damsoulindistress

[damsoulindistress]

Mirrored Misogyny

Hearing those voices echoing in your brain so innocent and pure, toughen by the idea that everyone thinks the same— AGAINST YOU. Like Christmas carols repeated over and over and over. And then, you'll find yourself singing the same lyrics, humming the exact same tune, YOU NOW THINK THE SAME WAY TOO.

The world will think that we are never good enough, not pretty enough to be the cover of a magazine, not slim enough to wear two-piece bikinis, not smart enough or even tough enough to survive the daily struggles of life, and maybe, they are right about that, about me, perhaps. I am just a lone girl, fat and useless. I am a peck of dust on Earth just waiting for the right moment to be eliminated, to be one with nature, a fertiziler maybe, when I die, because someone like me never deserved life at all, because I AM NO ONE.

Negativity. For what its worth, is something that will drown you in thoughts, anxiety will be your bestfriend, and you thought, having your heart broken by your one true love is painful? Have you ever tried crying on your birthday? You are in a cemetery, alone, crying your heart out, wanting to be dead on the exact same date you were born? Ironic as it seems, it happened.

But being alive for 20 years now, you will realize certain significant things that will make you change your gameplan. We will realize, we are never what other people say we are, instead, we are what we think, say and act. And for 20 years, I have been living in the shadows of what people think of me, not knowing that it was I, myself, who hindered what I could become. I have missed golden opportunities, limited the actions I make and tormented myself for something I have no control over. But there will come a time you will stand up for yourself, becauae no one else will. And so I did.

Living in this stereotypical society, people made me feel like I'm never good enough, that I'm too fat to wear the clothes I want, too flawed to be considered beautiful, too weak to do things on my own and too impulsive to make the right decisions but those "TOOs" had been a motivation for me to prove them wrong. I may be fat but I'm confident, I may be flawed but I have a good heart, I may be weak but I have a strong mind, I may be impulsive but those wrong decisions taught me the best life lessons. Being imperfect does not mean you're any less, we are all a masterpiece in different canvases.

THIS IS ME, CHELSEA, AS CONFIDENT AS EVER. ONCE AN OVERTHINKER, BUT THAT IS NOW OVER. AND THIS IS MY UNTOLD STORY.

[damsoulindistress]

Best St_dent goes to U

Blog Entry: How to be an Achiever in school

Being a college student, we can never really deny the competition that is steadily growing and knowing that education is a highly important part of an individual’s life, the lessons and attitudes a person learns and develops from an educational institution shapes up a person’s life. The job and career we will develop truly depends on how well we do in our studies. In order to get good grades and develop useful skills, we have to be a good student. So far, these are the tips I have researched that I know will help me big time in being on top of my game:

1. Setting up Goals

Set long-term and short-term goals and measure our progress through them. Goals will help us keep motivated to strive and achieve success. These short-term goals will work as a ladder, which will lead us towards our long-term goal. Although it is good to challenge ourselves to do better, we must ensure that the goals we are setting are realistic.

2. Time Management

Time management is crucial for all the aspects of our lives. When we are aiming to become a better student, the most important thing to keep us on track is manage your time properly. We should also make study schedules and stick to them, this will create a balanced study time which will help us in concentrating properly on all our activities.

3. Proper Rest

Getting proper rest is very important. Our brain needs sleep in order to synthesize newly learned information. If a student is well rested, he or she will stay alert and active during class activities. We will be able to concentrate more on your studies and other activities if we are well rested.

3. Attend All Classes

Attendance is extremely important to help enrich the educational experience. We must attend classes in order to pass the courses we have successfully. Students learn more when they attend the classes and listen to the lectures. It helps us in remembering and understanding lessons more clearly.

4. Take Notes

Concentrating on the lecture and jotting down important details ensures that we understand the course material. Taking notes also helps us remember the lesson more clearly. Make sure you rewrite them after the class to keep them fresh in your mind and to ensure that you will understand them properly when you look at them after a few days or weeks. Taking good notes will help you in reviewing and revising for exams.

Cum LaudATE of Dasma, Ate Lyka

There are a lot of students who showcased exceptional brillance in studying at Inang Pamantasan, and of course, having their futures brighter than the sun, these people are considered role models that we all look up to as PNUans. One of which I have known since I was in Senior High School, ate Lyka Balanac. She was my best friend's sister who also studied in PNU. She graduated Cum Laude in 2014 finish the course Bachelor in Elementary Education (BEED). And currently, she is teaching in Sta. Cruz Elementary School. She was not just a good student but also a responsible sister and daughter as well being the eldest of four children.

Ate Lyka's dream did not just stop in being a Cum Laude in this prestige University, she envisioned to provide education in all forms. So as we did our online chat, I asked her, 'what is the best advice you could give to college students like me to be best at what we do? " and so she answered,

''Be more. Being a top student is not as fulfilling as sharing whatever knowledge you have acquired in your college journey, so for me, I start the change I wanted to see when I was a student, and that's exactly what I'm doing right now as a teacher. But being a student never really stopped me to be more." ~Lyka Balanac

REFERENCE:

https://www.floridacareercollege.edu/blog/how-to-become-a-better-student

(PHOTO CRDITS: Lyka Balanac, Pinterest)

[damsoulindistress]

A video presentation as my campaign for Social Media Awareness and Reaponsibility

(INTRODUCTION VIDEO TAKEN FROM PINTEREST AND PHOTOS TAKEN FROM GOOGLE, NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED)

[damsoulindistress]

Dear Digital Me, with Love.

Blog Entry: Digital vs. Social Self

In the good old days, where people had real conversations and real life connections, how will we be able to live the life we love today when everything is now digitalized. Even friends and relationships have been completely transformed as years go by and as technology evolves, but I just have one question in mind, in this digital world that we live in, how will we be able to establish ourselves and make the difference we all long to have?

Eversince those social media became a thing, it has been more and more of a pressure to each and every young adult wanting to reinvent themselves. How pressuring it is when we are expected to have the best representation of ourselves through our facebook profiles, when we are in need to have all the social media accounts there is, facebook, instagram, twitter, and the list goes on and on. Literally, it is not ‘needed’ but being teenagers, we tend to follow the trend and become our own social media personalities.

Growing up, I really wanted to fit in. I wanted to have a lot of friends, a lot of good photos and likes from other people thinking, these likes help me be more confident. But being at the age right now where I have already experience a lot of things outside social media, I have come to realize that having social media account is not bad at all, it just depends on how we use them. Are we gonna use them to reinvent ourself being the 'perfect social person’ everyone will love, or are we going to be those 'voices’ unheard, that is up for us to decided.

Being able to have a growing social media influence is not just something we should brag about. It is more of a responsibility to show our true selves and be able to use it as a platform of what we truly stand for. Social media is just a tool, it is not a universe where we live as an entirely different human being.

I have all the social media known today, twitter, facebook, instagram, you name it, I have it (except for those dating apps lol). When I was younger, I just wanted to be normal, apparently, that is what 'normal’ is to our society today. But as I grew older, social media had been my best friend, there was something about them that made me feel good so I got really hooked to using them. But as I was able to face the cruelty of the real world, I have come to battle my insecurities by the use of social media. It has become my platform to show how incredibly flawsome I am yet I am still worth the love. It has become my voice and my armor to win my daily battles. I admit, I am dependent to social media but I am a responsible influencer of positivity and an advocate of social awareness. Everything will all jolt down to how we maximize the influence that we have, it is by then we know that we have served our purpose and at the same time follow the trend in a positive manner.

[damsoulindistress]

The #MeFirst Drill

Blog Entry: Self-Care and Stress Management

Being able to take care ourselves properly, will definety go a long way in life. Through that, we can also be able to manage stress and be more productive as students and human being. Self-care is more than an occasional treat; it’s a way of living each day that incorporates behaviors that help us feel refreshed, re-energized, and rested. It helps us manage the daily stresses in our lives—the academic pressures, tricky interpersonal relationships, and uncertain future plans. Everyone deals with these challenges differently, and everyone’s preference for practicing self-care is different as well.

Practicing Self-Care and Managing Stress

There are lots of ways to practice self-care and stress managent. What works for me may not work for someone else. But as for me, these are just some tips I find helpful in dealing with everyday struggles but as we go through these tips, I think the important thing about this is to make it a priority in our schedule. And these are just some examples I think will come in handy for my #MeFirst drill:

Sleep: Rest is essential to overall health and is closely linked to academic success. Maintaining a routine that allows us time to get enough sleep each night.

Exercise: Research shows that exercise can relieve stress, improve our mood, and help us sleep better. One or twice a week is already enough but we can do it as frequent as we wish to.

Do something you love: Carve out time for our passions and hobbies, whether that’s hiking, crafting, dancing, reading for fun, or cooking. Hobbies provide us an outlet for managing stress and can increase happiness levels.

Practice self-compassion: Treat yourself like you would treat your best friend. Talk to yourself the way you would talk to someone you care about. Replace self-critical thoughts with compassionate thoughts.

Practice deep breathing: Take five minutes at least once a day to practice deep breathing. In just those few minutes we can lower our blood pressure and heart rate, thus reducing the physical affects of stress. 

REFERENCE:

https://ugs.utexas.edu/news/self-care

(PHOTOS ARE TAKEN FROM PINTEREST, NO COPY RIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED)

[damsoulindistress]

Hearing the Silenced Cries

Blog Entry: Political Self

Being a student almost 2/3 of our lives, we tend to make our own stand regarding things that truly matter. Those are insights relevant to what we believe in that is shaped through all our experiences, knowledges and our purpose in life. Dealing we those, we sometimes come across paths with certain people who will support our insigts but sometimes, they also have their own stand regarding matters that we all care about.

For future teachers like us, our political Identity is really important. Especially that we are role models to our beloved students and to the other people around us. We are the promoter of change so it is just proper that we fight for the things that matter and those that are significant not just for us hut for our fellow contrymen.

As a youth of today, I still believe that someday, I will make a change like what Rizal said, "our youth is the hope of the nation" and of course that wouldn't happen if I don't start within myself. I may not be so 'politically involved' but I have my fair share of being a responsible citizen and individual. I am a registered voter who practices my privilege to vote, for me, it is a privelege and choosing the right leader will make a huge difference, the difderence we all long to have.

Being a student with utmost voice to fight for what is right and know how to listen as well, that is what our country needs. Sometimes, we always do the talkingvwe tend to forget how to listen to the most vulnerable cries, those are the most significant sound we should hear. And there are times when all we do is listen, but not speak to make a change.

Those two are the most povital part that we should possess to boost our political self. We don't necessarily have to be a 'political leader or whatnot'. It is a responsibility and at the same time a privilege we have, to have a voice to speak and ears to listen, we should speak the right words and listen to the right cries.

(PHOTOS TAKEN FROM PINTEREST NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED)

[damsoulindistress]

The Anatomy of Me & U

Blog Entry: Physical vs. Sexual Self

Living in the 21st century, technology is not just the major trend, now, we are more liberal and more entitled to our own opinions and rights. That is not a bad thing, especially that liberty has been long fought for, but more societal issues had been arising because of this.

Perfection in Beauty

As social beings, we tend to seek for the acceptance of the people around us. And through time, beauty was seen in different concepts which the society dictates. People want to be beautiful not as themselves but l beautiful like everybody else. We conform to the beauty standards set by the general public even if that is the opposite of ourselves. Others even tend to undergo physical enhancements just so they can reach these standards set by our ungrateful society. As per my stand on this, I am not against those beauty enhancements or whatnot, its just that people do these things just to 'fit in', it is what the society wants, so as long is they are doing it for themselves and not for others, it's really okay, if that is their way of boosting their confidence and self-esteem.

Gender and Sexuality

This has been quite the talk of the town especially today, being a christian country practicing democracy, it is quite a contradiction having the LGBTQ community wanting to fight for their rights, I know for a fact that they are human beings as well entitled of their own rights and privileges but for me, same-sex marriage or even having them enter a comfort room they desire is not the same as human rights. Well, first and foremost, there are some things that ‘human rights’ cannot allow, given the morality that we have, not because one desires one thing, it can be theirs because they have “human rights”. The last time I check, human rights is righteous, it has no biases, not for male and female and not for the LGBTQ. I have nothing against them, I love family and friends that are members of the respected community and right now, I think more than ever, they have been widely accepted by the masses, a lot of prominent names are part of the LGBTQ community and there’s nothing stopping them from being more. I think it is best if we respect each and everyone’s identity, pertaining to women as well.

Love and Relationships

“According to Greek mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves.”

― Plato, The Symposium

This is just one famous myth we all heard in growing up conceptualizing love as an unending quest to find the right souls we get to spend our lives with. And I to, am no exception to those few people visualizing love as something to be valued and is something worth waiting for, in this generation where love and romance is instant, like a 3-in-1 coffee always ready to fill up your everyday energy cup, fastfood like Jollibee always there to cheer you up, relationships in my generation is like a game that everyone plays just for fun and I refuse to be like that as well. love is not something that comes and goes, it comes and stays. Sex is a gift for two people binded by marriage, it is a process that takes time and that time is definitely worth waiting for.

(PHOTOS TAKEN FROM PINTEREST, NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED)

[damsoulindistress]

Spirituality in the Barbie World

Blog Entry: Material vs. Spiritual Self

Imagine the world without the material possessions we have right now, without electronics we use to perform daily tasks, the home we call ours, simple to complex machineries we use in our daily living, as shocking as it is, they really played a huge role in making lives easier and more productive. But what is an easy and productive world without morality and spirituality? As funny as it sounds, it is the real deal, and it is very alarming if you ask me.

Nowadays, and as crazy as it is, these material things define us. Gadgets + virtual games = techy. Everything pink + make up = girly. Branded clothes + car = rich kids, and the list goes and and on and on. But living in a world where we are judged by the things we have and where starbucks coffee, iphones, cars created a social stratification, we are succumb to the destructive forces of materialism. Imagine being eaten by these man-made human possessions, such an irony to begin with.

The things around us that we have created, to make life easier, are the ones taking over us. That is the bitter reality. Those man-made possessions are slowly eating us alive. We earn money to buy the things we need and want. But above it all, we tend to forget the real essence of living, and that is having a purpose in life.

At first Im really confused why Material ans Spritual self are the dimensions that were linked to each other. Like, those two are very different dimensions, materialism and spirituality, but since we were the reporter I have read different articles about those two. And yes, that hit me real hard. Those two are really complementary. And let me tell you my realizations in this particular topic.

1. With everything said and done, material self should never be the one to define us. We define the things we have created and not the other way around.

2. The real purpose of life is not the things we possess, rather, it is how we live our life and find our puspose and that will be achieved through spirituality.

3. In search for the true meaning of our lives, we have one ultimate goal, find the Lord and use the resources around us to make our lives worth living, but never let these material possession tell us who we are.

Overall, this discussion was really a good one. It was fruitful and very interesting and it was my honor being infront of the class to actually discuss this one to each and everyone, I believe we all brought home something from this.

(PHOTOS TAKEN FROM PINTEREST, NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED)

[damsoulindistress]

The Confessions of a GOALdigger

Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny. ~Mahatma Ghandi

Fame. Power. Fortune

Those are the usual aspiration commonly associated to evil and injustice, to some, these are worthless aspirations, but to me, it is everything I ever wanted.

FAME. To influence other people, to be the voice of the mute, to use my passion as the platform to share what I stand up for.

POWER. To change not the world (yet) but my life, be a step closer to my ultimate goal and to have the power to bear all the struggles I will be facing in achieving my dreams, with God as my ultimate strength, I am confident enough to face the world. And in changing my life and myself individually, I know we are one step closer in achieving a greater world because progress starts within us, like a domino effect.

FORTUNE. Not just in the financial aspect but fortune in having true people to support me throughout my journey, those are the real gems and fortune in my life. Fortune to have a great job which I love to do so I never have to work a single day of my life, fortune to help my family and support our needs.

Short- term Life Goals: Chelsea Version 2.0

Living my life right now, I have a lot of aspirations I have yet to achieve. I am a type of person who is very future-oriented, If I want to achieve something, I will make sure to do the best that I can to reach that goal of mine.

5 years from now I envision myself being the better version of me, why not the best? Because change is a gradual and continuous process, I believe that we can never truly be the best because we can get better and better each day. The 5-year span of my life starting on this stage where I'm at is my foundation in facing the life crisis I will be dealing once I get to the 'harder world' the world outside the university, the real survival of the fittest. So I'm calling this my 'Preparation Stage'. My only goal is to be a better version of myself and to be academically and holistically developed. I want to move out of my comfort zone and do the things that scare me, I want to reach my fullest potential and to be a good role model to my younger siblings. To inspire the people around me, because I believe we are never late or early for our dreams, we just have a dfferent rate of progress.

Long-Term Life Goals: The Real Deal

10 years from now, I want to be financially independent doing a job I am most passionate about. This will not be about me anymore, it will be about giving back to my family, making sure they have a good and comfortable life, being stable to start the family of my own and investing for the future I most dreamt of. It will be about inspiring the youth and fighting for everything I believe in, I want to live my life as passionately as it could ever get and live a happy life doing what I love with the people I love as well.

GOALdigger's Handbook 101: The Game Plan

Relating the story of my aspirations to our Understanding the Self discipline, is Albert Bandura's Concept of Self Efficacy. It plays a major part in determining our chances for success; in fact some psychologists rate self-efficacy above talent in the recipe for success. We need to pay special attention to self-efficacy when setting goals to make sure that our efficacy beliefs are in line with our aims and not working against them. (Bandura, 1997)

1. Mastery Experiences

The first and foremost source of self-efficacy according to Bandura is through mastery experiences. However nothing is more powerful than having a direct experience of mastery to increase self-efficacy. Having a success, for example in mastering a task or controlling an environment, to have a resilient sense of self-efficacy requires experience in overcoming obstacles through effort and perseverance.

2. Vicarious Experiences

The second source of self-efficacy comes from our observation of people around us, especially people we consider as role models. Seeing people similar to ourselves succeed by their sustained effort raises our beliefs that we too possess the capabilities to master the activities needed for success in that area.

3. Verbal Persuasion

Influential people in our lives such as parents, teachers, managers or coaches can strengthen our beliefs that we have what it takes to succeed. Being persuaded that we possess the capabilities to master certain activities means that we are more likely to put in the effort and sustain it when problems arise.

4. Emotional & Physiological States

The state you’re in will influence how you judge your self-efficacy. Depression, for example, can dampen confidence in our capabilities. Stress reactions or tension are interpreted as signs of vulnerability to poor performance whereas positive emotions can boost our confidence in our skills.

5. Imaginal Experiences

Psychologist James Maddux has suggested a fifth route to self-efficacy through “imaginal experiences”, the art of visualising yourself behaving effectively or successfully in a given situation.

I believe that in order to achieve our dreams, the first step is knowing ourselves really well, our strengths and weaknesses so that we could align the capabilities that we have to our chosen path and the decisions we will be making which will determine the life we will live and of course we should believe that we can so we will.

But first, lemme take a selfie... (HAHAHA)

Sources:

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy. The exercise of control. New York:

W.H.Freeman and Company.Emory University, Division of Educational Studies, Information on Self-Efficacy: A Community of Scholars.

http://www.des.emory.edu/mfp/self-efficacy.htmlMaddux, J.E. (2005). Self-efficacy: The power of believing you can. In C.R

[damsoulindistress]

Bits and Pieces of Me

Blog post #3

It was a clear picture, of a girl I barely know. She was someone who everyone thought could be defined but she is far more than that. Her soul is a surprise, fairly unpredictable, her mind is a ticking time bomb of ideas she ought to show the world. She was, she is and she will be. And this is her journey of becoming.

1998- Baby Alive! (Infancy)

It was a rainy day when I was born, on the 3rd of November. Being the second child of two loving parents, I had all the support I needed, from having a happy and complete family, to very supportive relatives and environment. In Erick Erickson's theory of Psychosocial Development, the first stage namely, the Trust vs. Mistrust, I have developed belongingness and confidence to stand my own ground due to the reason that my parents made sure I feel the love and support they have for me. I have learned not just to trust my parents, to my environment and also to myself.

2003- The Great Escape (Pre-elementary Education)

The love and support of my family had prospered throughout my youth, they made sure to stay by my side especially during the times I needed them the most. But as for me, as a child, I wanted to do things on my own, I remember my mom telling me that when I was a kid I always wanted to take a bath without any adult supervision and then doing so I ended up having suds of soap remaining in my body. They have been consistent in being a good role model to me and my siblings. During this time of my life, Autonomy and Initiative (Erickson's 2nd and 3rd Psychosocial Development Stage) were evidently showcased when I was a child. Looking back I never really realized how one thing can affect the other aspects of my life but now, I thank my parents for giving me a strong foundation of love and development growing up. I was even a Salutatorian when I graduated my Pre-Elementary year. I can also see how my family, known to be the microsystem, in the theory proposed by Urie Bronfrenbrenner namely Ecological System of Development, had helped in establishing my norms and values as an individual.

2010- Endings and Farewells (Grade 4)

This stage of my life had been quite a blur for me. But I know that this stage is also a vital part of who I am now. This was the year my parents told me we were moving from Tacloban, the town ehere I grew up in, to Cavite, and it was going to be for good. It was a sad moment for me, I remember isolationg myself from my friends thinking I will make myself used to them not being around anymore. But the saddest news that really hit me hard is that in moving to Cavite, my dad will not be with us, he had to work in Cebu and my parents figured that we need to settle to the environment where we should grow and prosper and not go from one place to another, so they thought it was the best decision to make for the family. In this time of my life, it shows how the exosystem or the outside factors, (one of 5 environmental systems under Bronfrenbrenner's theory) had a huge effect of how we cope up with the things happening around us. In my case, it was not really a good effect especially that I was thinking I can never see my friends nor the place where I grew up in ever again. I experienced what Erickson explained as Inferiority, because at this stage of my life I found comfort and harmony in my teachers and classmates. So, I found it heart-breaking to face the real deal, it totally affected my self-esteem thinking about the acceptance of the new environment I will be at.

2012- Start of Something New (Grade 6)

Two years have passed, but I really found it hard to start all over again. Moving from Tacloban to Cavite affected how I communicate and connect with other people, I wasn't able to adjust really well to the new environment where I'm at. Confusion started to arise given that the norms and the environment itself is different from where I used to live at. The macrosystem, notably the different culture that my new environment showed had a great impact on me as an adolescent.

2016- The Dreamer (Junior High School)

During my junior High School days, I had been with the same people for the rest of my Journey, I was in a Special Science Curriculum wherein my classmates from grade 7 will be the same people until I graduate or move up from grade 10. That really had a significant impact on me as a student and as an individual, this time of my life, aside from my family, I was really close to my peers, which is part of microsystem included in Bronfrenbrenner's theory. Here, it showcases how we are widely affected by family and friends. Looking at this theory, it is really quite accurate especially that I my actions always reflected my immediate family and closest friends. I had a well-defined identity and a clear vision of my goals in life, which is in the 5th stage of Erickson's Psychosocial Development theory.

2018- Life's Lemons (Senior High School)

Ang then once again, I found myself wondering once again, I am very intact when it comes to my values but somehow and as well as my goals in life but Senior High School made me realize how how big my horizons are. I felt that I was always on my comfortzone, that is why I always succeeded in school but I thought, how wipl my life be outside of it, I lack so much skills and knowledge about the outside world, all I knew about was to be good in school. I somehow reached to the point of Role Confusion, which was a total contradiction in Erickson's 5th stage, I found myself wanting to venture out and asking myself my real purpose in life.

2019- Dear Present You

With my confusion in mind and my thirst to venture out the world, I applied in a BPO company after I graduated Senior High School, that moment, all I wanted was to try new things and be independent, all throughout my life, my parents had been the backbone of all my decision-makings, so its was time for me to decide on my own. I had this sudden conflict arising in my chest in entering the BPO industry, given the fact about its questionable environment but I stand firm in my belief that we need to move out of our comfortzone in order to grow and not be containes in the four corners of a room. And that's exactly what I did. Relating it to Karl Marx's Conflict Theory, we have an endless conflict with a alot of things, but mine is always to myself. I tend to think twice and have dilemmas in some of the choices I'm making but what's important for me is that I was able to make the right decisions, and if ever I made mistakes, I was able to reflect and learn from them.

Entering the BPO industry, not only opened the door of growth for me, it also gave a new feeling which I have been trying to avoid all my life, being involved romantically to anyone but I guess I am in the stage of intimacy in Erickson's psychosocial theory. I became more open to dealing with feelings and affection towards the opposite sex, dating, for me, was really out of the picture before, I had trust issues and some barriers when it comes to love and relationships, I was very afraid of my heart being broken but then I met the person worth taking the risk over. He made all my feara and doubts vanish into the thin air, for the first time in my life, I wanted take a chance on someone.

In my journey up until now, I have realized a lot of vitalities about my life. Sigmund Freud's Socialization theory stating that interaction with the environment and the society around us is important to learn and grow, these are huge factors for our development as individuals. These are the high and low lights of my life that are bits and pieces of who I am today, and I believe these things taught me the best life lessons and the greatest achievements in life. So currently, I am in Philippine Normal Uniersity, living the dream while making new ones because I believed in who I was, who I am and who I will be.

[damsoulindistress]

Ups and Downs and Twists and Turns

Blog Post #2

“To find yourself, Think for yourself” -Socrates

For eyes are like stars that can see through the unreachable, for lips like oceans deep and dangerous, minds vast as the galaxy defying its own limits, we are never predictable, never stagnant. There are times we act or think beyond our norms or comfort zone because we are affected by different factors around us, family, friends, events, and the list goes on. but that, I think is an indicator that we know ourselves. Based on how well we handle ourselves, our fears, our misjudgements, our wrong-doings and our own life decisions. because no great philosopher can really define who we are, we are the ones who can do it ourselves. 

The second week of our Understanding the Self session, reports were designated to each and everyone of us, the first two groups reported topics they were assigned to discuss, it was about different perspective of “self” by well-known philosophers and as well as sociological theories affecting the self. Those were really interesting topics we had discussed so far. It was really an eye-opener that a lot of things happening in our own lives have designated meaning and effect to how we see and do things. and how one way or another it is like a jigsaw puzzle going into the right places.

What item in your bag is most significant to you which you bring on a daily basis? and what is something you would want to invent to make your life easier?

There are plenty of things we bring on a daily basis, others, being technologically-dependent won’t go outside their houses without their phones, ipads, tablets and whatnot, while others being religious, they always bring their rosaries or mini bibles with them, but as for me, what I really value the most that I bring everywhere I am is my pen. I think it is the most underrated significant thing we all have. Being an aspiring writer myself, whenever I have ideas or I feel like I want to write something, to preserve a feeling or a memory, I used to write it down on a piece of paper. For me, it is a very good way to release emotions or even relive them. I also used to re-read them when I miss a person, a feeling or a moment in my life.

Moving over to the other question above stated, inventing something that would make my life easier will really be a game changer for me, but if I were to choose, I would prefer not to. That is because for me, hardships will make life worth living, it would make us grateful of the things we have now and the things we worked hard for. Don’ get me wrong, innovation and development is also the next big thing, but as of the moment, I am more than contented of all the material possessions that I have. Living the life we always dreamt of and having all the things we want and need will be accomplished with every ups and downs twists and turns, and all will be worth it, soon.

[damsoulindistress]

Parallels and Perpendicular

Blog post #1

Like parallel lines that never meet but we know quite well is existent, there are people who will never cross our paths, those people are as significant as we are as human beings, these people will not really affect our lives. But on the contrary, there are also people who are like perpendicular lines, two lines meeting at a certain point to form a right angle, we meet them in a very unexpected way but along the way, we realize we have met them at the right time given the right purpose. For me, meeting people is never a coincidence, they are placed in our lives for a reason, some affect our lives positively but some, the other way around.

June 17,2019. I have met 35 great souls. Well technically, I don’t know them yet. I knew names and faces, from different walks of life but all I know is that we share one great dream as we walk our way to our dream university, Philippine Normal University (PNU) to become future educators. We had this activity on one of our subjects, Understanding the Self. we were tasked to know the names of our classmates and find a certain similarity we both share. at first, I thought it was a piece of cake just asking their names and letting them sign on my yellow paper, but as the game goes, I find it harder to remember each one of them or even find something in common between us.

I realized that it is never really enough to know their names or remember their faces because just one second we remember and then the next thing we know all the names and the faces we took time to remember are all mixed up. And because we focused on getting as many names as we can, we tend to forget the very main essence of why we even played that game in the first place, it was to know one distinct similarity we share with one another so that we won’t forget who they are, we should make a connection or even leave a mark so that people will remember us. looking back at what I did on that activity, I realized how I should have done it, I should have focused more on knowing the person in front of me rather than thinking about how I can have many names listed on my paper. 

This activity that we did was entirely a game changer of us all. This just goes to show that we, ourselves are as deep as the ocean and as vast as the universe, knowing our name is just the beginning of knowing who we truly are. So that day I have met 35 great souls, souls I have yet to discover and understand. but thinking about it as well, I figured we should start searching for our own first, knowing who we truly are and discovering ourselves because for most people, knowing who that person standing in front of the mirror is the hardest challenge and that, I believe, is the focal point of this subject and our whole college life for that matter, searching for our happy color and expanding it to reach the brightest color we could ever be.