Losing it - Chapter 4

What can you learn or take away from each of the eight articles? Please consider

information from the spotlight articles associated with the corresponding articles.

 

Article 1 'No Day But Today'

I have learnt that one should always live life everyday asthough there is no tomorrow. That way, one would make full use of everyday that one has, instead of breezing by each day, asthough he/she had all the time in the world to waste. This way, one would appreciate everything and everyone one has everyday.

 

Article 2 'I'm No Longer Mad'

I have learnt that one must always forgive and forget someone else when they make a mistake. God forgives us for all our mistakes, so how could we not forgive another human being when they make a mistake? And when you forgive someone, you should always tell them when you forgive them, so they don't always feel bad, thinking that you stilll bear a grudge against them.

 

Article 3 'My Gift of Life'

I have learnt that one should always treasure life, as there is never a 'second chance' if you let life slip through your grasp. If you don't hold on tightly to your life, it would be gone forever and you can never get it back. 

 

Article 4 'A Broken Fence'

I have learnt that, when you make a mistake, don't  keep mulling over what you did wrong, as it already happened and there is nothing you can do to turn back time and redo what you did wrong. The most you can do is apologise sincerely and do your ultimate est to make sure you never make the same mistake again.

 

Article 5 'Chain Reaction'

I have learnt that you should never judge a book by its cover, but you should always reserve judgement on something or someone you happen to come across, so you won't have to say later 'What a paradigm shift!'. Also, if you start an act of kindness, it would start a chain reaction and, most of the time, the chain reaction could wind back to you again.

 

Article 6 'The Day an Angel was Made'

I have larnt that when a friend of yours dies, or even moves to another country for that matter, you should not brood over his/her leaving you. You should just get over it and make new friends. Of course, that doesn't mean that you forget totally about your old friend. Still remember her/him and the happy times that you had together, but don't mourn over him/her too much.

 

Article 7 'My Star Girl'

I have learnt that everyone must live by their own rules. Nomatter how much you care for someone, if she/he choses the wrong path, there is nothing you can do about it. The most you can do is inform someone who can help him/her or try to help him/her get back on the right track but, if he/she doesn't want to change for the better, there is really nothing you can do.

 

Article 8 'An Unforgettable Storm'

I have learnt that you should treasure what you have now, because in a flash, everything that you once knew could be blasted away in a matter of seconds.

Family Affairs - Chapter 3

There are times when family affairs disappoint you. On page 79 ‘Outside the Box’, there are four suggestions on how to handle disappointment. What do you think of each suggestion? If you do not have issues that are family related (include the wider family, adoptive family, guardian), consider other disappointments in your life with other people who are supposedly close to you.

 

I agree with the first suggestion as it is a good way to remind yourself of self-worth. If you are feeling down and you wallow in self-pity, instead of raising your own spirits, that feeling would just stay with you wherever you go and whatever you do. However, if you bring yourself out of you 'down' pool as fast as you can, you will find that life seems a little disappointing, ut with a lot of nice things in it to compensate.

 

I also agree with the second suggestion as it one of the most useful suggestions in the box. Optimism sheds alot of light on the world which is, otherwise, a very dismal place. For example, if you are faced with the prospect of writing an essay and you absolutely hate writing anything longer than one-liners, instead of moaning about it and handing in a lousy piece of work, you could see it as a good way to improve on your essay-writing skills. Anyway, it's not like hating the subject so thoroughly is going to make the school change it's mind about setting them... Might as well suck it up and do it well...

 

I do not agree with the third suggestion as the length of the 'disappointment' feeling differs greatly with everything you face. For example, for Amy, failing in a test is next to nothing to her, but her boyfriend dumping her might be something that she takes months to get over. On the other hand, for Betty, she feels disappointed that she couldn't reach her target in the same test, but, when her boyfriend dumps her, she feels that it is not the end of the world and, if her boyfriend doesn't want to accept her, there is always someone out there who will.

 

I also do not agree with the fourth suggestion as finding a healthy way to express your emotions only relieves you of that 'disappointment' feeling for a little while. Once you stop whatever it is you are doing, the feelings all come rushing back and they have grown stronger than before. In the end, you will end up either keeping your nose so firmly fixed in your own little world that you lose all your friends, or you hurt yourself to totally forget the feeling, which also doesn't really work anyway. It just adds more physical pain to you emotionally hurt being.

 

I agree with the last suggestion as it is very similar to the second. Keeping yourself in full view of all that is goos in the world (which is actually a lot) is the best thing you can do if you are down.

Hurting myself - Chapter 2

How comfortable are you with yourself & how do you ensure you do not hurt yourself?

I am very comfortable with myself and I feel secure in my position in society (not counting studies, at which I really need to buck up). So far, I have never felt any inclination whatsoever to hurt myself  (eg. cutting myself, taking drugs or smoking) and I don't think I ever will. That's really because I don't feel much stress and, even when I do, it's not over little things like not being able to text back my friend in another class and rarely on tests and quizzes in class. I ususally get a bit worried over exams, but not stressed enough to suddenly burst out and do something stupid and nonsensical.

Emotional Basket Case - Chapter 1

What are your thoughts and feelings about depression, loneliness, heartbreaks, being different from your peers, and having to put up a front? How do/would you deal with some of these issues?   I usually just ignore it if it is not so very serious, eg. If people think I am weird, I don't really care. If it pangs a bit, then I just sing to forget it, eg. If people take my things and hide them, and then call me names, I just sing, then I forget. Or course, I get my stuff back first. But, if it is super serious, I just write in my imaginary diary. I never share my problems with anyone else, unless it concerns them closely. That's how I really cope with being really weird at school, but my father is trying to teach me how to disarm those who are sniping at me (disarm, deflect, snip back, etc). I still prefer my own method, though.