By Karly Casanave
Finishing up assignments and doing exams from home certainly
poses unique challenges. There are many adjustments to be made surrounding
sharing a space with multiple people, new distractions (hustle and bustle of
holiday preparations, pets, sibling arguments), access to necessary resources, among many other things. Needless to say, it can be challenging to find a place free from distractions to be
productive.
By Claire M. McCown, M.P.S.
Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual day of observance honoring the lives of those lost to anti-transgender violence. TDOR is held on November 20th and was started in 1998 after a Black transgender woman, Rita Hester, was murdered in her Boston apartment. Similar to the murders of many other transgender and gender nonconforming (TG/GNC) people, Rita Hester’s murder remains unsolved. While activist organizations like the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) publish an annual TDOR list of those murdered over the preceding year, these hate crime statistics likely underreport the number of murders. Many TG/GNC people are misgendered postmortem and their murders are not acknowledged as hate crimes. The murder of TG/GNC people are overwhelmingly racialized as well, with Black transgender women comprising the majority of those slain. This threatening intersection of transphobia, misogyny, and racism place transgender women of color at the greatest risk for violence and victimization.
In this example, John is creating more distress for himself by focusing on things that are not in his control, such as national and local news stories and fear of making a “wrong” decision. In this situation, John would be better off detaching from the decision itself, and redirecting his focus to how he can make the best of either experience.
If he decides to attend in-person classes, he could follow the university’s COVID-19 guidelines and come up with a plan to minimize the chances that he will contract COVID-19. This could include being sure to have PPE and sanitizing materials and accepting that his experience will still be very different than the “traditional” college experience.
By Taylor Allen
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This began in 2001 to bring awareness to the prevalence of sexual assault and sexual violence and to the experiences of survivors, as well as prevent further sexual violence.
By Matt Gonzalez
It is no secret that COVID-19 has changed how we live our lives. With this change came the requirement of adjusting the ways in which we manage our day-to-day responsibilities. While it seems like this new lifestyle comes with more free time, without the structural reminders of our responsibilities it can sometimes be more difficult to hold ourselves accountable. One of the habits that many people are finding difficulty in altering is their time management strategy. This post will go over the basics with the hope that you can apply some of this to your own life.
National Women's History Alliance (2020) states, “We are retelling history and changing the future. We believe that knowing women’s history gives all of us—female and male—the power and inspiration to succeed. We believe that Our History Is Our Strength.” Women’s History month is recognized in the month of March. This occasion is an optimal time to celebrate courageous, heroic, and bold women who have helped shape history.
By Chole Smith
“Happy Holidays!” “Happy Hanukkah!” “Merry Christmas!” The commercialism of holidays expects us to be joyful, happy, and merry, but “the most wonderful time of the year” can turn into the most stressful time of year.
Did you know that December is National Stress-Free Family Holiday Month? You might be thinking to yourself, “how?” Between holiday season travel, shopping, the crowds that accompany them, hosting dinners, feeling alone, grieving the loss of a loved one, financial problems, and family tension, the holiday season may come along with significant stress. For many, the holidays can cause serious anxiety and depression. Keep reading for ways to cope with this holiday season.
By Matt Gonzalez
Whether you are a first-time freshman or a well-seasoned senior, nothing quite strikes fear into the heart of students as Finals Week. Between balancing the studying requirements for each exam or adding your finishing touches to several term papers; Finals Week is the season of stress. So, what is one to do? How can you simultaneously be asked to enjoy the holiday season and prepare for the final push of your class? Here are some last minute tips that can help you get over the hump!
By Chloe Smith, MSW Intern
Following the death of your loved one, you may experience what is known as the Five Stages of Grief. The Five Stages of Grief is used to help describe the process someone goes through while grieving their loved one’s death. While the Five Stages of Grief is a helpful model to resonate with, it does not represent how someone should grieve. Everyone grieves differently. Grief is not a linear process. While everyone’s journey of grief is different, resonating with the five stages of grief may help you make some sense of the way you feel.