Stress

This past weekend I had to write a paper that I, of course, procrastinated on. In class on Thursday we wrote on the note card ways to deal with stress if it arrived, or what to do when we knew we were going to encounter stress. I knew I had to write my paper so I wrote down four things. The first was to take breaks. I definitely took enough breaks. I started my paper Saturday night, and whenever I started to get frustrated I just let it be for awhile, and went and did something else. The second thing was to do one part at a time. I didn't really do that the best. I would get too far ahead of myself and try to do too many parts at one time. The third was to make a rough schedule of how I was going to do everything. I especially didn't do this one so that didn't work out too well. My last one was to ask for ideas from others, which I also didn't do. However, even though I only did the first one by taking breaks..it still helped me keep my stress level under control.

Dealing with Eating Disorders..

As future counselors, what can you do to increase awareness of eating disorders? What steps can you take to ensure you are setting a good example for others? And, lastly, if you are struggling yourself, where can you go to receive help so something similar doesn't happen to you

As a future counselor one thing I think we can do is to help peoples' self-esteem. I believe that that is where most eating disorders start from. If people improve their self-esteem, it may be one step closer to helping. Listing the individual's strengths is a great way of helping.
To ensure others that I'm setting a good example, I will eat right. Maintaining a healthy diet, and exercising is a great way to show others. I am not struggling with any type of eating disorder, but IF I were, I could go to many people about it. If you have parents who would be willing (as most are) to find you help, tell them and they can get your started in the right direction. If you don't feel comfortable, go to a school counselor, or a friend. All people close to you, will be willing to get you the help you need.

Relationships

I have a very good relationship with my sister. We get along great, and tell each other quite a bit. The one thing we probably need to work on is the way we argue. I know on my side, when I get angry with her and we start yelling at each other I say things in the heat of the moment and tend to regret them soon after. I need to just take a breath and walk away. I'm going to visit her this weekend in Kearney so it will be the perfect time to try it out!

My "Personal Growth" Thus Far..

In terms of personal growth I think I have been changing over the past couple months. However, I don't think I have gotten too far in the goals I actually made for myself at the very beginning of the semester. So when I say I've changed it hasn't been by eating out less, although I have been doing better with that. So in terms of personal growth I believe that I have become more of myself. There was awhile there where I was being someone I wasn't and pretending to be it to just get by. I believe I have bettered myself by finally deciding who and want I need in life. That was a big personal growth step for me. So maybe not I can start with my original goal and not eat out as much:)

"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are" - Kurt Cobain

"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are" - Kurt Cobain

I think this quote is pretty self-explanatory, and I agree with it. You were made the way you were because there's nobody else like that, and if you want someone else's life then you are wasting your personality. There are also many people who like the person you are, and if you are trying to be somebody else you could lose ones you love. When you try to be somebody else you compromise the person you could turn out to be. I think a lot of problems occur when people start trying to be somebody else. They often lose sense of who they really are and forget what they actually want.

Confusion

I was very confused last week when we left class about what we all needed to have done for today. However, I'm glad you sent that email because is definitely cleared things up. I'm still a little confused on all of our projects but I understand as we get them done. The project we're on now is going a little better than our others because it's an actual life experience that happened to us so it's not something we have to learn a lot about since we already know the situation. Hopefully the projects to come will go smoothly and with as little confusion as possible.

Impact of first six years/Developing self-concept

For the most part, I agree with the statement, "to a large extent, your self-concept is formed by what others tell you about yourself, especially during the formative years of childhood."
When you are told you are worthless, you will never amount to anything, and other negative statements, you will obviously develop a negative outlook on yourself. I can't say everyone, but I believe most people would ultimately feel like what that person is saying is true, that they will in fact, amount to nothing. On the other side, if someone is telling you that you are a wonderful person, you can do anything you put your mind to, and other positive statements, you would be likely to believe in yourself and develop a positive outlook on yourself. I do feel that there are gray areas though. If a child has a parent telling them they can do anything they put their mind to, and that they are a great person, what happens when they fail at something? I feel then, that the child could begin to develop a negative self-concept. It could also go the other way, they could be being told that they are worthless, and do something wonderful and develop a positive self-concept. I think it also depends on your personality. Everyone handles things differently.
Experiences I had when I was in my formative years of childhood were things like schoolwork or sports. My mom always told me she would be proud of me as long as I did the best I could in anything. That definitely helped me develop a self-concept because I knew, as long as I tried my hardest I wouldn't disappoint her. My dad was the same way. He knew that I could do great things, if I put my mind to it, and gave it all I had.