Category: Unit 2 (Page 6 of 7)

Unit 2 Final draft

April 1, 2022 / ayah / 1 Comment

Understanding the Importance of Practicing Self Care

Ayah Toom

Self love is self care. Its purpose is to bring the importance for the well being of an individual to love themselves as it allows them to take care of themselves mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The term itself has been stamped in the year 1950s, and has been practiced since then. Self care is reinstated in many ideas of what people find self care to be. Self maintenance is more than its little physical acts, but it’s taking care of yourself mentally as well. Due to the global pandemic outbreak that occurred in 2020, a lot of people have connected with the practice of self care. The act of it was deeply encouraged during the time of quarantine since it has had an impact on many people. The pandemic has caused many people to feel isolated, empty, and overall, have a low self-esteem. Self care allows for individuals struggling mentally, physically, and emotionally to deeply work on themselves by treating themselves well. Or even if they aren’t struggling, it’s all about maintaining the well being of yourself.

Growing up as a teenager in the generation where social media started to grow and become popular, I’ve seen others including myself feel affected by it in a way. It built insecurities, low self-esteem, and overall a negative impact on mental health. Having to compare ourselves to unrealistic perceptions of others looks wise, social status, financial status, etc, it also brings pressure having to feel you have to do that same.

That’s particularly the reason I became passionate about taking care of myself. I practiced making myself feel happy by doing little acts of pampering such as trimming my hair every once in a while, doing my brows, and sticking to my facial skin routine. I would work out consistently, bake, and even do photography. Self care is different for everyone. It’s truly important that individuals work on the comfort of themselves as they’d feel much happier. Unfortunately, not everyone feels courageous enough to do those things for themselves.

Some individuals diminish the idea of self care as they find it to be selfish. They find themselves feeling guilty even doing the slightest thing for them. The true key to being able to take care of yourself is to realize that the only way you can love and keep others safe is to do it for yourself as well. Self care is not selfish, as it allows you to fuel your own content without depriving others of theirs. To be able to move forward with life, is to be able to maintain your well being and mentally health.

In consonance with the article ‘Why Self-care isn’t Selfish,’ it states “So there are aspects of self-care related to sleep — everyone should take a bath, light candles. There’s this idea that we need to calm down. But what can you experience today that is going to fill you with the positive emotions you need to do the most important things in your life? It’s about refueling yourself in order to engage with life” This was claimed by Dr. McGonigal who explained the importance of practicing self care for yourself. He explains in an aspect that self care isn’t about relaxing and taking it easy on yourself, but it is to feel more alive and to stay motivated with your daily life. It’s more than it’s little act of pampering yourself, but more of being kinder to yourself. Dr. Groppel also stated “Self care is a lot of things…It can be exercise, creating boundaries. It’s keeping yourself safe emotionally. Maybe it’s not arguing with that uncle about politics right now. It can be spiritual. But you are in control of it.” This means that you are in power of your own content. You are in power of keeping yourself satisfied and confiding in your own well-being.

Many individuals reinstate the idea of self care and what it may be. The act of safe keeping the well being of yourself has evolved over time. The one thing that hasn’t changed was the intention of it. At times, the acts of self care may not even feel like it, which often causes individuals to feel discouraged. It often affects their mental health which makes it a struggle to even take care of themselves.

Doing self care is more than just its little activities such as bathing or reading a book, but it’s really making yourself a priority and making good daily habits. People have had their concepts about what self care was. At one point it was pampering yourself, but now it’s a whole new meaning. According to the article ‘How to make ‘Self Care’ actually feel like Self care,’ it states “The ‘face masks and bubble baths’ of self-care hit a peak a little bit ago, then people started rebelling against it and talking about how it’s no longer that…It’s about mental health and taking care of yourself.” People feel that it’s not enough hence why they feel discouraged. The whole key to finding a self care routine that can work for you is to break down into four components. According to the article ‘How to make ‘Self Care’ actually feel like Self care,’ it states “We can break down self-care into four buckets: physical, mental, social and spiritual. Using those frames of references, you can begin to experiment with different techniques that might work.” The point of breaking down into four buckets would be to identify which one is mainly affecting you. For most people, the social aspect of their health could be affecting them the most because they tend to feel lonely which impacts their emotional, physical, and mental health. The solution in terms of self care would be to start figuring out what’s good for you.

How can one start practicing taking care of themselves? And even if they already do, how can they stick to it? As earlier mentioned, self care is many different things for people. Whatever those things may be, it is the idea of making it a consistent routine for yourself. Once it becomes a habit, that’s when you may start to feel your levels of serotonin rise. One of the things that truly makes me feel content is buying any sorts of fragrances. I love buying lotions, perfumes, body scrubs, butters, all of the sorts. I’d say this is a self care thing to me since I have a joy for collecting and adding it to my pamper routine. Self maintenance can vary from pampering, shopping, hobbies, or even just sitting down and watching television.

In the article “How do you practice self care?,” it mentions the different routines of employees who practice self care. Each mention the one aspect of their routine that they find to be therapeutic to them. One of them is named Fransesca Donner and she brings up how she’s made her dad’s spaghetti her own spaghetti. She says “When life starts spinning too fast, I go to the supermarket and get what I need: ground beef, garlic, mushrooms, carrots, flat leaf parsley, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, dried pasta. My world starts to calm just seeing the ingredients collected together in the basket.” That is her form of self care. Buying the ingredients of the spaghetti originally made by her father is what calms her down. Another individual in the article is Bonnie Wertheim. Bonnie discusses how she’s an introvert but still makes alone time for herself. She says “I am an introvert, which is to say that I love socializing, but it exhausts me. So I try to do at least one thing alone every day. Most mornings I’ll run a few miles around my quiet neighborhood…It keeps my interpersonal-emotional tank full and also reduces the daily number of nagging dysmorphic thoughts that pass through my brain.” She does morning runs for herself just for alone time which makes her feel good. Not only is she devoting time to herself, but is also doing something that keeps her mind at peace too.

Self care is a form of self love. There are many things or just one thing you can do, but as long as it makes you feel good, do it. Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish, it’s making sure your well-being is at a good place mentally, physically, and spiritually. As an individual myself, I find new ways to add on to my self care routine. Now you should be able to find the things that keep your body and mind healed and content.

Sources

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/03/smarter-living/self-care-routines-that-actually-help.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/learning/how-do-you-practice-self-care.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/well/live/why-self-care-isnt-selfish.html

Unit 2 Final Draft: Food Promotion through Social Media that Causes Eating Disorders

April 1, 2022 / Evie / 2 Comments

Evie Althkefati

Professor Edelson

English 1121 O450

3/30/2022

Food Promotion through Social Media that Causes Eating Disorders

Social media use has many negative implications on its users, and one of the negative implications is that it contributes to eating disorders and extreme diets. Young people are among the groups of individuals that end up being affected as the result of accessing social media. “Children as young as 13 were targeted within 24 hours of creating an account with harmful content, including material related to eating disorders, extreme diets, sexualized imagery, body shaming, self-harm and suicide” (Daniels). Therefore, to an extent, poor eating habits come about as the result of individuals opting to follow the suggestions being given by social media concerning the food they need to eat. As the different social media platforms advertise the different foods, the focus is on profit generation and not on the health of populations. As a result, people’s health is compromised as they utilize the different food products they see in the social media platforms. As the paper reviews the different food products promoted through social media and how they contribute to eating disorders, it explains how social media promotes eating disorders.

Using evidence-based research, this paper gives an explanation of why the different social media platforms offer specific advertisements. Whereas this will look at general advertisements, it will be essential in understanding why the social media platforms advertise specific foods that lead to the deterioration of individuals’ health instead of advertising foods that would be considered healthy to individuals. After that, the paper describes the different foods that the different social media platforms promote through advertisements and explain how these foods contribute to eating disorders. It is necessary for individuals to care about this information as it informs them of the possible manipulations that social media has on them and those around them. By being aware of this, one will not be easy to check out a food joint because it was suggested by a given social media platform, but they will instead be keen with the information they receive over the internet and check out their eating habits.

The primary way in which social media makes profits is through advertisements (McFarlane). The amount of money that these platforms make from advertisements is sufficient enough to enable them to run while giving free services to the general public. For this reason, the platforms promote advertisements that make them more money, even though there is a compromise on individuals’ health. Having the companies that have made the platform advertise is not the only way that these negative ads are promoted. The other way in which this happens is having influential figures mention specific products as ways of advertising them. “Companies pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to have their products mentioned in social media posts by influencers with a large following” (Carter). Hence, there are different ways that social media promotes specific ideas that are driven towards profit generation. Those that follow these advertisements end up engaging in activities that turn out negative for them.

A type of food that results in significant reaction among individuals on social media is food that contains saturated fats (Pancer, and Philp). Compared to other healthier types of foods, saturated fats on social media look more appealing. Examples of foods with saturated fats that social media promotes include butter, cheese, meats, and oils. These foods are known to give juicy, chewy, and creamy sensory experiences. Therefore, as individuals see them and imagine the sensory experience they will get from them, they end up engaging in conversations about them, and this is how the foods end up being promoted as foods that individuals take.

The more appealing the advertisement of food, the more the views it will get. Therefore, there ends up being a significant focus on these foods with saturated fats because they are more appealing to individuals, and as a result, there is more exposure to them than to healthy foods. These are the types of food on display when the different parties are advertising specific food joints. The advertisers know that with the appeal they give to people to check out these foods, they are likely to have more individuals checking out these joints as they look out for the specific food types. However, as much as people will check out the foods with saturated fats and have the different sellers increase their profits, those who consume these foods will have their health negatively affected as they develop eating disorders.

Eating disorders are “characterized by eating, exercise, and body weight or shape becoming an unhealthy preoccupation of someone’s life” (Eating Disorders Victoria). In essence, they come about due to a change in eating patterns, and they affect those who have patterns that are not beneficial to them. When the different foods with saturated fats are shared among individuals on social media, they become appealing, and as a result, encourage individuals to change their feeding habits as they focus more on taking sweet, juicy, chewy, and creamy foods instead of foods that would promote their health.

One of the eating disorders that these social media platforms contribute to is bulimia nervosa. The disorder is one in which individuals tend to eat unusually large amounts of food at specific periods (Legg). During episodes in which individuals eat large amounts of food, they can eat to the point that they start feeling pain because they are full. When one is having an episode of binge eating, they feel that they cannot stop eating, and they go on eating without controlling the amount of food they are taking in. This type of disorder is common when individuals find specific foods that they consider sweet, even though they would try to avoid them under normal circumstances, such as foods with saturated fats. When individuals see such foods on social media platforms, they get cravings for them, and as a result, they look for them to satisfy their cravings. Since these foods are sweet, individuals end up eating them in large amounts without feeling like they have control over them, and this is how the eating disorder is promoted through social media.

The other eating disorder promoted by these foods is binge eating disorder. The disorder is almost similar to bulimia nervosa. It involves individuals eating much food within a short period in which they do not have control over the food. Unlike bulimia nervosa where individuals try to compensate for their calories intake after having episodes where they have eaten a lot of food, binge eating disorder does not have cases in which individuals try to undertake processes of this compensation. Still, social media platforms encourage binge eating by showcasing the sweet foods, in this case, those having saturated fats, and they entice individuals to eat them in large quantities.

Being aware of the possibilities of having social media influence the type of food an individual takes and its ability to encourage eating disorders helps individuals become cautious whenever they see an advertisement or social media post that relates to food intake. This knowledge helps individuals understand that the different posts on social media are there to bring about manipulation to cause them to purchase the different food products. Therefore, they will not be quick to go and purchase food or check out an eating joint because they saw it on social media. As a result, individuals will easily avoid unhealthy eating habits, and they will also avoid developing eating disorders.

The use of social media has many negative implications, and one of them is contributing to eating disorders through the promotion of specific foods. Social media primarily makes money through advertisements, and this gives them the ability to offer free services to individuals and still be able to have their activities running. Since advertisements are the primary source of revenue for the platforms, there is less consideration of what the advertisements are or the effect they have on the social media users. When this happens, the social media platforms end up encouraging individuals to engage in any negative actions as long as it gives the platforms an income. The foods that are promoted on social media are primarily foods with saturated fats, as they tend to be juicy, chewy, and creamy. They include butter, cheese, meats, and oils. Since they are more attractive than other food types, they are advertised on different social media platforms, even though they do not promote health. These foods promote eating disorders, which include bulimia nervosa and binge eating. Since they are sweet foods, the social media posts encourage individuals to eat them in large quantities, and this is how they develop the different eating disorders. Being aware of such manipulation before accessing the different social media platforms helps individuals understand the importance of avoiding such foods and the resultant eating disorders.

Works Cited

Carter, Shawn M. “Social Media May Be Making You Overspend—And It’S Not Just Because Of The Ads”. CNBC, 2018, https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/15/social-media-may-make-you-overspend-and-its-not-just-because-of-ads.html. Accessed 31 Mar 2022.

Daniels, Nicole. “How Does Social Media Affect Your Mental Health?”. The New York Times, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/01/learning/how-does-social-media-affect-your-mental-health.html. Accessed 31 Mar 2022.

Eating Disorders Victoria. “Classifying Eating Disorders”. Eating Disorders Victoria, 2022, https://www.eatingdisorders.org.au/eating-disorders/what-is-an-eating-disorder/classifying-eating-disorders/.

Legg, Timothy. “Learn About 6 Common Types Of Eating Disorders And Their Symptoms.”. Healthline, 2019, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/common-eating-disorders#bulimia.

McFarlane, Greg. “How Facebook (Meta), Twitter, Social Media Make Money From You”. Investopedia, 2021, https://www.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/032114/how-facebook-twitter-social-media-make-money-you-twtr-lnkd-fb-goog.aspx.

Pancer, Ethan, and Matthew Philp. “#Foodporn: People Are More Attracted To Social Media Content Showcasing Fatty Foods”. The Conversation, 2021, https://theconversation.com/foodporn-people-are-more-attracted-to-social-media-content-showcasing-fatty-foods-160221.

HW Day One Week 9 – Rough Draft

March 31, 2022 / Brandan Ramnandan / 3 Comments

Unit 2 Rough Draft

LeBron James and The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled throughout this season and underperformed significantly due to Russell Westbrook struggling to fit alongside Anthony Davis & LeBron James. Due to these struggles the Media have been open to speculations of LeBron returning to Cleveland or at least leaving LA. He mentioned a few times that he would join his son so we know he’s definitely looking towards his future in the NBA and what is best for his Legacy that is being written. LeBron has always been the type to troll the media as when he was in Cleveland he unfollowed them on Instagram knowing it would stir up a fire in the media and when they asked him about it, he acted as if they made it up. Of course that same season he would end up leaving and joining the Lakers. He does these little things on purpose in my opinion so he can give us an expectation of what he may do so when it does happen we aren’t flabbergasted the way we were when he announced his decision to join the Miami Heat in 2011.

According to an article published by Matt Johnson of SportsNaut, he states “LeBron shared before the All-Star Game that he is open to rejoining the Cleveland Cavaliers”. Quoting LeBron “The doors’ not closed on that. I’m not saying I’m coming back and playing, I don’t know. I don’t know what my future holds. I don’t even know when I’m free”. LeBron is set to become a free agent in 2022-2023, it is highly likely due to the Lakers recent struggles this season and if they don’t pick up the pace next season, LeBron may leave the Lakers. My source to further this argument is published by Lorenzo Reyes from USA Today, he quotes LeBron during the all star game once again ““My last year will be played with my son,” James told The Athletic on Feb. 19. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year.” Now to me this is news, not only do we have comments about LeBron open to rejoining Cleveland, he now states he is going to play wherever his son is during his last year in the NBA, surely confirming the lakers will lose LeBron is the future since they have no draft picks after trading for Anthony Davis. He also later debunks the statement made about Cleveland saying “I never said I’d see myself playing in a Cavaliers uniform”, but instead that he’d pick up a one day contract to retire there. Personally, I think LeBron is teasing that he will test free agency when his contract is up so teams will have him on their radars for the future, although I disagree when it comes to him joining Cleveland because I don’t think they’d have enough money to pay him for the amount of work he’ll have to do since Cleveland lacks starpower.

After doing some research, LeBron’s NBA contract with LA is a 2 year deal after he signed an extension in 2020 to remain with the Lakers until the 2023 off-season. This means something because I highly doubt the Lakers are going to trade LeBron, yes the Lakers are struggling, but this is LeBron James were talking about, which teams you you honestly believe is going to trade equally for a 37 year old LeBron, the Bucks aren’t giving up Giannis, Clippers aren’t trading Kawhi or PG, there aren’t any teams I see that can come up with a fair trade for LeBron and would benefit both sides, but that’s just my opinion.

Moving on, the biggest reason to me that LeBron would be leaving the Lakers is because of an on-going topic in the NBA for a long time… the goat debate. Now you might be wondering what the goat is, it stands for Greatest Of All Time. So far about 75% of NBA fans believe the Greatest is Michael Jordan, about 20% believe it’s LeBron, and the last 5% is just a few other players like Kobe and Wilt. Anyways, LeBron has admitted to “chasing the ghost in Chicago” referring to, of course… Michael Jordan, pretty much hinting at the fact that he’s trying to become the greatest player ever. Another piece of Evidence I have is his interview when he won the 2016 NBA Championship with Cleveland, coming back from 3-1 he said “I think that one right there made me the greatest of all time”. Now me and my brother like to have this debate all the time, although sometimes I’m biased towards LeBron because I never really watched basketball when Jordan was playing so, LeBron is to me what Jordan is to older NBA fans. We debate both sides whether we think LeBron has a case or not but I’ve come to the conclusion that Michael Jordan is the GOAT. Just comparing careers Michael did so much more in such a short time that it’s hard for LeBron to compete with that but LeBron’s longevity and consistency to play so great for so long has to be accounted for as well. This is why I say Jordan is the GOAT, but LeBron is still on his way, could he surpass MJ, you really never know.

Those facts now bring me back to my original point, LeBron might leave LA to further his name in the GOAT talk. Almost every week on ESPN they talk about if LeBron has a chance… I mean if you’re still talking about it I’m sure that means something. It always comes down to, Jordan has 6 Rings, LeBron has 4, and Jordan Is 6-0 in the Finals and LeBron is 4-6. How can LeBron really further his Legacy? He’s 37 and leading the NBA in scoring but the Lakers might miss out on a chance to compete in the playoffs this year. In my opinion he has a few options, first he can choose to ride it out and continue to play with Anthony Davis and Russel Westbrook which is unlikely because Russ said he wants out next season, or second he can leave LA and put himself in a better position to compete before it’s too late.

Now the first choice is unlikely because I don’t see them riding it out after this season’s disappointment and with LeBron’s age rising every year, I think he’s in a “win now” mentality. The second option now that I’ve given you so much insight and evidence, is much more believable because we’ve heard him on occasion talking about leaving, also LeBron loves to toy with the media and cause headlines. Not only that but just adding the fact that this season didn’t work out, Anthony Davis’s injury issues, and Westbrook’s decline and public statement that he wants to leave in the offseason shows not only does Wetbrook not believe in their team anymore but that looks bad towards a guy like LeBron who’s trying to further his Legacy before it’s time to retire. After doing different types of research, reading articles, watching interviews, and looking at statistics, I believe LeBron leaving LA is best for his future and I think that there is a very high chance at it happening in the 2023 offseason.

Category: Unit 2 (Page 6 of 7)

Unit 2 Final draft

Unit 2 Final Draft: Food Promotion through Social Media that Causes Eating Disorders

HW Day One Week 9 – Rough Draft

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