Relationships

Connect With Others

Bounce, Help, Isolation, Relationships / By

Belonging Matters

Your classmate gets you. Your team-mate gives you a chest-bump. You get a hug from your best friend. They may not realize, but each of them are all helping you reduce stress levels and boost well-being. Research shows that when we’re stressed, we look for support from our friends and family first. Makes sense, right?

Help Others

Happiness, Kindness, Relationships / By

Helping Others Helps You Too

You lug your elderly neighbor’s groceries up her steps, and you know it’s a good deal for her, right? What might surprise you is that it’s likely good for you too.
People who regularly help other people experience less depression, manage stress better, and have better health. They may even live longer! Research says;
  • Students who performed five acts of kindness a day increased their happiness
  • Providing emotional support to others significantly decreased the harmful health effects of certain kinds of stress among older people
  • People who donated money to charity got a boost in a feel-good part of the brain, as revealed in brain imaging research
Doing good can make you feel good. It might;
  • remind you that compared to some you’re relatively lucky
  • make you feel connected to others
  • help you feel needed and effective
  • take your mind off your own worries for a while
  • make you feel generous
  • add a sense of purpose and meaning to your life

from Myself

Abuse, Relationships, Secrets / By

It’s hard living as a transgender person in a world where harassers roam free. But I live as myself, regardless of everyone else’s standards.

I am Alex.  I am into video games and card games and the usual thing for a nerdy, 16-year-old boy. But on top of that, I am transgender. I was born with this female body. But in mind and emotion, I am fully male. I don’t see it as that big of a deal, but unfortunately others do.

Being trans in high school has to be one of the toughest things because on top of academic responsibility, your social life needs to be looked over. I believe this goes for everyone. But it’s exceptionally hard to deal with when people can’t just accept you for who you are. According to society, abnormal just isn’t right, and though I don’t do anything to purposefully make anyone upset with me, I am still dealing with a lot of harassment. My other trans friends say that’s why they didn’t come out in high school.