Diving into Eating Disorders

To explore eating disorders, we were divided into groups of three where each of us researched a different type. We then shared our findings through discussions. The different eating disorders that we focused on are as follows:

Anorexia Nervosa:
Anorexia Nervosa is a very serious illness based on the obsession with a low body weight. Those affected appear very thin, however a doctor may not recognize the illness because the body's exterior is not affected so much as the interior. Almost every organ is negatively affected due to anorexia, and that is because the person is not receiving proper nutrition. Those who are anorexic are generally very worried about being "fat" and resort to dramatically decreasing their eating. This can result in an overall weakness all throughout the body, with brittle bones, dehydration, muscle loss, low blood pressure, etc. The difference between anorexia and dieting is that dieting involves changing the foods one consumes in order to grow healthier, whereas anorexia involves self-starvation and is completely unhealthy. Anorexia most often occurs in adolescent girls, and 90-95% of those affected are girls/women.

Bulimia Nervosa:
Bulimia is a very serious and potentially life threatening disorder, which involves self-induced vomiting after binge eating. Affects 1-2% of young adult woman, and 80% of people with Bulimia are women. One major sign is when people frequently go to the restroom right after eating, and obviously if they are always making themselves vomit. This can cause inflammation of the esophagus, increased chances of heart-attacks, malnourished body, etc.

Binge Eating Disorder:
A disorder characterized by often eating large quantities of food, generally in order to comfort oneself. Those affected cannot control their intake, and generally feel very ashamed during/after the act. There are serious potential health concerns, as eating too much is just as unhealthy as not eating at all. Often those suffering from the disorder binge in secret, because of the shame they are experiencing. One can recognize another is experiencing the disorder if large quantities of food suddenly disappear, or if someone is setting aside time for binge eating. Binge eating can cause obesity, however someone of a small body mass can still be suffering from this disorder.

Mental Disorder Education

Today we had two guest speakers from our very own campus. One of the two was a councilor, and another was a staff member involved in "Project Success", which helps get students through different mental health issues or other personal problems.

Continuing with our mental health unit, the two began by defining a mental health disorder as "a diagnosable illness that affects a person's thinking, emotional state, and behavior", that affects a person's ability to carry out daily activities.

With that we went into defining some major mental health disorders, as follows:

Anxiety:

• A normal reaction to stress - sometimes beneficial
• Anxiety disorder = Uncontrollable anxiety
• Disorder involves a persistent or severe fear of worry that can be difficult to manage, and can interfere with a persons quality of life
• Symptoms - feelings of apprehension/dread, difficulty concentrating, tense/jumpy, restless, sweating, pounding heart, tremors/twitches, etc.
• Normal Anxiety vs Problematic Anxiety
• Being able to respond to potential = normal, overwhelming fear that something bad will happen = problematic
• Moderate amounts = beneficial - can keep you alert, overwhelming amounts can interfere with relationships and daily life 
• Types of Anxiety:
• Generalized Anxiety - unrealistic worry + tension
• Social Anxiety - overwhelming worry and feelings of self-consciousness
• Specific Phobias - intense feelings of fears towards specific objects/situations
• Panic Disorder - feelings of terror that stick suddenly and repeatedly
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - feeling that something bad will happen if something is/is not done
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - flashbacks, nightmares and uncontrollable thoughts about a terrifying, past event
• Causes of Anxiety:
• Biological reasons - heredity, genetics, brain chemistry
• Environmental reasons - abuse, trauma, high stress, violence
• Life circumstances - significant losses, divorces in family, stressful situations, high expectations
• Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorder in adolescence/childhood

Depression:

• Depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities for an extended period of time
• Increases chances of suicide by 12
• Sadness vs Depression:
• Sadness = normal human emotion, often triggered by an event
• Depression affects thinking, emotions, and behaviors, and causes effected to be sad about everything
• Depression can affect ANYONE, regardless of their background
• Causes of Depression:
• Hereditary - having a family member with depression
• Brain Chemistry
• Environement - surroundings, life experiences, etc.
• Stress - any stressful situation can trigger depression
• Medications - side-effects of certain medications
• Alcohol/Drugs - use of substances can lead to or worsen depression
• **Just because these things occurred, it does not mean depression will also occur...different events affect people in different ways

Clearly depression and anxiety are not an uncommon thing, but why is treatment necessary? Well anxiety and depression do not represent a healthy lifestyle, and they can cause physical problems as well as problems in ordinary life. To return to a healthy, content way of life, it is necessary to find a way to overcome these disorders, often by getting treatment. If avoided, suicide could occur.

Suicide:

• Suicide is not the same as self harm - suicide is intentionally trying to kill oneself, whereas self harm is a negative coping tool
• Those considering suicide see it as the only option, and see it as a solution
• Warning signs of suicide:
• Threats to hurt of kill themselves
• Talking or making plans for suicide
• Having both anxiety and depression
• Acquiring guns of stockpiling pills
• Giving away prized possessions
• Death of a friend/family member
• Victim of assault/bullying
• QPR - Question a person about suicide, Persuade the person to get help, Refer the person to the appropriate resources
• Go to an adult - at school: teachers, councilors, etc., of campus - police officers, trusted adult, suicide hotline, and emergency room
• Must call 911 when someone has a weapon, expresses an immediate intent to harm self, have taking pills with the intent to hurt themselves, threatens suicide on social media, etc.

Harry Potter and the Sleeping Draught of Living Death

As with all things in NEW school, we had a very unique type of final. The assignment was to adapt an act from Romeo and Juliet into a different theme, such as "Keeping up With the Kardashians", Western, etc. We worked in groups of about 15 for this project, developing a script, coming up with potential props, filming, and editing. 

Our group's theme was Harry Potter, which was great since I am a huge Harry Potter fan, as were a few other members of our group. We had Act IV of the play, which is centered around Juliet and Friar Laurence developing a plan involving her taking a potion to appear dead. This tied in easily with Harry Potter, considering there are actual potions brewed within the novels. 

Just for a little background, we had Juliet and the rest of the Capulets part of the Ravenclaw House, and the Montagues were Gryffindors. We considered having the Capulets be part of the Slytherin House instead, since that would show more rivalry, however we did not want them to have the negative connotation that goes along with Slytherin.

So essentially Romeo and Juliet are from different Houses, and therefore they have difficulty in their relationship. The Yule Ball is approaching, and they really want to go together, but know their chances are slim. Before it can every actually happen though, Romeo and a Ravenclaw named Tybalt get in a serious duel, causing Romeo to be expelled (this portion is not explicitly stated in the video, but it was intended to be). 

With Romeo gone, Juliet is depressed, plus all the Ravenclaws are peer-pressuring her into going to the ball with Paris. Paris is rich, handsome, and very arrogant. Juliet's parents want her to go to the ball with him, and eventually marry him one day, because of his wealth and parentage. Juliet is clearly not interested, since she only has eyes for Romeo.

Since Hagrid is the character who often provides advice in Harry Potter, we made him into "Friar Hagrid". He helps Juliet with the plan of drinking the Sleeping Draught of Living Death so she will be free to leave the castle and her parents' custody, to reunite with Romeo. 

And with that, here is the video:

A Noteworthy Event

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to Windsor Creek Elementary and hang up hundreds of sticky notes with their kind messages down the halls. It was definitely a success and they looked adorable!

News has it that the kids loved seeing all the notes today, and we provided all the classrooms with sticky notes so each child could make their own note to hang up.

I am so grateful for the help I had in making the TONS of sticky notes, and I am hoping we can reuse some of the notes if we are to do another round with maybe Brooks Elementary.

Overall I feel like this was a very meaningful project...what I have learned most in this mental health unit is that children in particular need to be shown constant love and support to have an emotionally steady future. Being able to lift the spirits of these kids and encourage them to spread kindness was an awesome opportunity. I know from personal experience that the quotes and messages that you just hear randomly can really touch your heart and stick with you forever. If these positively affect the emotions of even one kid, then it is certainly worth it to me. For all I know, a kid could be suffering a lot and then come to school and get a smile out of one of the notes. Or it might create a realization in another child's mind that there are people out there who care for them. Either way, I am extremely happy with the outcome of the project and am looking forward to possibly seeing the notes that the students made.

The Kindness Campaign Continues

          Today is the day that we will make our campaign more public, as people are coming to view our projects this afternoon. I will be using this as an opportunity for free labor, and will be reaching out to people to create sticky notes for next Monday. Also, I will be advertising the site and giving encouraging people to create their own virtual note. I got a few people to write theirs so that there would be a few examples:

           Other updates are that I officially have a Twitter and an Instagram for the campaign, @stickynotespot. 
The biggest difficulty right now is finding people to share their troubles they have overcome. Shaylene contacted two people who she believed would be interested, although she has not let me know if they have contacted her. She also will write a piece empowering kids who have suffered from bullying.
          Lastly, the date for hanging up the notes is finalized - a group and I will be constricting as many notes as we can this weekend, as we will be hanging them up next Monday. 

Consciously Creating One's Disease

          Throughout my life I have always known that alcohol taking in excess is horrible for you, and I am fortunate to have known such. For there are many people out there who seem to overlook the fact the alcoholism is essentially a purposefully accumulated disease. Two guest speakers recently came in to speak to us about the "ism" so easily forgotten in "alcoholism".
           The two speakers were from "Alcohol Anonymous", or A.A. Given that they are from an anonymous group I will not refer to them by their names but merely give you some background on their stories. Basically both of them started drinking early in their youth and got to the point where they could not control it - hence becoming an alcoholic. They were both driven to the ground in different ways, losing their friends and themselves. Finally they grew desperate enough and did one sensible thing, going to an A.A. meeting and cleaning up their act.
          However, as one of the speakers mentioned, alcoholism is not something that can simply be cured and left in the past. Years later alcoholics are still working to stay sober. For alcoholism is a disease left within the core of oneself, regardless of whether or not they are sober. There will always be the mission of staying sober for them, and though it grows easier they will have to continue to put in the work. A.A. meetings are consistently attended and service work such as what the two provided to us (speaking) is performed, all to keep in the right mindset of staying sober.
          What we can take away from the experiences of these speakers and from alcoholics all over the world, is to never put yourself in the position to become an alcoholic or addict of any kind. The harm it causes is permanent, whether or not the symptoms are still visible down the road. Yet the more hopeful message we received was that it is absolutely possible to achieve a better state of mind and to fight the alcoholic inside oneself after it has developed. It was a great reminder that the mental health of oneself is malleable, and no matter what disease you face - depression, anxiety, substance abuse - there is a way to change.

The Sticky Note Spot

I am happy to say that my new unit project - on our mental health unit - is coming along great! We were supposed to use a creative medium to spread awareness about a mental health issue. I looked at the different topics: depression, anxiety, substance abuse, etc., and I realized just researching and making a video about one of these would make me kind of sad and have no real impact on the community. I wanted to make something that could potentially help with people suffering from a mental health issue, or simply going through something hard in general. In our circles in class (see science notebook), I have learned that a lot of people are going through very hard situations, and they often do not have anyone to share their issues with. Others are drowning in so much sadness and need some encouragement. And then there are those who are such encouraging figures, and could use a tool to spread their encouragement. That is why for part of my project I am creating "The Sticky Note Spot". The site in itself has been designed, I have just not made it known yet for people to start using it.

This is what the home page looks like, (obviously it looks pretty bland right now but it will not once it's convered in sticky notes!) and essentially people click the little black create icon to construct their own sticky note spreading their words of encouragement and kindness. My hope is that eventually the bulletin board will be full of kind words, and encourage whoever reads it. I think there is something special about people from wherever writing something to help someone else, and I think that can also encourage the writer.

Aside from this, the site also has a testimonies sort of aspect, where people can share their stories in an attempt to inspire the readers. Also, if someone is struggling with something they can share what they are going through and receive comments from others offering their encouragement. I have been in contact with Shaylene King, one of the leaders of "The Mean Girls Extinction Program", and she will be writing a piece empowering girls in particular, and is going to connect me to two others who experienced bullying who are willing to share their stories.

Finally the site contains and About page, explaining the purpose of the website.

This site obviously will only work if it becomes public and people contribute, so once we have gotten a few people Shaylene is going to blog about it to steer some traffic over here. I have also started a Twitter @stickynotespot, and will soon create an Instagram steering people over here. Also, we will soon be doing a public event, and I thought it would be awesome if we could get in in The Windsor Times and have them mention the site. Then obviously I will be telling the core about it and have people I know check it out.

As for the public event, I have been in contact with Julie Stern, the principal of Windsor Creek. We have arranged for myself, and a team that I will organize, to come to the campus on Monday 12/19/16 in the afternoon and spread a ton of sticky notes with kind notes throughout the halls. Then throughout that week the kids will be writing and adding their own notes. It works out perfectly because Windsor Creek is having their "Kindness Month" this month, so this fits in with everything they are spreading. If this goes well I am hoping to do a similar event at either Brooks of Mattie Washburn come January. Hopefully the weather will also be better so we can post them outside as well.

So currently I am working on finding people to write their inspiring stories, gathering people to help with the event, and working on the social media accounts for the site. As we make the notes and hang them up I will also videotape a feature to potentially post on the site.