Embrace The Generation You Live In

 

One thing that I have noticed a lot of lately is people saying that they’re “ashamed” of this generation and how they don’t want to be apart of it. Another common phrase that I hear is, “I feel like I was born in the wrong generation.” However I believe a lot of people feel this way because they are living in the past. It’s not only teenagers saying this. It’s a whole range of ages, from teenagers to older people. I can understand why some people feel this way because I, myself, used to feel the same way, due to the fact that technology has taken over a vast majority of people’s lives and thinking that the men in this generation were becoming less and less of gentlemen like men were back in the 1900’s . Having these resentful feelings will cause you to not live in the moment and genuinely appreciate what you have. Being stuck in the past will cause you to not enjoy your life that is happening right now. Sometimes you need to accept things that you cannot control, even if you do not agree with it or it pains you to watch. Living in the present and appreciating all that this generation has to offer will make you a lot happier.

I used to criticize this generation a lot and I used to think that houses back in the 1900’s had way more character than homes in the modern-day world. Having this thought made me angry because it made me feel as if modern day people were becoming too lazy to give homes the character they used to have.  I always used to dream of moving into a house that was built-in the 1900’s and wishing that I had been born in the 1900’s because I wasn’t  accepting the growth in technology and the way people acted in this generation. I noticed myself becoming more hateful and resenting to the people in this generation and becoming more cut off from the world.

I began talking to a close friend about this anger I held toward this generation and we started talking about how I wasn’t living in the moment and if I began to do that then I would be happier. Honestly, that person was totally right. I began appreciating and being grateful for all this generation had to offer and being thankful that there were people in this generation smart enough to build a computer and technology that helps us in our everyday life. I have read in articles that each generation becomes smarter. The modern-day world is not much different then back in the 1900’s, besides the obvious facts that there isn’t as much racism today. Many people just want to live in the 1900’s because like myself, they glorified it. I’m positive that if someone from the 1900’s heard about the 2000’s, that they would glorify it and want to live in this modern day.

Also, perhaps some men don’t act as gentlemen as people think they should, but back in the 1900’s, I’m very positive that there were some men that weren’t that great either. We all need to stop glorifying the past and starting living in the moment and enjoying the time period we live in and become grateful for it. Also, previously mentioned in one of my earlier blog post, social media kind of stirs things up for people. There are a lot of things on social medias about how people think this generation is horrible and why they think that. Of course, if people are constantly focusing and reading about whats wrong with our generation, then it’s going to stir up some emotions of anger and resentment.  Even if the information they read is false. Believe it or not, maybe the music was better back in the 1900’s than today’s music, but the generation itself isn’t much different from today’s generation like people think it is. Perhaps, it may have even been worst. We have technology to help us everyday such as google, GPS, and many more things that make our lives easier. I even began to notice that there is still character in the majority of homes built-in this generation.

Once I started to become more grateful for what this generation has to offer, I became a lot happier, like a weight had been lifted off of me. I highly recommend appreciating everything that you have, such as technology because if we didn’t have the resources and technology that we have today, our lives wouldn’t be as easy. Think about it.

Living in the moment is very important because you miss out on all the beauty this world has to offer when you’re focused on unnecessary stresses such as worrying about this generation or being on your phone and reading about it. Embrace this generation for this is the generation you live in.

-Katie

 

How To Deal With Tough Times In Your Life Using Gratitude

I’m sure all of you have had a situation happen to you that changes your life and how you feel as if you’ll never be the same or happy again.

It all started when I was a child. I was taken to my grandmother’s home because my mother was out of state. I stayed at my grandmothers for approximately 6 months until my mother was able to return home. During those six months, I was informed of some of the hardest news that I would have to figure out how to deal with for the rest of my life.

My grandmother told my brother and I to get ready because she was taking us somewhere. I could tell that her countenance spoke of extreme sorrow and I could feel my curiosity burning inside of my chest. As we got situated in the car and drove off, I remember watching all of the trees and tall buildings passing by just as the minutes and seconds were before I found out the wretched news.

We arrived at a small vanilla colored building. We walked inside and into an office looking room and we all sat down. A man dressed in a suit and tie told us the horrible news. My father, whom was a depressed alcoholic, had made the decision to end his life. The reason my grandmother took my brother and I to see a specialist to tell us the news was because my brother frequently had meltdowns due to his Asperger Syndrome. The specialist held a syringe in which I’m assuming was some sort of tranquilizer because my grandmother thought that my brother wouldn’t take the news of our father’s passing very well. However, my brother stayed calm and collected and helped me through the harsh time. He has always been my rock to lean on in times of need and I will forever be grateful for that.

Anyways, I remember feeling numb and thinking about all the occasions that my father would miss out on such as my birthdays, holidays, and, walking me down the isle at my wedding. Like I previously mentioned, my mother was out of state and therefore, she was not able to be there when we were informed of the horrible news. My mom wanted to be there for us and came back as soon as she could.

As I got older, I struggled with the fact that my father was gone and never coming back. In a strong way, I felt betrayed because he was selfish enough to leave all of us here. I felt as if he didn’t love us and didn’t think of us while he made his appalling decision to end his life. Every year on August 1st I became extremely depressed knowing that August 1st was the day he made that awful decision to end his life. Every year, I dreaded my dad’s birthday or Father’s Day because it reminded me that my father was gone and that I would not see him again. Father’s day also made me feel envious to people that did have a father. However, as each year passed, it did get a lot easier and I got to the point where on Father’s Day, I began not to feel so sad. In fact, I felt appreciative to all the people that had amazing fathers. There is always a brighter side to be looked upon.

To this day, I feel as if the wound of my father’s passing has finally healed. Of course, I will always miss him, but I know that I will forever be grateful that I still have my amazing mother.

Sometimes things happen that are out of our control, whether it be you or someone you love and cherish. We may not understand why things happen and why sometimes it may feel like the world is out to stomp on you and crumple you to the ground like a piece of paper. However, ways that can help you get through the world crumpling times are

• Take life in stride
• Take life with a grain of salt and a shot of tequila (Just kidding on that last part)
• Take life as it comes at you
• have a quiet spot that helps you be at peace and let you be alone with your thoughts

One of the best ways that will help and further benefit you in your time of need, is to meditate. It will help to clear your mind and reset your brain to where you feel fresh and new again.

However, When a situation happens that makes you feel  as if it has completely destroyed your happiness and you feel as if you will never overcome it, take a step back and count your blessings. Noticing everything that may be going right for you in your life will help you take a step toward happiness. For instance, if you are upset because for some reason you don’t like your job, then take a step back and just feel grateful that you even have a job. A way to better yourself and your happiness is to sit down once a day and list 10 things you’re happy and grateful for on a piece of paper. Start by saying, “I am so happy and grateful now that….” because how can you be sad if you notice all the things that are going right for you and being grateful for them. Like previously mentioned, I don’t have a dad, however I am so incredibly grateful that I have a mom. Stop letting your sadness define who you are because all of you are amazing humans being with SO much extraordinary potential to accomplish anything and everything you want. I hope this helped you to realize that when it feels like nothing is going right for you, there will always be at least one thing that is. Whether you realize it at the moment or not. Gratitude is wine for the soul, so go on and get drunk!-(Rumi)

-Katie

Do You Fight Anxiety On A Daily Bases? This Could Be Why

I strongly believe that every person on this planet has extraordinary potential, however is that potential getting held back by one thing? Perhaps an addiction to social media? When I look around me, 99% of all that I see is people burying their faces in their technological devices whether it be their phones, Ipads, computers and ect.. It’s not that I don’t believe the devices that the person is using is necessarily the issue, however more of the social media that people are using now days. Haven’t you noticed that this generation has a lot more anxiety and depression than what people did before technology existed? Coincidence? I think not! American Psychological Association writes, “Two new meta-analytic studies involving thousands of children and college students show that anxiety has increased substantially since the 1950’s. In fact, the studies find that anxiety has increased so much that typical schoolchildren during the 1980’s reported more anxiety than child psychiatric patients did during the 1950’s.” (APA) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. What this says to me is that over the years, the anxiety rate has increased a substantial amount. So much, that a typical child in 1980 has more anxiety than a psychiatric patient! That’s crazy!-No pun intended..

I started making connections in my head and looking around me on a daily bases, and what I began to notice is that people don’t look away from their phones! It’s like pulling teeth trying to spark up a conversation with another person. I even began to notice that the close friends and family that I spoke to on a daily bases would barely glance up from their phones to tell me how their day went. At the time of this breakthrough idea, I was also taking an English class. The teacher had us read a book about how the internet was changing the way our brains work and it mentioned somewhere in the book that a vast majority of people can’t read a book, novel, or, a long passage without checking their phones every few sentences. I even began to realize that I was having the same issue that everyone else seemed to be dealing with as well. While I was reading the book that our teacher assigned to us, I noticed that I caught myself checking Facebook very often while reading, and that is was very hard to concentrate on the passage I was attempting to read in front of me. Therefore, I felt a need to make a change.

That day, I decided to log out of Facebook for a month to see if I noticed any changes in my self. On the first day, I found it very hard to stay off of Facebook and other social media because I would constantly find myself typing in Facebook at the top of the browser, forgetting that I was staying off for a month. After arriving to the log in page of Facebook, I was quickly reminded. I noticed that I, myself, had addictive symptoms being away from social media.It was very difficult the first few days, however after I passed the first week, it became profusely easier to stay off and eventually I forgot that I even liked social media.

However, that wasn’t the coolest part of my experiment. Just after a week of saying Adios! to social media, my attention span became much more focused than before. I was able to read a 450 page book without even feeling the urge to check my phone, I noticed things that I never really put much thought into before such as, how tall trees and buildings really were. Not only that, but my motivation became excessively great, and I noticed that my confidence level spiked because I wasn’t able to run to my phone and bury my face in it whenever I didn’t want to speak with someone. I was forced to have conversations with people that I thought I would never have any interest in but ended up liking them a great amount.

All in all, I was a person with extreme anxiety and found this very useful to help get rid of that. People who get on social media have anxiety due to the fact that on social media there are social norms that everyone tries to live up to on social media such as “who has the cutest relationship(Relationship Goals), “Am I prettier than this person?”, Do I have more likes?” It seems that everyone tries to be better than everyone on social media and that would most definitely give a person anxiety. Not to mention the fact that most people post their problems and things that are bothering them on social media, so when you are constantly scrolling through your feed seeing negativity all the time, it will put a downer on your mood and perhaps cause symptoms of depression. I could say a lot more but I will stop here and hope that this inspires you to take a step back just like I did. Best of luck!

-Katie