievements—and to stop and celebrate our progress every day, looking back at all that we’ve accomplished. We deserve it!
What's the next step for the book and for you as a writer?
I’ve gotten fantastic feedback about the book. As I said in answer to your first question, my reason for writing this was/is to help people and even if they get only one thing out of reading the book, that’s great (and most people will get more than one.) The other day I was in a dentist’s chair listening to my iPod and I was thinking, “Would Death Cab for Cutie be happy to know I’m listening to their music right now?” I don’t know how it works for them, but I know I would be happy any minute I knew someone was reading my book because I would know I was helping them in some way.
The book has sold quite a few copies, yet it’s far from being a bestseller. I want to change the world, to make it a better place in small ways, and in as big a way as I can. The more people who read my book, the more people I can help to be happier, healthier, and more—and the world a better place. So, spreading the word is the big next step for the book. I’m doing that through social media, word-of-mouth from people like you, and speaking engagements.
I’m writing more than ever now because of my weekly blog posts. I’m enjoying that and will continue to do that as long as I enjoy it and am delivering information that is helping people in some way. I have a lot of other books in my head, and it’s likely that I will publish more at some point. Right now, I’m enjoying the ride of this one, the incredible gratifying feeling of making a difference for people who are reading it.
To find out more about David Singer, please visit SixSimpleRules.com.
Jess's mission with What You Can Do has always been to break down the world's most pressing issues into tangible steps. That's why were were so interested in David Singer's message. His ideas were very comparable to ours. He took the time to answer a few of our questions.
What inspired you to write the book?
Nothing feels better than knowing that I’ve made a difference in other people’s lives. I’ve always tried to help family and friends. I wrote Six Simple Rules for a Better Life to be able to help a wider audience.
You talk about six simple rules. Was it hard to narrow it down?
Six Simple Rules for a Better Life is highly personal and these “rules” have been ones that have worked for me. Most of them are things I think about all the time: be happy, be nice, be organized, and be healthy are long-time parts of my core being. Being happy, nice, and healthy were ingrained in me by my parents. Being organized is something that developed for me as a young adult when I realized how it helped me to be successful, less stressed, and happier.
Being a lifelong learner is something I fell in love with, a happy addiction that I developed after college. And as part of that learning, a big part of which was from reading, I became absorbed by the stories of leaders—people who have made the world a better place.
I had been collecting all kinds of wisdom for many years and when I began to organize it to write the book, everything I wanted to talk about fit into one of the six rules.
Your section "be a leader" fits right in line with the spirit of what you can do. can you talk a little about simple ways that people could be a leader?
When I was writing the book and told a friend about “Be a leader,” he said, “I don’t think everyone can be a leader.” I explained that I wasn’t talking about the kind of leaders that business books talk about, rather the kind that is demonstrated by the people who changed the world, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Teresa and that the leadership I was writing about includes making the world a better place even in “small” ways. We all have it in us to be a leader.
Being a leader is about volunteering and taking on responsibility. It’s about setting an example in everything you do at home, at work, and in your community. Getting involved in your community is one of the simplest ways to be a leader. There are so many opportunities, so many places that need your help. And a side benefit is that it’s tremendously gratifying to help other people—possibly the greatest secret to happiness.
One of the things that really stuck with me in reading the book was the idea that it takes 21 days to develop a new habit. Can you talk about that a little for people who may not have read the book?
We live in a world filled with offers for immediate change. “Get rich quick,” “get thin now,” “stop smoking today.” Those quick fixes, when they do work, rarely last. In the same way, we’re encouraged each year to make New Year’s resolutions—grandiose plans, which nearly always fail.
You know how it works—gym memberships spike in January and then those same gyms’ parking lots are empty by February. Instead of creating the once-a-year, New Year’s resolutions type of list, the better way is to create and maintain a running list of goals—an ongoing list of life-improvement ideas.
The key to accomplishing those goals is to then break them down into small pieces, small enough changes that you can stick with them. It takes 21 days to form a new habit, so if you slow down and focus on one new habit every 21 days you can experience many positive changes each year. This slow and steady approach is extremely effective and adds up to the positive changes we all want.
Even if you slow down further (for example, one new habit every month, or every six weeks), you can accomplish a great deal because slowing down to make changes is the secret to making real, lasting change.
One more thing.. Looking forward to more accomplishments is a great motivator and a list of goals is great raw material for our progress. But it’s important that we don’t end up seeing the list of goals as a list of shortcomings. Even someone who would not be officially labeled as a perfectionist could become frustrated by a list of things that they have not yet accomplished—so, it’s important to make a second list—a list of achievements—and to stop and celebrate our progress every day, looking back at all that we’ve accomplished. We deserve it!
What's the next step for the book and for you as a writer?
I’ve gotten fantastic feedback about the book. As I said in answer to your first question, my reason for writing this was/is to help people and even if they get only one thing out of reading the book, that’s great (and most people will get more than one.) The other day I was in a dentist’s chair listening to my iPod and I was thinking, “Would Death Cab for Cutie be happy to know I’m listening to their music right now?” I don’t know how it works for them, but I know I would be happy any minute I knew someone was reading my book because I would know I was helping them in some way.
The book has sold quite a few copies, yet it’s far from being a bestseller. I want to change the world, to make it a better place in small ways, and in as big a way as I can. The more people who read my book, the more people I can help to be happier, healthier, and more—and the world a better place. So, spreading the word is the big next step for the book. I’m doing that through social media, word-of-mouth from people like you, and speaking engagements.
I’m writing more than ever now because of my weekly blog posts. I’m enjoying that and will continue to do that as long as I enjoy it and am delivering information that is helping people in some way. I have a lot of other books in my head, and it’s likely that I will publish more at some point. Right now, I’m enjoying the ride of this one, the incredible gratifying feeling of making a difference for people who are reading it.
To find out more about David Singer, please visit SixSimpleRules.com.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Ocean’s 11 things you need to know
1. What’s healthy for the ocean, and me to eat?
If you’re like me and enjoy seafood, but also care deeply about the ocean, here’s a tip that will help you make choices as a consumer that are healthy for you and the ocean. Visit Montereybayaquarium.org and download a Seafood Watch Pocket Guide. You can click on your state on the map provided, and get the guide that’s specific to your region.
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.aspx
2. What harms our ocean’s the most?
Well…toxic waste, boating pollution, and garbage dumping. But, the one we can most easily control on an individual level is what most all of us have enjoyed our drinking water out of. Yep, you guess it – plastic! Why is plastic debris so common, and what can we do about it?
According to marinedebris.noaa.gov, the word plastic is used to describe a collection of artificial chemical compounds that come in just about every shape size and form.
Also, “Plastics will degrade into small pieces until you can’t see them anymore (so small you’d need a microscope or better!). Because the ocean is a cold, dark place, this process happens slower in water than on land. But, do plastics fully “go away?” Full degradation into carbon dioxide, water, and inorganic molecules is called mineralization. Most commonly used plastics do not mineralize (or go away) in the ocean and instead break down into smaller and smaller pieces. We call these pieces “microplastics” if they are less than 5mm long. Bio-based and truly biodegradable plastics break down in a compost pile or landfill, but are generally not designed to degrade as quickly in the ocean”.
This is why it’s so critical for us to significantly reduce the amount of plastic we use. An easy place to start is by purchasing reusable beverage containers, and tote bags to bring to the grocery store. Both are very cost effective, and if we all committed to using them as replacements, the amount of plastic we use annually would be greatly reduced.
3. How can I prevent harmful things from ending up in the ocean?
Sign up to clean up! If you go to the Ocean Conservancy’s website you can sign up for a beach clean up. If you can’t find one in your area, you can propose to have one at a beach close to you. Very cool, and it’s what we did here at What You Can Do.
http://www.oceanconservancy.org/our-work/marine-debris/
4. Does recycling help?
Yes! Become a recycling ninja. If you recycle things like plastic, there’s a greater chance they won’t end up in the ocean. Use this link to download a recycling pocket guide from the Ocean’s Conservancy website:
http://www.oceanconservancy.org/our-work/marine-debris/this-months-thing-become-a.html
5. How is marine life affected by waste products?
According to mindfully.org a 1980 Fish and Wildlife service study showed 45 of 50 albatrosses (90 percent) on Midway Island had plastics in their intestines. When plastic film and other debris settle on the bottom of the ocean floor, it can suffocate immobile plants and animals. In areas with some currents, such as coral reefs, debris can wrap around living coral, smothering the animals and breaking up their coraline structures”.
We’ve all seen the horrifying images of marine life caught in the plastic six pack rings. Knowing just how vulnerable marine life is, and helpless against our trash, we must do something to prevent it from ending up in their habitat where the consequences can be fatal.
6. How can I help marine life?
There are many organizations that will allow you to symbolically adopt marine life, such as the Save the Manatee Club. Funds collected by these organizations go towards efforts to help protect endangered species and their habitat. http://www.savethemanatee.org/
Here are links to similar organizations:
Adopt a whale or dolphin through the Whale and Dolphin Conservancy Society:
http://adoptawhalena.wdcs.org/
Protect penguins and sea otters:
https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
Here’s a link with awesome suggestions on how to protect coral reefs.
http://www.yoto98.noaa.gov/books/reefs/reef16-20.htm
7. What’s global warming got to do with it??
According to nationalgeographic.com – “Fish and other marine life could be left gasping for breath in oxygen-poor oceans for thousands of years to come if global warming continues to go unchecked.
Go to this link to read Ker Than’s article on the effects global warming will have on our oceans.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/01/090128-ocean-dead-zones.html
8. I like to fish, how can I help?
• Bring ALL of your trash back to shore for proper disposal in trash cans or recycling bins, including all pieces of fishing line and other fishing gear.
• Remember that it is illegal to dispose of any plastic in all U.S. waters and anywhere at sea.
• Support environmentally responsible marinas.
For more great tips, head to this link:
http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/marinedebris101/fisher.html
9. How do cleaning products affect the ocean?
According to shareguide.com, “detergents, degreasers, stain removers and pesticides have made our homes miniature chemical factories. Hazardous chemicals endanger the environment by contaminating our groundwater, lakes and oceans. If these hazardous products in the home are ingested, absorbed through the skin or inhaled they can cause illness that may only appear years later. One of the biggest culprits in ocean pollution is phosphates, common in laundry detergents and some cleaning products. The average consumer nationwide uses about 30 pounds of laundry detergent a year; all together, Americans use about 8.3 billion pounds of dry detergent and a billion gallons of liquid detergent each year! High phosphate levels can kill life in rivers, streams and oceans by causing "algae blooms." Algae slimes dense enough to suffocate marine life have been swelling around the world, especially in coastal bays. They are largely caused by fertilizing pollutants called "nutrients" in human sewage and farm runoff”.
What can we do about this? – start using environmentally friendly products like vinegar, lemon, and baking soda. Or you can purchase products that bear labels indicating they are safe for the environment.
10. How can I take action?
According to the Surfrider foundation, if you are passionate about water quality monitoring, there are 3 simple steps to have your voice heard by the big guys who make all the decisions.
1. Find your state and identify your Senator
2. Tell them to support federal funding for the Beach Act
3. Share this with your friends
For more info, head to the Surfrider Foundations website http://www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog/entry/5077
11. Let’s all enjoy the ocean for as long as we can by keeping it healthy and clean! Being that I am from California, one of my favorite places to go on Earth is the beach! I love to snorkel, boogie board (really wish I knew how to surf), and just marvel at how awesome, important, and alive our ocean is while standing on the beach with warm sand between my toes. I am in constant awe of it’s beauty, power, and incredible species that inhabit it. Every time I see a coral reef dying, or a plastic bag dancing in the current, I am crushed. Let’s make sure that the next generations get to enjoy the same things that we do! If we don’t take action, the likelihood of this being a possibility is slim. Come on, let’s help protect our ocean…because after all, think of how much it has done for us.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Lent Update
Hi all! Amanda here. Just a quick Lent update. So far, so good with the no dessert portion. I must admit I have eaten more clementines in the past two weeks than ever before (because as I have discovered, these serve as an excellent treat that tastes almost as good as dessert). And fruit juice popsicles don’t count do they? I’ve found that it was really challenging in the beginning, especially when Trader Joe’s insists on putting every delicious chocolate product they carry right next to the line that you have to wait in to check out (as do most grocery stores that are out to get those of us with a sweet tooth). However, I have noticed that the longer you live with something, the easier it gets. I have to say though; I already have a running list of things I can’t wait to eat after Easter!
Here are some awesome recipes I found for treats that are healthy and so good you might mistake them for dessert. I concocted the recipe for the Tropical Berry Bash smoothie on my own. It’s so fun to experiment with smoothie making because it seems no matter what fruit/juice combo you try, it’s always good for you and delicious!
The granola recipe is great and easy to make changes to to include your favorite ingredients.
Purple Monstrosity Smoothie – I just love the name!
▪ 2 frozen bananas, skins removed and cut in chunks
▪ 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
▪ 1 cup orange juice
▪ 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Purple-Monstrosity-Fruit-Smoothie/Detail.aspx
Cranberry Almond Granola
INGREDIENTS
▪ 2/3 cup frozen unsweetened apple juice concentrate, thawed
▪ 1/2 cup maple syrup
▪ 1/3 cup almond oil, or canola oil
▪ 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
▪ 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
▪ 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
▪ 5 cups rolled oats, (not quick-cooking)
▪ 1 cup toasted wheat germ
▪ 1 cup whole almonds, coarsely chopped (4 1/2 ounces)
▪ 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, (2 ounces)
1 cup dried cranberries, divided
If this recipe looks good to you, check out this link for info about the preparation:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/cranberry_almond_granola.html
Tropical Berry Bash
1 banana
½ cup raspberries
½ cup strawberries
½ cup pineapple or mango
½ cup fat free plain yogurt
1 dash cinnamon
1 Tbs Agave syrup
1 cup ice
As for the getting rid of frustrations and managing stress better, I seem to be surmounting this challenge in baby steps. It’s really difficult to instantly alter your perceptions on various situations that have always caused you stress, like the morning commute. However, I’ve been implementing new strategies to make my most stressful time of day a little more pleasant, and they’ve helped to reduce my reaction to these triggers. For example, I make sure to never leave my apartment without my iPod and a good book. This way I always have a distraction so I can phase out my stressors. I’ve also changed up the music I choose to listen to on the subway, opting for more relaxing tunes that soothe rather than make me want to dance. I have also found a new mindset that helps. If I enter a stressful situation knowing that everyone is just as stressed out as I am, I find it easier to be more compassionate and patient with those around me.
I found many helpful suggestions, and info about stress in general at helpguide.org. If you can remember the Four A’s, you have a greater chance of dealing with a stressful situation in a healthier and more productive way.
Dealing with Stressful Situations: The Four A’s
Change the situation:
▪ Avoid the stressor.
▪ Alter the stressor. Change your reaction:
▪ Adapt to the stressor.
▪ Accept the stressor.
For more info on dealing with stress, visit:
http://helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm
Thursday, March 1, 2012
National Women’s History Month celebrates Women’s Education & Empowerment
March is Women’s History Month and WYCD joins in celebrating the strength, inspiration, and enduring contribution of women throughout history. This year’s theme of Women’s Education acknowledges women who fought bravely for the education rights of their peers and generations of women thereafter.
Thanks to activists like teacher and school founder Emma Willard, not only do women have a right to higher education, they now outnumber men on college campuses across the U.S. What began as a basic allowance to girls, with the objective of educating future mothers who nurture leaders and further the goals of a male-dominated society, has evolved into the promise of equal learning opportunities and the comprehensive professional advancement for women.
Today and on Wednesdays throughout March, we join the National Women’s History Month Project to recognize women leaders in education. The first honoree, Emma Willard, took it upon herself to found the Troy Female Seminary in New York when the notion of women’s education and labor was suppressed or ridiculed at best.
A statue of the trailblazer stands at the campus, since renamed the Emma Willard School. The inscription reads in part: HER MOST ENDURING MONUMENT [is] the gratitude of educated women.
Thanks to activists like teacher and school founder Emma Willard, not only do women have a right to higher education, they now outnumber men on college campuses across the U.S. What began as a basic allowance to girls, with the objective of educating future mothers who nurture leaders and further the goals of a male-dominated society, has evolved into the promise of equal learning opportunities and the comprehensive professional advancement for women.
Today and on Wednesdays throughout March, we join the National Women’s History Month Project to recognize women leaders in education. The first honoree, Emma Willard, took it upon herself to found the Troy Female Seminary in New York when the notion of women’s education and labor was suppressed or ridiculed at best.
A statue of the trailblazer stands at the campus, since renamed the Emma Willard School. The inscription reads in part: HER MOST ENDURING MONUMENT [is] the gratitude of educated women.
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