Monday, July 1, 2019

If you argue with a fool…

Last month I decided I wanted to talk about more topics within LexCares2 outside of the issue of hunger. Hunger is very close to my heart, but I feel mental health has also taken a place in my heart. From our hearts and minds, we create our reality. If we are not right on the inside, our outside will reflect that chaos in our every day lives. That being said, I’ve decided to share more of my personal experiences in the hopes that other people will be able to relate and will feel less alone and less ashamed to speak about things that are genuinely bothering them. Part of mental illness is the inability to be one’s self and the feeling of being outcast or somehow set apart from the general public. I hope to help let people know it’s okay to talk about things that bother us, and we shouldn’t be ashamed of having feelings because feelings are what make us human and allow us to connect with one another on deeper levels.

That brings me to my first official LexCares2 video - “If you argue with fools, you end up looking foolish.” In this video, I talk about finding the deeper cause for someone who is attempting to tear you down with words and arguing with you or bullying you. We must understand that each of us is going through something or going through a multitude of things and that each of us deals with those hardships in different ways. If you’re more into getting to the point and want to know what lessons I’ve taken away from my experience during a recent argument, continue to read below!

Lesson: Learn not to take everything personally!

In this case, it’s good not to be selfish and to realize that not everything is about you. A lot of times when people are arguing, they’ll project insecurities onto you so be on the lookout for projections. There’s usually a deeper reason for why people are saying certain things about you. I know it can be difficult, but try to be understanding of the fact that everyone is going through something, and sometimes people just need to let out their frustrations. I’m not saying it’s right to take frustrations out on the people around you, but understand that we all cope with stress and insecurities differently.

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Lesson: Don't let other people bring you out of character!

Take my example! So many things were said about me in a recent argument, but I did not let it get me out of character. I can take the jabs because I understand where people are coming from and understand that there's more going on for a person than. The only reason someone could be that mad is because of some deeper problems going on for them. Most of the time, the attack has nothing to do with me! And guess what? I ended up being right. Thank goodness I didn't stoop to this person's level because there turned out to be a lot of turmoil and insecurity within that person.

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Lesson: Take inventory of the things being said about you!

When people speak badly about you, I think it's okay to take inventory of those things to see if anything rings true. I've found in most instances where someone is spewing hate that the things being said about me don't even apply to me, and that realization is what keeps me in good spirits and allows me to not take things personally. Think about the things that have been said about you, and compare those things against the kind of person you REALLY are! If nothing rings a bell, continue being amazing. If something strikes you, be thankful that you have something new to work on!

Lesson: When you argue with a fool, you end up looking foolish!

After taking some time to go through my character and realize that I am NOT the things that were being put onto me, I had to wonder, "Who was he talking about?" I could dissect everything that was said and realize that none of those toxic things pertained to me, so who was he talking about? He must have been projecting. I was so glad I didn't engage in a screaming war because I would have looked foolish arguing with someone over something that had nothing to do with me…

There are many more lessons in this video, but I think I’ll wait to reveal them in the coming weeks and/or months. Watch for yourself, and let me know what lessons you hear or realize from this video and from personal experiences you’ve gone through!

 Saturday, April 6, 2019

Get More Girls in STEM

Explore All Interests

I received an email from Girls Inc. of Greater Atlanta telling me reasons why girls are less likely to want to explore STEM careers, especially girls of color in low-income areas. One of the reasons stated is because from an early age, all students believe in the stereotypical imagery of what a scientist, engineer, or mathematician looks like - a white guy in a lab coat.

Add this stereotypical imagery with the conditioning girls receive growing up as far as how to act like a lady or be feminine and what that looks like, and we’re faced with girls who further forget about any interests in STEM and opt for careers or interests that, in the eyes of society, are more “acceptable.”

The main focus of the email was, of course, to encourage us - the public at large - to stop putting girls in a box and to let girls explore whatever they’re curious about. Girls have a hard enough time being true to who we are because of what we are often perceived to be. The harsh truth is that women are often seen as objects of pleasure and trophies to be seen and not heard or considered. The way girls grow up and are taught is different from boys. Let’s argue!

Boys are allowed to be as rugged and carefree as they like. Now, I realize that boys grow up with a different set of expectations which makes them fall victim to appeasing stereotypical ideas of masculinity, but in large proportion boys are allowed to do what they want. We’re all groomed to be clean adults, but girls are told we should care more about looks than boys. For this, boys grow up thinking it’s okay to play in the mud because “that’s how boys are” while girls are discouraged from receiving any blemish from dirt or even too much sun. Where am I going with this?

We do not condition children - boys and girls equally - to explore all of their interests. We ask kids, especially girls, to go for things that are more societally acceptable, which can kill any unfostered dreams a child may have had. I mention ALL of that to say that part of being a better society at large is understanding that we are stronger and will exist longer when capitalizing off our collective strengths. If we dim the light on someone’s interests simply because it’s not “typical” of a boy or “lady-like” for a girl, we scour our chances of quicker advancement. Stifling each other’s goals and interests causes shame and, in the long run, makes us all miserable.

Part of the reason why we’re not as far as we should be, individually and as a collective, is because we have yet to give ourselves and others permission to be who we are and explore the things we want to explore (so long as we don’t hurt one another to do so haha)! People get shamed out of following dreams, and that has to stop.

The next time someone comes to you with an idea, brainstorm with them on how to make it a reality. We’ll all be better off for it!

Monday, June 4, 2018

ACFB Summer Commitment Campaign

I received a letter from the Atlanta Community Food Bank in May reminding me about the hard time a lot of school-aged kids have during the summer months of the year. "When school's out, kids don't have access to school breakfast and lunch programs. That leaves a big gap for moms and dads to fill." Donations slow down during the summer months, and the Atlanta Community Food Bank needs our help to make sure families in need are not forgotten about!

So what can we do?

Do you accept the commitment?

Thursday, May 10, 2018

Consequences of Hunger

Many of us have seen those Snickers' commercials where people do

unexpected things as a result of being hungry, right?

Well, there are many behavioral and health issues associated with being hungry.

There was one particular week where I felt incredibly stressed and anxious, and because of that I wasn't hungry and couldn't sleep. Can you imagine the effects of hunger and sleep deprivation together? Not only was I sleepy, but because I wasn't eating, within 2 days I noticed that I was more likely to forget things. I work in customer service, but I was easily annoyed by having to speak to anyone, and I found myself spacing out every few minutes, thinking about things that had nothing to do with my job.

Typically, hunger and poverty go hand in hand. I was thinking about the effects of hunger and sleep deprivation on me. Fortunately for me, I'm not in a position to also have to worry about financial stress, but there are many people who are facing food insecurity as a result of low income, which, as I've mentioned in previous entries, causes these people to have to make tough decisions between food and paying the rent, food and medication, food and gas for the car, etc.

So, what are the consequences of hunger and stress?

"Kids who are hungry often experience headaches, fatigue, frequent colds, and other illnesses that may cause them to be less physically active."

When your body is not receiving the nourishment and nutrition it needs, focusing on tasks becomes harder, you can be irritable and more aggressive, and you run the risk of getting sick more often. The body doesn't have the fuel to build muscle and fight off infections. Children who are malnourished suffer in this way, and expecting mothers who were malnourished during pregnancy deliver underweight babies who often have stunted growth. 

Hunger makes it difficult to concentrate, so kids who are hungry often fall behind in their studies and struggle with behavioral problems.

For kids and adults, the lack of nutrition makes the body weak and unable to fight against illness. Kids who get sick often will miss school, falling even further behind. Hungry adults will not be able to focus to be effective at work and may also be more prone to sickness, calling out sick and missing work days. (Info from here.)

Are you surprised by any of the consequences of hunger?

I'm not surprised by the effects of hunger because I've experienced them firsthand. When I make changes to my diet or schedule, I practice mindfulness and try to pay attention to how my body feels or doesn't feel. If I eat something with artificial sugar, I notice that I feel more tired throughout the day. If I feel stressed, I crave sweet foods. If I don't drink enough water, I crave salty foods. I've been fortunate enough to be able to have enough access to food to know how it will generally affect my body, but there are a lot of people who would love to have something to eat first. Then, worry about the effects later.

We joke about people "not being themselves" when they're hungry, but really take a moment to think about how hunger affects us, how we interact with others, and how others interact with us. 

We can be mean. We can be irritable. We be aggressive. We can be inattentive. We can be sleepy. We can be weird(er)!

There are so many consequences to hunger, and if we experience the wrong effects we could end up damaging relationships with one another. The workplace becomes volatile if negative interactions caused by hunger make coworkers treat each other badly, which can seep into the rest of the space and affect the energy of everyone. 

Kids who "act out" due to hunger not only fall behind in school for themselves, but behavioral issues in the classroom can delay the progress of other students. Hungry kids may be irritable or aggressive and make the classroom uncomfortable or unsafe for the other children.

Living in a neighborhood with a family who is food insecure is a little more difficult to imagine because often times we don't even know our neighbors are struggling. I don't know about you, but I haven't really gotten to know my neighbors since moving out of my parents house. Becoming consumed with my own stress of adulthood, I tend to think I don't have time to get to know the people I kind of live with (because when living in an apartment, we do share a building with others). It's very possible that your neighbors are struggling with finding something to eat, but we'd never know because so many of us are not even concerned with knowing what our neighbors look like, let alone the struggles they may be facing.

All of this is food for thought!

After reading all that I've presented about the consequences of hunger, take some time for yourself to think about the following question.

What kinds of things have you felt because of hunger?

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

What is a "Food Desert?"

An urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food

The USDA defines "food deserts" as:

parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas. This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers.

I'm choosing to expand on the topic of a food desert because of a recent story about Stone Mountain, Georgia, which is only 20 miles outside the city of Atlanta. (You can read the story for yourself HERE.)

After 18 years of business, a Kroger in one of the busiest areas of DeKalb County is shutting down because of "declining sales and negative profit." The nearest grocery stores are 3 to 5 miles away, which turns this area into a food desert. When food is NOT accessible within one mile of a community, the community is deemed a food desert. Communities with grocery stores and other whole foods providers are known as "food oases."

Now that we have a clearer understanding of what a food desert is, let's talk about some issues associated with being in a food desert. 

There may be many stores that offer food for sale, such as gas stations, fast food restaurants, and quick shops, but these places usually only offer quick snacks and have a very limited selection of fresh or whole foods. (I think the best quality food I've ever seen in a gas station has been small loaves of bread and different sizes of milk.) The problem with relying on these kinds of stores is the fact that nutritionally valuable foods are non-existent. When do you go to these stores, anyway? You're most likely traveling and have stopped for a quick snack to hold you over until you can get to your destination for a real meal. No one is supposed to rely on these places to eat!

Because options are limited to packaged and processed foods, nutritional values are low, and, as a result, the community is exposed to sugary and high fat content on a regular basis. Consistently eating these foods can lead to obesity and high blood pressure as well as other chronic illnesses, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc. As a result of these diseases, people in these communities are also susceptible to higher health care costs, which then can send them deeper down the poverty hole. There are so many short-term and long-standing issues associated with food deserts, and I haven't even linked the existence of food deserts to its partner food insecurity!

Comparison

Let's take a look at a few differences between a "Food Desert" and a "Food Oasis"

Food Desert

-Limited or NO access to fresh whole foods

-Higher cost of food from lack of grocery store competition

- Low food quality leads to higher risk of disease and chronic illness

-Prone to crime (hunger leads to behavioral issues)

-Negative impact on education (hungry kids have a harder time focusing)

These are just a few differences. Much more impactful information about food deserts could be presented.

SOLUTIONS

1. Fight to keep food programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) available for anyone who needs the help

2. Support your local food pantry (or a charity that helps to feed the community).

3. Learn more about the effects of hunger and how it could impact you and the people around you.

4. Participate in or start a garden (community garden).

5. Support mobile food pantries (buy or donate to them).

6. Support small chain grocery stores. (Sometimes small, affordable grocery stores can't exist because huge grocery giants like Wal-Mart, Kroger, or Publix offer lower prices that some smaller stores can't compete with.)

7. Volunteer with your local food pantry or charity. (Actually seeing how people are affected and learning the causes of these issues will give you better insight into how to help combat the problem.)

There are many other ways to help combat food deserts. Don't rely on this list, and don't think these are your only options! YOU have the power to combat food deserts, even if you're fighting by yourself. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing. If this is an issue that you feel is close to your heart, think of what you can do to help, then make it happen!

Thursday November, 30, 2017

What is "Food Security?"

The state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food

I made a lot of short references to the various levels of food security on my Instagram page @lexcatl. What I wasn't able to include on those posts was the formal definitions of terms we hear often: food security and hunger.

Food Security: The condition assessed in the food security survey is a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food

Hunger: An individual-level physiological condition that may result from food insecurity

The USDA defines food security for a family as:

Access by all members at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food security includes at a minimum (1) the ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, and (2) an assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways (that is, without resorting to emergency food supplies, scavenging, stealing, or other coping strategies).

Below, you'll see the categories used by the USDA to conduct a national annual survey of 50,000 households

I'd like you to take a moment to consider these different categories. Could you, at some point in your life, have been placed in one other than "high" or "marginal?" I know for me, although I had the support of my parents, there were times in college where I felt like I didn't have enough money to buy decent food, which is an issue that stemmed partially from not making enough money between my two jobs and having too much fear or pride to simply ask for more money and help from my parents.

The reason why some of us don't recognize those who are struggling is because often we make people feel as though they can't show anything other than perfection or anything other than strength. As with our emotions, situations are ever changing, so at any moment's notice any one of us could be affected by a sudden shift in our lives that changes our ability to "handle" things. We all struggle. No one of us is perfect. And, we all need to be aware that life has its ebbs and flows and that our struggles are not a sign of weakness. If we can all remember that we suffer the same pains, the simple first step of recognizing the many faces of food insecurity will be made possible. From there we can work together to end food insecurity, but the first step is always recognition!

P.S. How was your Thanksgiving?