WRIT340

The Social Media Hotline Almost 20% of American adults experience mental illness.  Where over half of these adults receive no treatment. The most common of these disorders are anxiety and depression related. Now mental health stems from a variety of causes, but the one I want to bring your attention to today is the use of social media.  Us humans are social creatures. We thrive on companionship, strong connections and it is proven that being socially connected with others eases anxiety, depression, stress, boosts self-worth, provides comfort and joy and prevents loneliness. Lacking strong social connections, of course, poses a risk to your mental and emotional health. Social media was launched as a way to deeper these social connections- that way we are connected even when we aren't together. Now with actions like Instagram stories and platforms like BeReal, you are aware of what others are doing almost all the time. This is good. Now we can be more connected than ever. But th...

This is not so much a world problem (rather a problem I see in myself that others may relate to) but I dare to imagine a world where stop comparing ourselves to others. Comparison is the thief of joy, and I truly believe so. Because we live in a world where you are compared to others in most aspects of life all the time, it is hard not to do so yourself. And so it is easy to forget that we are very different from each other, and that comparing yourself to someone else will get you nowhere.   We will always be our harshest critic, and we will always have the nagging voice in our head saying 'but compared to me they're better'. It is important to understand for your own sanity that we are unique individuals, that there are parts of people we don't know and parts that people don't know about you. Any comparison is unfair. And yes I understand that comparison is an integral part of our society. In a way that it determines where you get into school, what job you get, and...

My second random post is going to be about a book I am reading called My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. It's a great book btw. It's depressing, but incredibly funny and while there doesn't seem to be a clear climax or plot line, the story makes me appreciate the little things in life just a little more. I think Ottessa Moshfegh is just a great writer. I've read books that were about much more interesting stories but didn't entertain me as much as this book has.  I think right now I could use an entire year of rest and relaxation, and that's why I love the book so much. I can relate to the protagonist on some level. But in a lot of ways I really don't like her. She's selfish, hypocritical, straight up mean, and despite her parents being pretty unloving she was given all the privileges of life from birth. Yet, she is so unhappy she goes into a year of hibernation. Literal hibernation. She attempts, with the help of multiple drugs, to slee...

Wayfinders was definitely a book I don't normally read. I've parts of books like Guns, Germs, and Steel and The History of Almost Everything that remind me of this one. Slightly academic, but written in way thats almost narrative (if that's the right word). I enjoyed it, especially since this genre is something I am not inclined to.  The part of the book that stuck out to me the most was the one talking about cultural destruction. Specifically, cultural destruction that occurred in the 20th century - the Tibetan Buddhists, the Rendille of the Sahara and Inuits and Northern Canada. Because of colonization, wars, slavery, these nations were forced to change their traditional way of life. Their culture completely altered, their people displaced, their traditions lost. It stuck out to me because I see this in the Philippines.  Growing up I would ask my family why parts of our country simply didn't work. Everything from extreme poverty, to corrupt government officials, to hi...