Public Spark

Whether you are a professional in the helping field or an adult looking after your elderly parent, both caregiver burden and compassion fatigue can be a significant factor. I use these terms interchangeably as do other social workers and psychologists to mean stress and lessening of compassion one feels after taking care of people. Having been in the helping profession and also helping to care for my grandmother all my life, I know the toll this can take.

1. Do something fun and rewarding

   Take your mind off of your responsibility by rewarding yourself. Perhaps a good book or a gossip magazine or a blog!

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Do you still have gift cards from Christmas or maybe Christmas 2006? I was in for a rude awakening when I was organizing my room and found gift cards from Christmas 2006. Similarly, my boyfriend made the same discovery! So I decided to read other bloggers great tips and incorporated a strategy of my own to use gift cards more wisely.

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Whether it be the death of a loved one, a close friend, a relative or a celebrity you idolized (like the recent death of Heath Ledger), coping with death can be difficult. Although death is inevitable and a natural part of life, there are are many feelings that can come up that can be overwhelming.

There are five stages of grieving

1. Shock and denial

   Even if you have known or prepared for the death of someone, you can still feel a shock. This is often described as a numbness and can bring about confusion, panic, and disorganization. You may also think or not want to accept the reality that the person has indeed passed on.

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Here are some excellent resources that I have found regarding the prevention of teen pregnancy.

For Parents:

The National Campaign to prevent teen and unplanned pregnancy lists tips for parents to help their children to avoid teen pregnancy. Here are some of the tips listed from this article:

• Talk with children early and often about sex- there are a variety of age appropriate resources to assist in communicating effectively with children.

• Supervise and monitor- I believe that this have to mean not letting your teen go out at all. There should be a clear communication of appropriate boundaries and rules, as well as consequences for not abiding by those rules.

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How does a teen tell a parent?

Some suggestions given by Pregnancy Info are to tell one parent first, have the father of the baby there with you, or write a letter asking for support.

As a parent of a teen, what do you do?

It is important to understand that this is a significant life change for both the parent and the teen. It is natural to feel a flood of emotions and may take time to understand the feelings.

• Kidshealth for parents talks about how a parent could feel a wide range of emotions including shame and guilt.

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In light of the recent release of the movie Juno (which I haven’t seen yet) and hype from recent announcement of Lynne Spears, I decided to do a three-part series on teen pregnancy. Today’s will be an introduction to teen pregnancy.

Here are some statistics taken from Guttmacher Institute as to the prevalence of teen pregnancy:

• Each year, almost 750,000 women aged 15-19 become pregnant. Overall, 75 pregnancies occur every year per 1,000 women aged 15-19; this rate has declined 36% since its peak in 1990.

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1. Respect

   The culture is based deeply on respect, whether it be business or casual friends. One way to show respect is through formal greeting, where one bows their heads. When visiting someone’s house, it is respectful to say “sumimasen” or excuse me to enter the person’s house.

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Whether it be famous celebrity neighbor feuds or citizen feuds, problems with neighbors can be a real pain. Ideally, it will be great to live near neighbors that are friendly and problem-free. Here are some ways that have worked for me.

1. Compromise

   Neighbors are human too and that means neighbors can have flaws. There may be things that you don’t necessarily agree with. It’s important to compromise on large matters.

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1. When they talk about themselves and aren’t listening to you

   The sessions are not about the social worker, it is about the client! However social workers are humans too. There are unfortunately, as with all professions, social workers that don’t act professionally.

2. When they just give out resources and don’t explain anything

   Social workers do more than give out resources and letting the client handle it. Although many social workers empower their clients, they also advocate for the clients, counsel them through difficult times, and give them the right tools.

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In any relationship, no matter how loving or perfect it may be, there are bound to be disagreements that arise. This is perfectly natural because both parties have grown up and been raised in different households. Although in some cases, there are irreconcilable differences, I believe that in most cases it is a necessary to accept the fact that disagreements do arise. For a strong relationship, it is important to work through these differences and to strive to understand each other. These are some of the tools that have helped me with my relationship.

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