Happy December everyone! With the month of December just beginning and holiday cheer starting to fill the space around us, do not forget about focusing on you and your mental health, as well as the mental health of others. Although the holidays bring happy smiles and lots of enjoyable times, it also brings holiday craziness! Everyone's holiday season includes different emotions, so take the time to reflect on what this holiday season means to you and to those around you. Take the time to be kind to yourself and to those around you that you interact with this holiday season. Remember to include others who might be spending the holidays alone, so they can embrace the holiday cheer with you which might even make their day or year. Be kind. Be thoughtful. Be welcoming. Positivity and inclusion is key, especially during the holiday season!
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I am not going to lie to you and if you know me, then you know that I am an open book and I am 100% real. Some days are hard. I begin to doubt myself and my abilities, but I do not sit down and keep myself in a negative mindset. I think about all the great things that life has to offer and how one bad day, obstacle, or setback will not stop me from achieving my goals and dreams. I begin to turn my negative mindset into a positive mindset as I think about what I can learn from this experience to help me in the future. I realize the worth within myself and you should too!! YOU MATTER and there is a reason why you are here on this Earth. Please remember that you bring so much to this world and that one bad day, obstacle or setback will NOT divine your worth!! I am beyond proud of you and you should be too! Please comment below or reach out to the EMPOWER email or Instagram page and I will be happy to talk!
Hello everyone!
WOW! Time really flew by! After a restful summer and almost an end to a crazy fall semester, the year is almost over! BUT WAIT!!! One more hurdle to accomplish before the end of the year and that is finals season! As a college student myself, I understand how difficult it is to stay positive during one of the most stressful parts of the semester. To help myself stay positive and healthy, I incorporate daily walks, about 15 to 30 minutes, around where I live to give myself a breather and some fresh air! It certainly helps and I come back being even more productive. It is really important to incorporate the things you love and relaxation breaks into your study times. If your mindset is staying positive and you are confident in your abilities then you will succeed! You got this! One common question that usually comes up about EMPOWER is "how is a positive mindset connected to inclusion?" Well, I am here today to tell you how!! Connections come through the stories we tell, so as members of the EMPOWER community, we go out and share our stories in hopes of teaching others the powers of a positive mindset. Through these connections, an inclusive community is thriving because individuals from all walks of life's and backgrounds are welcomed to learn and grow with the support of likeminded individuals around them. EMPOWER is dedicated to creating a place where we celebrate each others uniqueness and help each other build our positive mindsets through the tips and tricks we learn from each other. When you are apart of the EMPOWER community, you are always welcomed, always included, and always celebrated for you being you. Your ideas, experiences and stories are welcomed to be shared and EMPOWER is that place where all are able to do just that. So let’s help each other build a positive mindset and create an inclusive community for all!
From elementary school to high school, I was bullied for my physical appearance and who I was as a person. At that point, the negative words of the bullies got to me and I felt small and unwanted in life as if I was not enough. It took me years to find the self-love that I needed to be able to tell myself that their words DO NOT MATTER and I cannot have every single person in the whole entire world like me for who I am, BUT that does not mean that I cannot be who I am because of their opinions. I decided to stand tall and be true to myself and the person I wanted to be in life and ever since that day, I have been able to tune out the negative comments from those around me. Recently, I had an encounter where I was being laughed at for being me and wearing the fun colored clothes that I absolutely adore. Instead of focusing on the words they were saying, I decided to tune it and continued to go on my merry way with my fun, bright colored clothes and my big smile without any thoughts of what that group of girls could be saying about me. Everyone has something to say about you and I have learned that through out the years, but you have to remember that a random stranger walking into your life for 5 seconds is not going to matter in the next month, year, or decade. So, be yourself and stand tall because you have so much to offer to this world and so many people cannot wait to see your success💗
Sometimes we focus so much on what we can do to make others happy that we forget to focus on what makes us happy too. It is good to incorporate hobbies into your life once a day that make you smile and add positive vibes into your life. Don't forget about yourself :)
I want to share this quote I saw today because it has really hit home recently:
"Look at you! You've been through so much, and here you are. Still standing, still smiling. You're unstoppable." I am here to remind you that every day or each week might not be the best day or best week, but hey, you are still here and you are doing GREAT. We are human and we are allowed to have bad days, unproductive days, and lazy days, but GUESS WHAT?!?! We also have AWESOME days, good days, productive days, and busy days. Do not let one bad experience change your whole mindset because there is better things to look forward to in life than a bad experience. Do not let your negative thoughts control you! THINK POSITIVE and be PROUD of yourself for even the little things because I am beyond happy that you are here on this earth with me:) The word "inclusion" has been in the news more recently over the last couple of years as our society is understanding the need to respect others differences and to welcome those around you in every situation possible. Well, what does inclusion mean? Inclusion means being included within a group and respected of your differences. Inclusion involves being treated fairly as well. This is a broad definition of inclusion, but depending on the topic, it can be more specific.
There are an abundant amount of ways to be inclusive in your everyday life. One way is to invite someone new to come sit with you at lunch or someone new to play tennis with you and your friends in gym class. Maybe you grab coffee after class with someone who sits next to you in class, but you never have talked to. The list is endless as it's all about reaching out to those around you and being welcoming to all. There are also ways to be inclusive through clubs. I wanted to create an inclusive community at my high school and help build friendships between general education individuals and individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities. I started my high school's Best Buddies chapter to create interactions outside of class to build passionate one-on-one friendships. To this day, the chapter continues to grow and include more individuals who might not feel welcomed somewhere else in school, but knows they will always feel welcomed in Best Buddies. Remember to be kind to others, embrace and respect each others differences, and help create a better experience for those around you! Best, Mya 💗💗 For me, an affirmation is something I create in words and write down on a sticky note so that whenever I feel a rush of negative thoughts come in, I look at this specific sticky note and I remind myself of all the good things in life and the good things to come. Okay, okay, I know what you might be thinking. Well, what if I am not into all of this positivity stuff or learning about self-care, or what if I just don't have time to think about affirmations? Hear me out and let me tell you about the powers of affirmations and what they can do for you doing the darkest moments in your life. If you know about my organization EMPOWER then you know I love telling stories to teach you what I learned from past experiences. Ever since I was a little girl in elementary school, I was bullied for my physical appearance, the way I walked, and the way I talked. That carried throughout high school where the bullying really hit me. As the negative thoughts about hating myself and the way I looked came to me, I told myself: "I am beautiful on the inside and the outside. Other people's words about me are not going to determine my success, so keep pushing forward and I will love every single part of me." I still say that exact affirmation to myself whenever I am down on myself and let me tell you, IT WORKS!!! I have a couple different affirmations depending on the situation and those phrases written down on a simple sticky note have helped me stay positive.
Take 10 minutes or even just 5 minutes and think about what words or phrases will push you most when you are feeling down. It is your time to create your own positive affirmations and motivate yourself to never give up even when you think that you cannot go any further because you can with the right mindset. This is only the beginning towards a positive mindset and I am here to support you through this journey and create the affirmation that motivates you the most. Cheers to positivity and inclusivity! 💗 Mya With the school year coming to a close, assignments are due and senior activities are being planned, BUT we have to remember to stay calm!!! The best thing we can do for ourselves right now is stay grounded, calm, and relaxed so that we can enjoy all the things that the end of a school year can bring. Remember to take a step back and breathe. Maybe find a new book or take time to mediate so that you are calming the mind during all of this craziness!!! You got this!
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AuthorMya started her Best Buddies chapter at her high school and continues to spread inclusion at her university and in her community! Archives
December 2022
CategoriesFollow the EMPOWER instagram below to stay up to date on all things inclusive and positive!
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