Discouragement can be dealt with the support of friends, families and counsellors.
People who are close to you are your pillar of strength, whom you could rely and depend on.
Dealing with discouragement comes with the will to overcome the negative thoughts in your mind.
Help may not only come from friends, families and counsellors.

You have God by your side.
Even the Bible has encouraging words for your worried mind. (:

Cry out to God and tell Him of your pain -- Psalm 69:1-2 says, “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.” (See also: Psalm 51:1-18, Psalm 32:3-8)

Give God your anxiety -- 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (See also Philippians 4:6-7, Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 6:33-34)

Ask Him for peace – John 16:33 says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (See also: Isaiah 26:3-4, Philippians 4:6-8).

Here's the video on dealing with discouragement.



Jazlyn

No. 3

DISCOURAGEMENT

Everyone will have experienced discouragement at some point in their lifetime, be it failure, family, rejection, inferiority etc. However, our approach to managing our discouragement will distinguish us from others.

The dictionary defines discouragement as follows; “a feeling of despair in the face of obstacles; or a state of distraught and loss of sense of enthusiasm, drive or courage.”

Discouragement happens in all areas of life.

A woman’s marriage dreams end when her husband is unfaithful. She truly feels the pangs of discouragement.
A couple suffers their second miscarriage while trying to create a family.

These people all deal with discouragement differently, but some may become so discouraged, so distressed and as a result may attempt to take their own lives.

Discouragement – The Signs

The following are some signs of discouragement:
Sleeplessness -- the mind and soul is full of worry.
Restlessness -- Absent mindedness sets in and weariness results.
Complacency -- Loss of interest in food even though you might not have eaten for hours.
Negative Thoughts – The ultimate of this are thoughts of suicide.If you are feeling the pangs of discouragement and feel helpless in the situation, we encourage you to seek help through counseling.

Adapted from: http://www.allaboutlifechallenges.org/discouragement.htm

Next up is a video on dealing with discouragement.
As well as some solutions and verses from the Bible (:

Jazlyn

Additional info on peer pressure

All sorts of circumstances may occur to cause this pressure. These circumstances may leave the teen feeling they are in a hard to change condition with no place to find help with the damages to their health and feelings it can cause.

Problems that can cause peer pressure

Teens have a multitude of issues that can cause them anxiety. The two major settings for this peer pressure are in their home lives and in the school setting.

Their feelings can be affected by some of the issues listed below.

* Peer pressure is also caused by the way they feel they are viewed by adults in the school setting.
* The peer pressure to perform in the grades and work they do.
* Problems with socializing with other youngsters.
* Problems at home with family members.
* The way their body is changing due to puberty. This may be outward changes or inward changes.
* Having a low self worth.
* Always having verbal conflicts with their parents. Or arguements between parents occurring everytime.
* Low income living conditions for the family.
* Peer pressure is sometimes caused by a major event causing grief or trauma within the family. This could be death, an illness, or parents splitting up.
* The neighborhood in which they live in is not a good place.
* Having to move to a new home is yet a cause of peer pressure.
* Having to adapt to a new school environment.

Healthy teens will find a calm and peaceful way to deal with the feelings they have from anxiety. This might be in talking to a friend about what is going and them being able to let it go in a positive way to continue with a normal life.
They may want to listen to music when they are stressed or seek comfort through other activities.
They might even have a talk with their family to help with ways of dealing properly with the issues.
The process teens go through in dealing with peer pressure can be a positive foundation for their adult lives.

Teens who do not find healthy outlets for anxiety often get so overwhelmed by it all they may become physically sick, go into depression, get angered easily, become a loner, or turn to drugs and alcohol to forget.

By also enforcing positive lifestyle habits, it will give them a basis for keeping a strong will.

- This may include a healthy diet, exercise, not wanting to turn to dangerous items like drugs or smoking to avoid issues, and finding ways to help them to relax.
- A positive attitude can go a long way in coping with all of life's pressure.

When a stressor arrives, try not to look at the picture all at once but see it step by step instead. It will make it easier for them to deal with.

Teach the teen to think of them as important and do not allow negative gossip about others or themselves.

Writing down feelings in a journal may also be a way to help.

When you learn new and positive ways to deal with life and all it can bring, remember nothing is as bad as it may seem. Never is anything bad enough to consider suicide. A positive parent or adult will be an asset to them when they need someone to turn to. The way they learn to cope now may very well lead to a successful adult later on.

Xue Min

No. 2

PEER PRESSURE

"Now!" whispered Suki. "Quick, while the clerk's not looking."

Heart pounding, Leah leaned against the store's unattended makeup display and slid two tubes of lipstick into her purse. She looked bored and detached as she followed her friends Suki and Jill out of the store, but inside she felt panicked.

"I can't believe you made me do that," Leah wailed.
"Relax," said Jill. "Everybody does it sometimes. And we didn't make you do it."
She said nothing, but Leah knew she wouldn't have done that on her own. She'd just had a big dose of peer pressure.

Adapted from:
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/problems/peer_pressure.html

Peer Pressure

Peer pressure refers to the influence exerted by friends in encouraging a person to change his or her attitudes, values, his or her behaviour to be in accordance with the group. Peer pressure can cause people to do things they would not normally do, e.g. take drugs, smoke, etc.

Here are some videos about peer pressure
Enjoy (:







DO NOT GIVE IN TO PRESSURE!



Xue Min

#Causes of low self-esteem
No. 1

BULLYING

Bullying is a devastating form of abuse that can have long-term effects on youthful victims, robbing them of self-esteem, isolating them from their peers, causing them to drop out of school, and even prompting health problems and suicide.

Verbal Bullying

Verbal bullying is done often and without considerations. Words just pour out without any thought for the person being targeted. Verbal harassment and verbal intimidation can be more hurting than physical abuse in that it strikes at the heart of the individual's feelings about him or herself. It leaves lasting scars that, in some cases, can never be healed.

Words are powerful. They can uplift or they can hurt. They can make a person laugh or reduce them to tears. Verbal bullying can lower in dignity an otherwise self-confident individual, and leave them helpless in their effort to appear unaffected.

Cyber Bullying

Cyberbullying is any harassment that occurs via the Internet. Vicious forum posts, name calling in chat rooms, posting fake profiles on web sites, and mean or cruel email messages are all ways of cyberbullying. A student is attacked by anonymous threatening and taunting emails at home, even though there is no direct harassment at school. The victim has no idea who is sending the messages and starts to feel like everybody is against him or her. That student is then being cyberbullied.

Physical Bully

Physical bullies are based on actions. This type of bullying includes hitting or kicking the victim, or, taking or damaging the victim's property. This is the least complex type of bullying because it is so easy to identify. Physical bullies are soon known to the entire population in the school. As they get older, their attacks usually become more aggressive. These aggressive characteristics manifest themselves as bullies become adults.
SAY NO TO BULLYING!~



Yee Ling

What is Confidence?

It is the belief of one's own abilities.
And how you see yourself compared to others.

Judging Confidence

Your level of self-confidence can show in many ways: Your behavior, your body language, how you speak, what you say, and so on.
Here are some examples comparing your level of confidence.

A) Self-confident B) Low Self-confidence

A) Doing what you believe to be right, even if others mock or criticize you for it.
B) Governing your behavior based on what other people think.

A) Being willing to take risks and go the extra mile to achieve better things.
B) Staying in your comfort zone, fearing failure and so avoid taking risks.

A) Admitting your mistakes and vowing to learn from them.
B) Working hard to cover up mistakes and praying that you can fix the problem before anyone notices.

A) Waiting for others to congratulate you on your accomplishments.
B) Praising your own virtues as often as possible to as many people as possible.

A) Accepting compliments graciously. “Thanks, I really worked hard on it. I’m pleased you recognize my efforts.”
B) Dismissing compliments offhandedly. “Oh it was nothing really, anyone could have done it.”

As you can see from these examples, low self-confidence can be self-destructive, and it often manifests itself as negativity. Self-confident people are generally more positive – they believe in themselves and their abilities, and they also believe in the wonders of living life to the fullest.

Balanced Self Confidence

Self-confidence is about balance. At one extreme, we have people with low self-confidence. At the other end, we have people who may be over-confident.

If you are under-confident, you’ll avoid taking risks and stretching yourself; and you might not try at all, afraid of making mistakes and embarrassing yourself. And if you’re over-confident, you may take on too much risk, stretch yourself beyond your capabilities, pushing yourself to the limit and crash badly in the end. You may also find that you’re so optimistic that you think everything will go well even without efforts being put in and thus, don’t try hard enough to truly succeed.

Getting this right is a matter of having the right amount of confidence, founded in reality and on your true ability. With the right amount of self-confidence, you will take informed risks, stretch yourself (but not beyond your abilities) and try hard.



Adapted from: http://www.mindtools.com/selfconf.html

Jazlyn

Hey Yo!
We're from the Girls' Brigade 79th Coy, Riverside Secondary School!
I'm the IC here, and here are my wonderful teammates :

Sangeetha
Xue Min
Yee Ling
Jia Hui
&Qing Xi

Now here's a brief introduction on why and what we created this blog for.
The main theme here is CONFIDENCE.

We're here to elaborate about it...
Points we'll be covering:

-Introduction to confidence
-What brings our confidence level down?
-Different causes of low self esteem
-Youtube videos/articles/pictures related to confidence will be shown
-Motivational Quotes
-So why be confident?
-How can we be confident?
-How confidence can relate to other healthy attitudes.
& lastly,
we will be sharing our experiences with you guys out there.
Our very own problems regarding our confidence and how we eventually overcome it.

In the end..
Everything leads to God.
He controls our lives.
No matter ups or downs.
He will always be in control.

Thanks to Him.
We made it to wherever we are right now. (:

Jazlyn xD

Hey Yo!
We're from GB 79th Coy!
Riverside Secondary School

Team:
Sangeetha
Xue Min
Yee Ling
Jia Hui
Qing Xi
Jazlyn
Song of Songs 2:12 - 13
Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit, the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.

Hillsong Kids - Never Give Up March 2009
April 2009
May 2009

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