Have you ever put on a really cute outfit and you are feeling confident? You can feel peoples eyes on you, and then you start seeing looks of disgust and hatred. That has happened to me. Whether it was because my stomach was out, too much skin was showing or because I wore something that people don’t normally wear. People will judge you wherever you go and that is a lesson I had to learn.
In some cases, the clothes you wear would matter. There is a time and a place for the outfits you should wear. You don’t want to wear an overly revealing outfit to a very important meeting or interview. But, if you are out somewhere to hangout, eat, have fun with friends whatever the case may be , then you should be able to wear what you want (as long as you aren’t showing all of your bits and pieces). People should not dictate what you can and cannot wear. Other people should not be able to dim your light.
I feel that people who are not you, shouldn’t have a say in what you decide to put on your body. Sometimes, the clothes that we wear are an expression of how we feel. You are decorating yourself in a way that makes you happy. People shouldn’t feel self-conscious because someone looked at them with a side eye and made them feel as if they were ugly or looked like an outcast.
Your clothing choices shouldn’t be changed because someone else’s views. One’s fashion choices is supposed to be a form of self projection, a way to show what you like and how you want to be viewed. This means that people should have the right to their own style. Some outfits should only be worn at certain events and some outfits will make you look twice. But that aside, don’t diminish who you are to satisfy others.
Fashion experts say that the clothes that we wear show the personality that we created for ourselves. This is because it is a form of self expression which should be important to everybody. Nobody should tell you what you can and cannot wear. They are not you and you are not them. Don’t let them diminish your light.
by Madison McKenzie Academy for Advanced Studies McDonough, Georgia
With teenagers facing multiple mental health challenges, the plethora of testing required in many schools can be overwhelming for students.
Rudi McKenzie, a licensed clinical social worker who works primarily with women who suffer from depression and anxiety, said testing can cause high anxiety for students, especially for those already suffering from mental health issues.
“From a counseling standpoint, what I see with different clients is how test taking can impact identity, how you see yourself, the pressures that the society, your family, your friends and your close circle can put on you,” McKenzie says. “As far as, ‘If I don’t do well, how will they see me? If I don’t do well, they will see me as a failure.”
Christopher McKenzie, a former part time lecturer at Kennesaw State University in the Wellstar program, said he saw that anxiety firsthand with some students. “By testing the knowledge that they gain throughout the course of the semester, that anxiety comes up in various forms,” Christopher McKenzie said. “Whether it’s them saying they are not going to show up to class today, or saying that they are going to panic.”
Christopher McKenzie, a former lecturer at Kennesaw State University, noticed that some of his students struggled with test anxiety.
In his time at Kennesaw, some students would have some sort of anxiety when it comes to testing, or just homework in general. This would be because students are afraid of failure and have the fear of disappointing, McKenzie said. This can lead to panic attacks, shortness of breath, chronic worry, difficulty concentrating, a lack of sleep, and mood changes. Food habits can also be impacted.
Rudi McKenzie would see some of these students in her practice.
“I think on average, If I had 20 students on my caseload, more than half have been impacted in some form mentally by testing, anxiety, or testing impacts,” she said.
There are healthy approaches to help a student succeed. Student services and counseling services are some ways that students can get the testing accommodations that they really need. Students that make what they are going through known to a trusted adult can most definitely get the help that they need. The other side is there are other students that are maybe afraid to ask for help because they don’t want to seem like they need somebody to depend on. They could also be afraid to speak out about how they feel because they are scared that they will get turned down.
“Address the thinking,” Christopher McKenzie said. “It is important to address irrational thoughts, and those irrational thoughts can really turn into a gambit of ideas and things like false beliefs. It is important to have a safe space to address any false belief, help create emotional wellness or well being.”
Rudi Coleman, a licensed counselor, said that people should be aware of how anxiety impacts them.
Rudi McKenzie said that recognizing that there are steps a student can take to improve their own mental health is critical to overcoming anxiety. “We are all responsible,” she said. What I’m thinking, what I’m going through is different than what you are thinking and going through. Even though we share similarities we are also two different people.”
Despite the differences between people, Rudi McKenzie said confiding in friends and others who share similar feelings can be helpful in overcoming anxiety.“Make sure that you have a community in which you can relate to or share things with, especially communicate with,” she said, adding that it’s important not to focus on comparing your experiences with others. “Comparison can be really dangerous because you can get in your head and think that you are the only one thinking something and that something is wrong with yourself.”
Acknowledging that your anxieties are natural is critical. “Remind yourself that your thoughts, your feelings, your emotions, are important and very meaningful.”
If you are experiencing mental health concerns, call 988.
Who is Joe Dennis? A husband, a father, a Kesha fan man and fedora lover.
“I got my start in college when my Summer orientation leader said he needed a volleyball reporter and I had a crush on a girl who was on the team,” Joe said.
Joe got his start at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois as a volleyball reporter, with no background on the sport.That didn’t stop Joe from stepping up to the plate and hoping to talk to his crush.
After he had some time and practice, Joe eventually picked up journalism as a minor and you can tell his feeling toward it changed from “I don’t want to do it” to something he can say he enjoys. His long term professor and mentor at Grady College, Conrad Fink, whom he gives thank to.
“He really believed in me and my writing like no one ever has and he showed me how good I really am, and he said that I should really do this. He really believed in me,” Joe said.
His mentor gave him what he needed to hear in order to become the great writer he is today.
“When I was working in Monroe, on Tribune here in Georgia I interviewed this judge who was a local judge who needed a liver transplant, and so we continuously did story updates like every month,” Joe said “The way we started these updates was where he was on the waiting list for a liver transplant. So we did about four or five stories on him and just tracking how he declined each month and tying in to that the importance of organ donation in each story. And he died before he got the chance to get a liver transplant. I’ll never forget the day he died.”
This led him to become an organ donor. Joe believed that “there was no reason for this man to die.” He believes no one should have to wait to live life. Joe is a very caring person who is very in tune with his feelings.
Joe also picked up the new habit of cooking. Cooking dishes from his Filipino culture, he enjoys making a coconut dubbo, pancit and lumpia, which is Filipino egg rolls, and Filipino bbq. He recently asked his mom for new recipes from his culture.
“How much soy sauce do I need,” she says “Enough.” Joe responded “Well how much is enough?” His mom responded “Enough is enough.”
In addition to writing and cooking, he listens to Kesha in his spare time.
“She’s someone who I feel is very inspiring because of her history, she has really overcome a lot in her life and has persevered,” Joe said.
He gets pumped up by listening to the Kesha song “Blow” which, in his words, help him “dominate the day” and “get the party started.” He loves her lesser known songs as well, songs like “Raising Hell,” where he believes it’s a song about her standing up for her rights.
He mentions the song “Praying.”
“That song is just so emotional, so heartfelt. It’s a song where someone hurt her so deeply, she’s actually praying for that person so it just shows a lot of forgiveness.” Some things just resonate with Joe.
Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia in 2008, and later moved to McDonough in 2012 when my little sister was born. All my life I knew I wanted to do something that was important to me, but I wasn’t sure what that was. I ran track since elementary school then stopped because I felt overwhelmed with it, just to go back to it in 11th grade. In my years of down time, I joined my high school’s dance team and left which led me too the school’s step team, where I later became captain. After I left the step team I finally joined color guard and I feel like that was one of the best things I’ve done in my high school career.
Starting in 9th grade, I had a teacher named Mr.Usry. He was a real important part of why I enjoy writing today. Poems specifically, he encouraged me to be able to express myself in a way I didn’t think I could. Saying how I felt was always hard for me but writing them out wasn’t. This sparked the want to become a writer. I feel as if I could speak to the public and connect with people that are going through the same things that I am going through and/or experienced.
Today, I have a good 10 (or more) poems based on emotions, and things I’ve noticed about certain lifestyles. I would have more but I got busy and stopped writing for some reason.
I’m not sure when I made the decision that I want to become a news reporter/television personnel, but I know since then I’ve always had my heart set on those goals. I want to major in journalism and minor in hospitality management because not only do I want to write books and become a news reporter, but I also want to own my own hotel chain. I’ve been told I have the personality to do both, so that’s exactly what I am going to work towards. I believe if I continue to work toward my goals, I will get what I really and truly want.
There have been two outlets for me. Other than writing poems from my feelings, I’ve been dancing on my color guard team, known as the Flying Redz. I started late 9th grade going into 10th grade and I’ve absolute loved it ever since. As I’ve continued, my love for the sport has grown more and more and I really and truly thank one specific coach and my captains for seeing something in me. Fast forwarding to today, I am the captain of the Flying Redz for my last year of high school. I can say that this team will forever hold a special place in my heart and when I graduate I pray that they continue to grow and get bigger.
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