protective factors
i swear this isn't a stats concept
this week’s Thought (singular)
people are, more often than not, very nice
hi
if you, like me, are scared of new situations/people/places, and, also like me, tend to worry about the new situation/person/place long before you actually have to deal with the new S/P/P, let me introduce you to the concept of protective factors.
my good friend wikipedia says ‘Protective factors are conditions or attributes (skills, strengths, resources, supports or coping strategies) in individuals, families, communities or the larger society that help people deal more effectively with stressful events and mitigate or eliminate risk in families and communities.’ in my infinite wisdom, this wordy definition can be shortened to ‘potential happy thoughts’.
reductive? definitely. useful? absolutely.
a protective factor is preparation for an event that you’re nervous about. for example, a party with nobody familiar (event that gives nerves) being held at a familiar place (protective factor - comfortable with venue). or, a difficult exam (Event with a capital E) that only counts for a very small portion of your grade (PF - low-consequence result).
i’ve found that taking a minute to analyse the PF’s before a scary situation does wonders for my health, skin, hair, etcetera. do attempt.
ps: happy december!
English Recitation Competition
Now That You’re 21, Kristina Hayes
Soak in these years like sunlight. Re-position the needle over the vibrancy of your youth. Get up from the lawn, brush the grass from your kneecaps. Hail a taxi. Find your way home.
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me. And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter. I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells And run my stick along the public railings And make up for the sobriety of my youth. I shall go out in my slippers in the rain And pick flowers in other people's gardens And learn to spit.
Verses to the Moon, Luis Carlos López
Oh moon, who now look over the roof of the church, in the tropical calm to be saluted by him who has been out all night, to be barked at by the dogs of the suburbs,
A Poll!
Middle School Book Review
your regularly scheduled book recommendation has been temporarily halted! watch this space over the coming weeks so you don’t miss the next one!
find all shared books here.
A Picture!
The Good Side of the Internet
Once thought to primarily affect overstimulated boys, ADHD diagnoses have spiked among adult women. For one writer, coming to terms with her diagnosis later in life has put her past and family history in a new light.
My 4 Days in Fake Gay-Conversion Therapy
In Scandinavia, role-playing weekends get immersive and extreme. This Larp seemed like fun—until my queer American brain snapped.
Flaking Out! (cartoons!)
A generation of Europeans is now returning to Sri Lanka, a country from which they were adopted as children, to search for their birth mothers. What they learn about their families, and themselves, has deep consequences.
What did you bring that book that I don’t want to be read to out of up for? (a compilation of some top tier correspondence)
As a child I was told that I should be seen and not heard. As an adult, I am making sure that I will be heard and not seen.
this week’s Song
find all shared songs here.
thank you for reading, and see you next week <3
this put me to sleep (in the good way)? this put me to sleep (in the bad way)? this had no effect on my circadian rhythm? let me know!