SOVA Blog

by brownieheidi1718

Love to Travel

January 23, 2023 in Be Positive

Do you daydream of crystal blue waters, endless streets bursting with culture and history, and beautiful mountains expanding miles behind the horizon? Is your mouth watering at the thought of authentic southern spices and sauces, fresh island fruits, and Mediterranean dishes to warm your soul? Odds are, you are not alone!

Why is it that we find ourselves always craving the next trip, even if we have just returned from one? It’s not that we don’t appreciate where we’ve been or where we are, because we do. It’s simply human nature to desire things like adventure, escape, and fresh perspectives. So how can we cultivate those cravings? Given the opportunity, try to travel more! It is good for your mind and body, and it allows us to learn more about ourselves by trying new things.

1. Adventure. Going on a trip allows us to explore new terrain and step outside our comfort zone.  From the airport to the destination, you begin learning new things about the area’s culture, music, food, art, and activities. By immersing yourself in that culture, you learn to appreciate different things you may not have tried otherwise. Whether it’s zooming through the Everglades on an airboat, or walking around the heart of the nation’s capital, choose things that allow you to find joy everywhere.

2. Escape. Whether it’s a break from school, or time off from work, traveling is a great way to fill those gaps. Escaping to a different time zone or climate allows or our bodies to be present somewhere completely different that what were used to. If that alteration is positive, we learn that we have a curious soul and might seek a new landscape every once in a while. It’s important to keep in mind though, that more than escaping, we may sometimes wish to go back home. And that is totally okay! Sometimes that helps us appreciate what we have, more than what we think we need.

3. Fresh perspectives. Are you traveling solo? Maybe you realize how much you are capable of on your own. Maybe you gain more respect for yourself and your own maturity. Are you traveling with a significant other? Maybe you dive deeper into what makes your relationship so strong and really appreciate your love for one another. Maybe you discover the importance of balancing that with lighthearted fun. And finally, are you traveling with close family or friends? Maybe you take this time to show gratitude for those who are important to you. Maybe you make memories that will last a lifetime.

All of this is to say that traveling can be a bountiful experience. It is an opportunity to learn, have fun, relax, and enjoy. No matter how many or how few trips there are in life, each one is a blessing and a chance to grow. It’s also important to recognize that spicing up our lives with a step outside of reality can be really fun and exciting, but sometimes the comforts of home call us. If travel isn’t an option at the moment, we can still gain the benefits of adventure, escape, and fresh perspectives through other things! We can try new dishes at home, engage in unique sports, and find things in everyday life that inspire us.

Traveling is different for everybody. But in my opinion, it’s helped me find myself and what my passions are. I’ve associated traveling with phrases like “I can do this” and “wow, I never thought I would try that.” I hope to continue traveling as long as I am able, but I also know there is always a place I can come home to.

What do you value about traveling? What are some ways that you try to gain fresh new perspectives?

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by brownieheidi1718

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

October 4, 2022 in Educate Yourself

Do you find eating healthy to be a challenge? Is it difficult for you to find foods that are both nutritious and delicious? Here are some tips suggesting that healthy eating doesn’t have to taste bad!

Harvard University studies show that “plant-based diet rich in vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and healthy proteins lowers the risk of weight gain and chronic disease.”

Vegetables are often lacking in diets, specifically in children. A negative bias towards healthy foods like spinach and other greens often develops early on in life. Young children typically don’t like how these veggies taste or smell. This makes it difficult for them to have a nutritious meal during school time. By preparing vegetables in a more appealing way, or by consuming them through snacks like kale chips or veggies straws, children can build a positive rapport with vegetables and incorporate them as a daily food group for lunch.

Fruits are another essential food group. Things like oranges and grapefruit are rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants. Bananas are high in potassium, and they promote a healthy heart. The good news when it comes to fruit is that there are different flavors for everybody. Some fruits are sweet, others are tart, and even still some are just satisfying to snack on. Packing a few fruits each day in that lunch box will surely give you the energy you need to be alert!

various grains on display in bowlsWhole grains are another component of a healthy diet. Various rices and breads may be some of the most delicious parts of dinner, but every once in a while, switching those item out for brown rice or quinoa, or even a veggie alternative like cauliflower, can provide your body with weight loss benefits while still being tasty.

When I eat a well-balanced diet, I feel like I have higher energy that lasts throughout the day, more positive thoughts, and increased productivity for both work and school. Sometimes it is difficult to eat healthy 24/7, but I try to find healthy alternatives and switch out harmful sugars when I can. Balance that healthy diet with some exercise and outdoor time during the week, and you’ll find yourself off to the start of a great semester.

Resources:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/harvard-researchers-launch-healthy-eating-plate

What are some of your favorite recipes/foods? Have you tried these alternatives before?

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by brownieheidi1718

Being Present in the Now

July 11, 2022 in Be Positive

Do you find yourself so frequently planning things for the future that you forget to take your time and enjoy the present? Here are some things that can help with that.

1. Avoid overflowing the calendar. It’s great to have a bunch of things in the calendar to look forward too, but sometimes having a free weekend leaves room for discovering new adventures spontaneously!

2. Devote time to yourself. If you only have one social event scheduled for the week, that’s more than nothing! Sometimes having plans every single day of the week can be exhausting for your mental and physical health.

3.  Find joy in what’s already there. Maybe your day consists of brushing your teeth and making your bed. Maybe it even includes spending time with your pets or going for a walk to the grocery store. Even the small things, whether it’s for personal hygiene or mental well-being, are all important to your daily growth. Over time, you will likely be glad you spent those few moments focusing on yourself.

I’ve been working on these things on my own and with the people who are important to me. For example, my boyfriend and I have a lot of awesome things we hope to get to this summer. And I hope we get to achieve so many of them! But still, we have been trying to find ways to enjoy the “now” rather than only looking forward to the future, and it has created more space for trying new adventures together!

How do you find ways to be present in the now? Have you tried these tips before? If so, what was your experience like?

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by brownieheidi1718

Stepping into Spring Goals

May 20, 2022 in Be Positive

When the weather gets warmer, my heart yearns to be outside. So, last month I made it happen.

I saw a fundraiser on social media at the beginning of April. It was a 100-mile challenge. At first, it seemed impossible to do. As a full-time student who commutes, I don’t often get the opportunity to squeeze in a ton of miles here and there, at least not as often as I would like to.

But this fundraiser supported a cause I believed in, and I wanted to be part of it. It was a healthy goal that could motivate me to get through the end of the semester while staying fit.

I started going to the gym with my brother and really making time for daily walks with my dogs. I tried to take extra steps around campus when I could, and I was proud of myself for that.

In the end, I was able to reach 75 miles. Having a full week of finals, a bunch of rainy weather days, and a couple other obstacles, I was pretty proud of this achievement. Even if it wasn’t the 100 miles I had hoped for, it was significantly more than I had achieved all year. So, I found great joy in this victory, and I am using it as even more motivation for this month.

Long story short, this is all to say that monthly fitness challenges can seem impossible at the beginning of the month, but by breaking those down into daily or weekly goals, they become much more manageable. And it is important to recognize the strength and courage it took to achieve whatever you were able to, because you set a goal and stuck to it. Just because you may not have reached it doesn’t mean it is any less admirable.

What helps you make your goals feel more manageable? Have you ever set a goal for yourself that seemed daunting or scary?

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by brownieheidi1718

Do You Feel Technology Has Had More of a Positive or Negative Effect on Humanity?

April 7, 2022 in Social Media Guide

How can we measure how far humanity has come as a whole? We take a constantly developing concept such as technology and see how it has brought us to where we are now.

Technology has helped advance things such as communication, medicine, and the general safety of people’s lives. Modern security cameras in schools and buildings have the ability to track early threats in dangerous situations. Cars and trucks are built smarter than ever, with advanced hazard recognition and braking capabilities. Vaccines and medical devices have helped us fight pandemics. In general, not only is technology a mark of the nation’s innovation and desire to achieve more, but it is a sign of progress towards a more developed and interconnected community.

Nearly everywhere, folks use their phones and computers to connect with the rest of the globe. In less than a second, we can send a professional email to someone in another country, find out which team won the World Series, or share an inspirational photo with the world. The incredible speed of the Internet is what is most remarkable about electronic communication. We have the ability to chat with people miles away, but we can also have conversations with those we see everyday in new and fun ways.

This high-speed technology gives people the confidence to be more social with others. We can make new friends online, and by keeping up with the lives of others, there are many openings for conversations when we see people in person.

But there is a dark side to that.

The confidence to engage with others doesn’t always translate to self-confidence behind the screen. We often hide our truths behind the posts we put online. We may add filters and edits to cover up insecurities, or change our captions to please our audience. By changing who we are on social media, or how we want others to perceive us, we lose a little bit of who we really are in person.

There is a famous song lyric by the Chainsmokers that says, “how many likes is my life worth?” Why do we change who we are to make others like us? We base so much of our value and worth off of likes, follows, and comments. This is a dangerous way to gain self-worth.

We can fix this, though. We can try to focus on our relationships outside of the screen. We can work on making genuine connections with others, focusing on healthy living and self-care, and finding joy in activities that don’t have to involve our phones.

I like to set time limits on social media apps for how long I can allow myself to be on each one. This helps me focus more on other things that need to get done during the day. I also like to take physical breaks from my phone. I enjoy walking outside, doing workouts with quick bursts of intensity, and playing with my dogs. All of these things boost my mental health, without a dependence on technology.

Social media technology can help us connect with the globe, but we can also strengthen our personal relationships outside of it. Technology and social media as a whole has many positive intentions and will keep our nation moving forward at a fast pace, but we must remain aware of its potential implications on our lives so we can remain true to ourselves.

What are some other positive and negative effects of technology? How can you better navigate this rapidly developing area of all of our lives?

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by brownieheidi1718

Winter Wonderland

February 9, 2022 in Be Positive, Educate Yourself

Do you find it harder to wake up in the mornings when it is cold outside and all you want to do is stay in your comfy bed? Do you find yourself grasping for any bit of motivation along the way in the mornings?

A lot of people feel these emotions during the cold and sometimes dark winter months. We are used to a couple extra hours of daylight, more outdoor activities, and just more sun in general. How can we find the positives in the winter?

To start, if you are in a place that receives snow during the winter, it could be a good opportunity to put on a nice movie and sip on a hot tea or hot chocolate! Staying inside doesn’t have to mean staying sad. By keeping yourself occupied with things that you enjoy, you will feel more gratification when you might not be able to go outside.

If you are feeling a little bit more adventurous, there is no shame in playing in the snow as an adult! Building a snowman, playing with some friends or family, or even just taking some deep breaths of the crisp air can wake you up and certainly bring you some joy.

I like to embrace a combination of these two ideas. I definitely like trying to get outside when it snows just to enjoy a change in pace since snow is not an everyday occurrence where I’m from. I also like to mix it up with some fun indoor hobbies. I like to do puzzles, watch movies, or bake things that make me smile. One of my favorite winter meals is any type of hot soup! 

So while the winter can be a bit different than the rest of the year, it doesn’t have to be darker. It is your choice whether or not you want to make winter as bright as the white snow on the ground! 

Do you find yourself feeling sadder during the winter months? How can you be more positive during winter? What are some activities or other things you can do? Comment below!

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by brownieheidi1718

Revising Those Resolutions

January 3, 2022 in Be Positive

Do you tend to give yourself really ambitious New Year’s Eve resolutions, and find yourself feeling depressed if you may slip off track a bit? Do you think it could be time to dial back a little this year and make those New Year’s resolutions as achievable as possible? I’m not saying to make them easier, but to make them more tangible, and therefore more doable, could greatly benefit your mental health.

If your goal is to lose weight for the New Year, that is wonderful! That is a healthy and reasonable goal, and you can definitely achieve it with a good plan and determination. But if your goal is to “lose x amount of pounds by this date,” and if you accept anything other than that as a personal failure, well, that may make things a bit harder on yourself. It may consume your daily mindset, deprive you of mental health, and take your attention off of other important aspects of life.

Of course it is important to stay focused and motivated, and some people prefer their goals to be pinpointed and specific as opposed to broad, but all I am saying is to make sure you are being kind to yourself and allowing some minor wiggle room in case things don’t go 100% as planned.

We’ve all learned a thing or two about wiggle room in the past two years, and learned that more often than not, things did not go as planned. Events were cancelled, gyms were forced to close, maybe money got tight and healthy eating habits had to be altered a bit. But that’s okay. That’s why we’re here to celebrate the fact that you even tried to make a New Year’s resolution. You woke up, found determination within yourself, and decided to make a change. For that, you should be proud!

I hope you all have a happy and healthy New Year, and remember to celebrate yourself and all the little victories every once in a while in 2022.

Do you do New Year’s Resolutions? Have you achieved any in the past? If so, how did you accomplish them? How do you feel when plans and goals you set for yourself don’t go 100% as planned?

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by brownieheidi1718

Out of Control

December 13, 2021 in Be Positive

Do you ever feel like life is happening FOR you? Feel like you have no say in the monotonous daily routine? Feel that you can’t ever hit pause and take a break for yourself? Are you spiraling in a whirlwind, perhaps a bit out of control?

Well spiral no further. It’s time to put on the brakes for a moment, switch the monotony for autonomy, and look deep within to ask ourselves what we really need.

One really simple thing you can do to regain control is to make a mental list of what you can control in this very moment. Do you have one goal for the week? How about at least one thing you can do on your own that makes you happy? How about a project that you’ve been meaning to work on; can you come up with three steps for how you are going to kickstart it? Little mental lists like these help us realize that not everything is out of our hands. We can actually take responsibility for a lot of the things we have going on in our lives, and it’s really just a matter of organizing those things to make them more manageable. In doing this, we can calm ourselves down, get some serotonin flowing, and see things in a more positive light.

Another way I like to maintain control in my life is to set some time aside for my own well-being. It’s easy to convince yourself out of it, negotiating that you have other things to do or other responsibilities that should probably come first. But even if it is just a few minutes a day, or even once a week, those important moments will allow you to reset, rethink, and re-approach challenges with a new mindset. Even if a consistent schedule or set time is impossible, I encourage self-care time to be treated as a priority. It can be as simple as a soothing face mask, a guided meditation, a good book, or some calm lighting and a prayer. Whatever your mind and body want, is probably what it needs. For all of the hard work you do at school, in work, and for others, you owe yourself as much a few minutes to thank yourself for all you do, and to treat yourself with the respect you deserve. 

Finally, envision the person you want to be. Then take that image, and all of the little quirks and imperfections about it, and craft it, step by step. Draw in the positive attitudes, motives, self-care routines, and ambition that make you a happier person. Not a perfect person, but a happier person. By having the image of who you want to be in your mind, and having a detailed plan of how to get there, you will surely be able to grab the reins and control your life, steering it off into the sunset, in the exact direction you desire.

When are times that you feel like things are out of your control? Have they happened recently? What has helped you regain control in your life? Share your experiences below!

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by brownieheidi1718

Embrace Your You

October 13, 2021 in Be Positive, Educate Yourself

Why is it so easy to criticize every aspect of ourselves when we would hardly ever think of criticizing those same things in others?

It’s the little things that we subconsciously tell ourselves that make up those harsh criticisms. For example, “I need to diet so I can wear the same bathing suit as her.” If you want to start a diet so that you can feel better about your health and lifestyle, then that is wonderful. But don’t let your motivation be solely so that you can look like somebody else. Your body is perfect just the way it is. Because it’s you.

Same goes for how you treat yourself in school. “Why do I have to study so hard when it’s so easy for him to get good grades without even trying?” Try not to let somebody’s outward academic appearance make you feel inferior. If you need to study a little extra, it’s probably because you want to succeed, want to learn, and want to be sure that you tried your best. You feel that you don’t belong or aren’t “naturally smart,” but you are. You can do anything you put your mind to. Because you’re you.

These criticisms can also be more subtle and short, too. But those can be just as negative. “I won’t be able to do it as well as they do.” Assuming that you can’t do something before you actually try just isn’t fair to yourself. Comparing the way you do something to the way someone else does isn’t fair to yourself either. Try this instead: try comparing the way you did something now to the way you did it in the past. Do you see improvement? If not, could you try harder next time? What could you do to succeed as YOU, without comparing your abilities to the next person? Try to respect and love yourself the way you do others. Because that respect and love is what makes you you.

It’s no secret that some days it feels like everything is just going wrong. Maybe you feel inferior, incapable, and let down. Left and right, things start to tear you down and make you unhappy. In that moment, it may feel like all you’ve got is yourself. So instead of conjuring up such critical opinions about your looks, your intelligence and your abilities, remind yourself that you know how to rise above those criticisms. You are strong. You are powerful, brave, smart, unique, and fabulous. And no one can take that away. So believe in yourself and go out there and shine in this world. Because you’ve got to embrace your YOU.

Do you think you criticize yourself too much? In the past, or even now, what have you done to help combat negative thoughts you have about yourself and your abilities?

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by brownieheidi1718

Everything Will be Okay

September 27, 2021 in Be Positive

Fear of failure. What does it mean?

Being afraid to mess up, make mistakes, confront challenges – these are all very real feelings for us to experience on a daily basis.

Oftentimes, it can be so easy to succumb to “imposter syndrome.” Feeling that we aren’t good enough in a certain setting or that we aren’t meeting the world’s expectations of what we should be can be difficult to deal with. We can begin to feel incapable, stressed for perfection, and even depressed. These things weigh down on our mental health and distort our self-image.

We’ve all heard the cliche, “failure is life’s greatest teacher.” Is it really a cliche, though? Or is it a truth that we can really live by?

By failing, or experiencing what we perceive as “failure,” we first go through a series of steps that aren’t always pleasant. We feel upset, vulnerable, maybe even angry at first. We start to think “what if I did this better?” or “what if I wouldn’t have done that?” We conjure up the worst set of consequences in our minds. We create a poor image of ourselves.

These feelings and thoughts can sometimes rage out of control, especially as we begin to close our minds off to any glimpse of positivity that is out there.

When I start to feel these things, I like to remind myself  that that glimpse of positivity is still out there, it’s just a matter of finding it. The hardest part for me is the transition between “I won’t ever be able to do it,” and “you know what? I’ll get it next time.”

There is no perfect science to NOT instantly being upset after “failure.” Where do we even begin? Well, to start, it could be a good idea to try to avoid words like “never,” “won’t,” and “can’t.” These stir up even more negativity when we are already feeling pretty crummy to begin with. Let’s try to put ourselves in a neutral mindset. It’s okay not to feel sunshines and rainbows right away, but let’s work towards getting out of that dark place first. That’s step one.

Next, we can choose one of two things. Either we keep reflecting on the past, or we try to persevere and look towards the future. Instead of focusing on potential consequences that might never even unfold, try to picture your world as happy. The reality might not actually end up being as bad as we thought. Life still goes on, we will strive to do better, we will make some more mistakes, we will learn from them.

Finally, find your people. What does this mean? Find the individuals who always tell you what you need to hear. “Everything is going to be okay.” “You can do this.” “Everything happens for a reason.” Hearing it from somebody else might really drive it home, and that right there is how you can begin to pick yourself up and feel your strength again.

If you can’t find your people right away, that is okay! Remember how important it could be to be that person for somebody else. To be there for someone when they feel like the world is against them is life-changing.

For now, I’ll leave you with one thing. You CAN do it. You HAVE before. Don’t lose hope just yet. And it would feel wonderful to be that positive light for somebody.

What is something that you feel like you have failed at before? How did you react? In what ways do you think you have grown from failure?

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