2018 is the year for new resolutions, and not resolutions you say you’ll do but never do. Here’s a list of resolutions to keep in mind for the new year.

Number one: Self love: always know to love yourself, you are your own best friend. Don’t look down on yourself, don’t talk bad about yourself, always keep a positive attitude about yourself.

Number two: Write down things about yourself that you appreciate: trust me when I tell you it helps boost your self esteem. And you’ll be happier, and it’ll keep you steady for the rest of the year, and possibly your whole life.

Another good New Year’s resolution is to stop procrastinating. We all know how to avoid doing what we are suppose to do. Whether it’s school related, work, or even personal things. You can make a “To Do” list to help you stay productive and remain focused on your work, even if you don’t want to.

The beginning of the year is a great time to start a healthier lifestyle that you have been talking about. Start to eat less junk food, and more healthy food. Try to exercise at least 30 minutes each day, and by the end of the month you would see incredible results that will motivate you to continue following this new lifestyle you established.

Another New Year’s resolution you might have is doing well in school. You might not be happy with the way things are going at school, with your friends, with your grades and classes, or even homework. You can write a list, or get a planner and write in it daily so you don’t get behind. You can use your smartphone to write your reminders. You can get a piece of paper and stick it on your fridge with all the homework you have to do. There are plenty of ways to help you catch up in school and remind yourself of what you have to do.

There are plenty of New Year’s resolutions you can make. You can make one for whatever you want to fix, or do better, or just something you want to start doing. Just make sure to stick to it and try hard.

Seeing what’s inside your stocking is equally as exciting as opening your gifts on Christmas morning. But sometimes it’s hard to know what to put inside someone’s stocking especially because some items costs as much as the regular gift. It might be especially hard if the person is picky. Here are some fun and easy stocking stuffer ideas that won’t hurt your wallet and that anyone would love.

Earbuds

Who doesn’t like music? Putting earbuds in someone’s stocking would be great, especially if you know that they’re always losing theirs like I am. You can find earbuds for as little as $5.00.

Skincare/Gift sets

Many brands come out with gift/holiday sets around this time. Again, depending on how much you’re willing to spend, you can get gift sets like this for an affordable price, or you can always get a more luxurious gift set from Sephora or Ulta. If you have a lot of stockings to fill you can also open it and put one in each stocking.

PopSocket/phone grips

These are everywhere now-a-days, and they’re pretty inexpensive. You can always go the extra mile and customize it for whoever it’s for.

Funny Keychains

From Crocs keychains to Sriracha keychains, you’ll find a keychain for anyone.

Hand sanitizer

Something that is simple and easy to get, you never know when you might need hand sanitizer!

Gift cards

Gift cards are easy and quick to get, and something you can never go wrong with.

Candy/snacks

And if you still have a lot of room left to fill, just add a bunch of their favorite candy and snacks!

These are not the only things you can put inside stockings, but these are a few ideas if you’re a little stuck. Happy holidays! 🙂

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”
It’s also the time of the year when people seem to get sick more often than not.
Being sick sucks. This is a universal feeling that everyone can relate to. You don’t want to spend two days puking your guts out or being so dehydrated that you start to hallucinate. And you definitely don’t want to go Googling your symptoms only to be told by WebMD that you’re dying. So, whether you just have a bad case of the sniffles, or you can’t keep even water down, here are some ways to help yourself feel better.

1. Drink water, please, for the love of god!
No matter what is wrong with you, water will help you feel better. Drinking fluids will help flush out toxins and in general help you.
2. Get rest!
Sleep allows your body to regenerate and heal. If you’re tired, sleeping is ultimately what your body needs.
3. Listen to your body!
Your body knows what’s wrong. It will likely give you subtle hints on how to help.
4. Binge watch your favorite Netflix show or pick a movie marathon to while away the hours.
5. Cuddles
Whether it be with your pet, or a beloved stuffed animal, make sure you pull someone close (that can’t catch your cold!)

Now, go out have a great holiday season, hopefully, without any illness.

Being a teenager, with a million things on our mind, it’s sometimes hard to save and even make money, depending on your age. But it is important that you make a habit of saving money. Here are some of the things that have helped me save money, and also some ideas to help you make a little extra money.

Cut down your expenses
We all spend money on things we don’t really need. Think about it, do you really need to stop by a coffee shop to get a drink before or after school? Those extra 3-5 dollars you spend will add up. Let’s say you stop by Caribou 3 times a week, and your drink is about $5. That’s $15 by the end of the week!

Limit the amount of cash you carry
Keep your cash at home so you don’t overspend. Obviously, if you don’t have a debit card, and cash is your only option, try leaving some at home when you go out so you don’t spend it on stuff you don’t need.

Sell your old stuff!
We all have those pieces of clothing that we don’t wear anymore, but are still in good condition. Or, if you’re like me, you have a lot of pieces of clothing that still have the price tags on them. Places like Plato’s Closet will look through your clothes and give you cash for the things they can take.

Use cashback sites
When you do decide to shop online, use Ebates. Ebates is a website that has coupons and also gives you a certain amount of cashback. For more details visit the website, https://www.ebates.com

These are not the only things you can do to save/make money, but these are the ways I have found to help me the most. Hopefully they help you too!

Not sure how to dress appropriately for winter?  Unsure about :jacket, boots, scarf, hats, gloves, socks, coats, extra sweaters, Etc.?

Get ready for the cold and start getting your gear. You might need to change your wardrobe to make space. Need help? Donate some of your stuff to Goodwill from your summer/spring clothes.

Also, some tips to stay warm are: get a heater, try to get warmer blankets, and try to change your room a little by adding winter/holiday stuff (for fun).

Want to have fun in snow? Snow gear, besides a jacket, you can wear for playing in the snow includes: snow pants, gloves, scarfs, and a hat.

This year we are expecting a bit more snow than before. If you want to stay warm then WEAR YOUR GEAR. Snow is pretty, but it can be a bit dangerous without the proper gear. 

Also, consider some other fun “cold weather” things like getting your nails done with colorful snow stuff. Always remember, something good about winter clothes is that some are soft and some are made out of cute fabric. 

Mental health has been a hot topic recently, and there are many ways that people view those who suffer from mental illness. The most common mental health problems are: depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Whether you know it or not, some of the things you say to people with these disorders can cause more harm than good. Here are the most common things that are said that don’t really help people who suffer from mental illness feel any better.

In response to learning someone has depression: “You should try yoga”, “Have you tried happy thoughts?”, “But you have nothing to be depressed about.”

The issue with suggesting physical activities like hiking or yoga is that depression, especially that which is caused by a chemical imbalance, isn’t that easy to get rid of. It’s not simply feeling sad or blue; it is feeling so hopeless or worthless that the simple tasks of everyday life become challenging, and even waking up can become hard. Depression is not always situational, which is caused by deeply stressful occurences in life, but sometimes is clinical, that which is caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain.

The best way to get rid of situational depression is getting rid of the stressor(s) in your life.

“You don’t look schizophrenic.”

This kind of goes for all mental illnesses.

Of course someone isn’t going to look like they have a mental illness, since mental illness is internal. You wouldn’t say to someone with heart disease that they don’t look like they have a heart disease.

Using “triggered” to describe someone who is upset.

Now, bear with me, because some of you may just think “You’re being too sensitive!”, but the word “triggered” is actually a word used in mental health rehabilitation circles. It’s used commonly in therapy for people who have experienced traumatic events including, but not limited to: sexual assault, abuse, and fighting in wars. Triggers can be certain words, smells, sights, or sounds. When people hear, see, or smell these certain things it will make the individual vividly remember their trauma. Triggers are common in people who suffer from PTSD.

In the case of sexual assault or abuse, triggers can be strange in the eyes of the person who is not afflicted, but that doesn’t make a trigger any less real for the afflicted person. There is no approved list for things that cause people to vividly remember traumatic experiences, since everyone’s brain makes connections differently.

“He can’t make up his mind! He’s so bipolar!” Or anything like that.

Bipolar episodes are not anything like common belief. Bipolar episodes can last up to months with one feeling manic and/or depressed. The switch between the two feelings is not within seconds like commonly believed. So, when you say this, you are trivializing, and minimalizing, a debilitating disorder to just being indecisive.

In response to anxiety: “Just stop being anxious!”

Wow, I’m cured. Do I even need to explain this? Anxiety can’t be controlled like this. No mental illness can be controlled. If it were, don’t you think people who suffer from it would just stop being mentally ill?

“I don’t believe in mental illness.”

Ok, good for you? That doesn’t change the fact that I’m definitely mentally ill. In fact that’s only proved to me that I can’t trust you enough to be able to talk about my mental illness.

“You’re just making it up for attention!”

When you say this to someone you are essentially telling them “I don’t value your feelings enough to believe that you’re actually going through a major problem that affects a majority of the populous, so I’m just going to assume you want attention.”

Trust me, in the case of depression, the last thing depressed people want is to feel like their depression is causing a burden on someone.

As someone who suffers from depression, the treatment of people with mental illness is a very important to me. All I’m asking for is a bit of empathy and understanding. How hard is it to be a decent person?

If you are experiencing any symptoms of mental illness, please contact a doctor, counselor, or adult you trust.

Transitioning from the summer and into the fall is pretty hard for a couple of reasons including: 1. work starts for many adults, 2. starting a new school year is hard for kids. But there are some ways to break out of bad old habitats, and start doing things the healthy way!

I know you’ve heard this a lot from doctors, teachers, friends, and even your parents: drink a lot of water. It’s good for you, when you’re sleeping you don’t drink any water and your body is in need of water. So, drinking a glass right when you wake up is good; it gives you energy to actually get up and get your day started.

Eat some breakfast before you leave the house; it doesn’t have to be a big meal just a smoothie or a granola bar would do.

OK, maybe you’re not a morning person. You can crank on some music, and that will stop your feelings of tiredness. Well, don’t just stand there, dance to the music! This isn’t only fun, but it could count as exercising too. Then go to school/work as happy, and energetic as possible.

It’s understandable that it’s hard for many people to start a healthy lifestyle, because most people are busy with life. But putting some effort into changing your lifestyle is all that you need. After coming back from school/work, try to exercise for at least 30 minutes; yes, that’s right, only 30 minutes.

If you really don’t feel like exercising, then try to eat a healthy meal, by a healthy meal we mean – watch out for the amount of calories it contains, and also how much carbs are in it. According to the Human Department of Health and Human Services “Good nutrition is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Combined with physical activity, your diet can help you to reach and maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of chronic diseases.”

So, leading a healthy lifestyle is not only good for your physical features, and your self-esteem, but it also reduces the risk of chronic diseases. Examples of chronic diseases are: arthritis, heart failure, stroke, and kidney failure. We hope this information helps you start to lead a healthier lifestyle.

This year, October set the records for warmest and wettest, of the year, in the Upper Midwest region. October was unusually wet this year, and according to Southeast Regional Climate data, about 20 cities had set a new record of having the wettest October. Only 6 cities reported that October was the coldest month. Some of those cities included: Idaho Falls; Pocatello; and Laramie, Wyoming. Hurricane Nate, along the coast of the Gulf, also consider contributed to southern states having their wettest month as well. In Watertown, New York, because of the continuous rain, it is consider the wettest month.

November is the final month of hurricane season. Though hurricanes, tornadoes, and windstorms are still possible, many cities are now getting snow. Early November and late October have a long history of intense storms, especially in the Midwest region, according to Weather.com. The low pressure of the wind can cause strong winds which damage trees and create power outages. On October 24 of this year, the strong winds caused many power lines to go down in northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

It also caused huge waves so there was some flooding near the coast up north. There is especially lots of flooding during this time around the Lake Superior shore. The storms caused a huge hazard for boats. In November 1975, one of the biggest storms going through Minnesota caused a boat to sink in Lake Superior.

One of things to watch out for in November is the severe thunderstorms which can leads to tornadoes or hail storm. Last November, there were about 3 dozen storms that hit the South. There is the lake-snow band to watch out for as well if you are near Lake Superior. According to the Weather Channel, the definition of lake-snow band is a weather phenomenon when cold air picks up moisture and heat while passing over a warmer lake. It causes the lake to freeze over until the moisture and heat is lost.