Nature and Stress

Information for post retrieved from the following sites:

http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/April03/nature.kid.stress.ssl.html

http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/selfhelp/ht/nature.htm

Natural surroundings have been found to reduce stress in children and adults alike. It has been shown through a number of studies that being out in nature, or even just looking at greenery (trees, bushes, flowers) through a window, helps a person relax and even increases attention span.

I have a garden in my backyard with a lot of flowers and other types of plants. I find that being out there pruning (trimming) plants or even just taking some time to walk and look around is very relaxing. We are also growing some lettuce, peas, tomatoes, and herbs in our small backyard garden. It is surprisingly fun to watch a plant grow from a seed to the stage where it flowers or bears fruit.

Here are some suggestions for using nature to reduce stress and anxiety in your daily lives:

• Take walks - Get some sun and fresh air, but also make sure to look around and notice trees, bushes, flowers, and small animals as you walk.
• Find a Park - Take time to hang out in a local park every week. Maybe take a frisbee or soccer ball with you.
• Plant a Garden - Plant something outside, if you have room, or inside, using a flower pot. You might be surprised how fun it can be to grow something.
• Make time to be outside - Everyday spend some time outside doing something.
• Adopt a Pet - Pets have also shown to reduce stress and improve health, plus they are a reminder of nature.

Even without much time we can still make sure to notice the nature around us as we drive or walk around during our daily routines. Get out and enjoy nature and you will be less stressed!

What do you think? Leave a comment.

Body Image in the Media

Photo retrieved from: http://www.face-body.com/Art/home_pics.jpg

Every day we see thousands of pictures telling us what is and what isn't beautiful.  Every one of us is affected by this. Our ideas about what makes someone beautiful or handsome affects our own feelings about our body image.

I would challenge you to think about what you think are the things that make someone beautiful (handsome) and then ask yourself why you think that. Where did you learn that?

We need to develop critical thinking skills because the media is constantly telling us that we need something else to be beautiful. They also tell us that if you're not beautiful or handsome you're not worth as much as the person that is. We need to redefine (come up with a new meaning) what it means to be beautiful.

In addition, the media isn't even using real photos of people. Instead they are edited on computers (photoshopped), so that the images we see on TV, in music videos, on billboards, and in magazines are not even real.

As you watch the following video think about what you have just read and leave a comment with a reflection of your thoughts on this topic. Thanks for taking the time to read this post.

• Evolution

Values

Photo retrieved from: http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20071004/300_castaway.jpg

What are your values? These are the things that are most important to you. By things I mean things, people, and ideas.

Some examples could be relationships (family and friends), money, possessions and property, privacy (time alone), safety, faith (religion), fitness, caring for the environment, simplicity (living simply or without many possessions), and health and appearance. Try to think of at least one for yourself...

Your values determine the decisions you make in your life and the direction your life goes. That's the reason for the above picture of a person at a crossroads. He has a few different options, but can only choose to head in one direction.

Whatever you thought of reflects something about you and your priorities in life. If you value education, most likely you will decide to finish high school and go on to college. If you value relationships, you may decide to take a job in Portland (close to family and friends) rather than taking a higher paying job in Los Angeles. This shows that you value relationships over money.

I have many values - relationships, fitness, health, money, simplicity, and faith.  It is a challenge to rank them in order of importance. If I was to rank them it might look like this:

1. Faith - it is important to how I see and relate to the world, and to who I am
   
2. Relationships - I think it is important to treat everyone with respect and love
   
3. Simplicity - I think it is good to try to live as simply as possible and help those around you that don't have as much
   
4. Money - It is important for staying alive and for providing your family and sometimes I think it is too important to me
   
5. Health and Fitness - I think it is important to take care of your body
   

Leave a short reflection (comment) on the topic of values. You could give a list of your values and why they are important to you if you want. Please make it as personal as you can so that it is more meaningful.

Animal Testing Should Be Illegal

Photo retrieved from: http://www.whatonearthcatalog.com/graphics/products/regular/AW2152.jpg

Every year 50 to 100 million animals are used for scientific experiments worldwide.  Animals are used to test many products from medicines to new surgical methods to beauty (cosmetic) products, like eye shadow and lipstick. The testing often results in the animals being seriously injured and killed. The most common victims of animal testing are rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, and mice, but dogs, cats, monkeys, pigs, birds, and horses are used as well.

The reason scientists give for using animals in testing is to make sure that products are safe before they are used by, or on, humans. However, because of the differences between animals and humans we still can't be sure that they are completely safe for humans. For example, products that have been shown to work on a rabbit in testing might still be harmful to a human being.

Many people feel that modern technology has advanced to the point where animals are not the most safe and reliable method to test new products. In addition, animals that have already died could be used instead of live animals, much like medical students use cadavers (dead human bodies) to practice on, prior to becoming doctors.

It is the opinion of the authors that animals shouldn't be viewed as products or resources, but as beautiful creatures that should be allowed to live free lives. Animals used for testing are taken from their natural habitat and placed into cages with hardly any food or water. In our opinions, animals should be respected and treated with love and care and NOT used for animal testing.

What do you think? Share your opinion about animal testing. You can do your own research if you like before you write your comment.

There are many videos on animal testing that you can find on youtube, but be prepared to see pictures of animal testing that are disturbing and gross.

***This information was researched and collected by Rebecca Linares and Candra Mondragon. Their opinions are also reflected in the above post.