You've heard the saying "if you haven't got anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" but it's so easy to say negative, meh comments. Hope this youtube clip inspires you to say more positive and encouraging stuff.
 Photo courtesy of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. Senior High School can be a difficult time. You are not quite an adult but definitely not a child any more, the frontal lobe of your brain is still developing (which controls emotions, memory and judgement amongst other things), your hormones are running rampant, you're trying figure out boys and possibly juggle a part time job. Then you have the whole Senior High School thing to deal with - lots of reading, homework, study and exams - until you think your brain will explode.
Stephanie Limm won the VCE Leadership Award in 2013. While she was in high school she wrote a booklet entitled A Student's Guide to Staying Sane in VCE (VCE = Victorian Certificate of Education, in Western Australia it's called WACE and in New South Wales it's called HSC for Higher School Certificate etc.). It's full of ways to be mentally and physically healthy and great study tips. Stephanie was also responsible for students undertaking a Student Mental Health First AId Course at her high school and made sure students had access to gym facilities and meditation classes. Check out this social experiment that Dove conducted. Which door would you choose? How do you define beauty? Would you judge someone who went through the Beautiful door?
Society has such a narrow view of beauty. Very few of us match up to beauty as it is portrayed in the print and digital media. It sounds cliche but beauty comes from within. Being kind, generous, strong, compassionate, patient, happy, brave, confident and loving make you beautiful in ways that make up, expensive clothes, fake tans and boob jobs can't. Choose beautiful. Many girls become less physically active once they become teenagers. Here are some of the advantages of staying physically active according to the Better Health website:
You don't have to go to the gym - there are thousands of ways to get moving:
Check out this great TED Talk by Maggie Dent exploring the big question - Why am I here? I want to let you in on a secret - all girls are insecure (and probably all boys too). I don't think any teenager is self-assured and confident - they're just good at acting that way. Do you want to know another secrets - most adults are insecure as well. It's no secret that the overweight, pimply girl with greasy hair and hand-me-down clothes is ensure. NEWS FLASH!!! The girl who looks like she just stepped off the cover of Teen Vogue - insecure. The girl who has all the guys drooling over her - insecure. The straight 'A' student and teacher's pet - insecure. The school bully who uses her words and her body to inflict pain on others - insecure. The rich girl who who holidays in Europe each year - insecure. We don't need to be a size 8 but we need to be healthy (body, mind and soul) and learn to be comfortable in our own skin. We need to be kind to ourselves and kind to each other. Life is difficult enough without us girls turning on each other. We're all the same on the inside. We need to stick together.
 We love Alyce Cowell's regular contribution on the Westfield website Day Before Payday: Best buys under $50. You can check it out at http://www.westfield.com.au/editorial/fashion/day-payday-best-buys-50
You might think poetry is a bit old school but check out Clementine von Radics' poem, For Teenage Girls. According to Paula Begoun, the Cosmetics Cop and author of the book, Don't go to the cosmetics counter without me, the secret to clear skin is consistent skin care. She said it doesn't have to be complicated and recommends a good cleanser, toner, sunscreen, exfoliant and moisturiser no matter what your skin type. It is essential to cleanse twice a day, especially if you have been wearing makeup. You can find more information at the www.paulaschoice.com.au.
 The ACCC Shopper App is a free app for iPhone and Android which is full of useful information about your rights as a consumer. It also has a function to store photos of your receipts. Did you know that even though the warranty has expired, you may be entitled to a replacement or repair? I recently had a laptop repaired as the motherboard died after 18 months even though it only had a 12 month warranty. Thanks for the heads up Girlfriend Mag. |
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