Final Post

Well, we've made it! Another semester down! Overall I was really pleased with the course, I found all of the modules interesting and informative. If I had to pick one, I suppose the last module we completed would have to be my favorite. I'm not completely fascinated by the topic of women and discrimination but I love the way to gives me headache and makes me think about things. I really struggle with that because on one hand I want to yell "cowboy up" but on the other I know it's a major problem. Anyway, I had a great time this semester and this has been, by far, one of the most enjoyable online classes I've taken!

Balancing Life

I think one of the most important things a woman can do is say NO. I think so many times we feel like we have to be able to do it all. We have to work 40-60 hour weeks, be a full time mom or wife/partner, be the 'maid/cook/taxi', take a full semester load, so on and so forth. Basically, we have to be 'wonder woman'.

I think the first step in finding that balance that we need in our lives is learning to say no. The world isn't going to stop turning just because we tell our boss or spouse or family 'sorry I won't be able to do that'; even though we think it is. My mom is the classic example of believing that she has to do it all, without any help. She worked 60 hour weeks and worked towards her PhD and took care of the 'household'. She never complained but she never got to enjoy life. Ben Franklin said, "One today is worth two tomorrows"; I think it's unfortunate that so many women (men too) miss out on so much because we're always worried about tomorrow. We're worried about failing whether it's in our professional life or as a student/mom/partner/wife/sister/daughter etc. When we are able to say no and we take time for ourselves, that's when I think we see the most success.

Shame with mental illness

I think one of the most important things is support. People who are struggling with a mental disorder need to be surrounded with compassion; they need people who will stand beside them and say I am here to help anyway I can but I don't understand what you're going through. Bi-polar runs in my family and though I'm not effected by it I do struggle with depression. One thing that I hate the most when it comes to talking about what I go through is when a person tries to "understand" when they really can't understand.
Another thing that I think needs to be done is reducing the red tape for receiving mental health benefits. Granted some caution needs to be exercised but health insurance companies make it so difficult; I know when I received approval for my mental health benefits, my doctor and I had to jump through the hoops. I had to call and answer a little questionnaire, my doctor had to fill out forms then I had to fill out some forms, the list goes on and on. When you have to go through that it really makes you feel like... well, I'm not really sure how to describe the feeling.
I also think the media plays a large role in how our society views the mentally ill.

Living For The Future

When I first read the blog topic, I found myself agreeing that we need to be concerned with the future and preparing ourselves for what lies ahead. Yet sometime later I found myself disagreeing with statement.

Ben Franklin said, "One today is worth two tomorrows." I couldn't agree more. If we're always living for the future and worrying about what happens next, we miss today. On one hand there's a long list of things that could go wrong with my health (cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's, etc) and I should be concerned but on the other hand I could die in car crash on my way to school. There are no guarantees and every day should be lived as it's your last and everyone your meet throughout your day should be treated as if it's their last.

I suppose my point is that nobody lives forever and if you're so caught up in worrying about the future, you miss what's important. Today. Live in the moment: carpe diem (enjoy the present day, seize the opportunity)!

Disease Prevention

I think there a lot of factors that influence women and the type of life styles they adopt and the measures they take towards disease prevention. I think one of the larger factors is their family dynamic and how they were raised. If you grew up in a house where members of your family smoked, statistically you're more likely to smoke. The opposite may also occur-you may refuse to smoke because you did grow up around smokers.
Another factor that plays a large role in our choices is convenience; how convenient is it? Can we 'do it on the run'? With so many women playing full time mom, full time student, full time employee, the family taxi service; time really becomes an issue. Marketing companies know this and play on it, which is why there are so many 'pre-made' meals. I remember walking through the store one day and I saw a ready-made tacos. Just heat and serve. I just about died on the spot. It says a lot about our society and what we value when we don't even have the time to make tacos from scratch. Back to the point; the average women rarely has time to spend a couple hours (from cutting the first vegetable to washing the last dish) to spend in the kitchen making a 'heart healthy' meal.

Friends and eating disorders

Eating disorders are a delicate topic for most people and special care must be taken if someone might have either anorexia or bulimia. My first step would be to do some research so I would have a better understanding of what is going on. I would more than likely attend some sort of eating disorder support group; hopefully I could find someone would be able to help me understand and lead in me in the right direction as to how I should confront my friend. If I played my cards right then hopefully I could take my new found friend to meet my other one. That way she could see that I really cared about her and I wasn’t trying to judge her. I think in these types of situations special care needs to be taken so the person doesn’t feel judged and they don’t feel that they have to defend themselves. Once someone gets into a defensive mood, you’d be better off talking to a brick wall. I think it's important to remember that you're there as a friend to show compassion and support, because the last thing they need is someone telling them that what they're doing is wrong, etc.

Midterm Reflection

Well, we're half way through the course! Yeah! I'll be happy when this class is over; not because of the class itself but because with each class I finish, I'm 3 credit hours closer to my degree!
So far I've been very impressed with this class; I've taken quite a few online courses and I think the organization of this class far succeeds any others I've taken! Even though I grip about writing a blog each week, I really like it. I think it adds a whole another level to the course; it helps bring interaction to a course that really doesn't have any.
I think of the modules we've completed, I've enjoyed module 4 the most. I found the whole chapter interesting and I really enjoyed researching FGM. I think FGM had the most impact on me because it made me remember that I am in no place to judge anyone else. Though I may not agree and I may believe their views to be old-world, I cannot pass judgement on them. I think the research I did on FGM also reinforced my belief that knowledge is power and it is the responsibility of empowering women falls on the shoulders of those who are empowered!
I can't wait to complete the rest of the course; for starters, I think each module will be interesting and, like I stated earlier, with the completion of this course, I'm one step closer to getting out of school!
I hope everyone has a fabulous spring break! And remember to be safe-there's crazy people out there ;)