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There are many reasons someone may need to access health services. The emergency room is one of the most important health services to be able to access, but it is not always necessary (pg 6). The ER is for emergencies only, like persistent chest pain, persistent shortness of breath, severe pain, paralysis, intestinal bleeding, broken bones, head and eye injuries, and other immediately dangerous situations (pg 7). It's always better to be safe than sorry, if you aren't sure you need an ambulance, call one, if you aren't sure you need the ER, go (pg 7). Urgent care is for more mild medical attention, like vomiting, severe sore throat, fevers without a rash, sprains, and other mild to moderately severe conditions (pg 8). A primary care provider is your primary doctor who you can go to for check ups, ongoing issues, and the effects of your lifestyle choices (pg 8). Having a regular doctor is important, and building a relationship with your doctor helps to ensure you always get good care (pg 8).

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The internet can be a great tool for valuable information about health. However, not all sources are equal- some sources may have inaccurate or outdated information that can get distributed widely (pg 2). By investigating the website, you can find out whether that information is accurate or not. Firstly, see who runs and pays for the website. If you're on nih.gov, you'll see that it's run by the National Institutes of Health, and the .gov top-level domain tells you that it is an official government website (pg 3). Educational institutions use .edu domains, .org is used by noncommercial organizations, and .com is used by commercial organizations (pg 3). Check the sources a website cites too, and ensure they are reputable (pg 3). You'll also want to investigate the purpose of a website- are they selling you something, do they have a bias, etc. (pg 3). You also want to check when the information was last updated, what information the site collects about you, and how it interacts and manages interactions with other users and other websites (pgs 4-5).

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Pregnancy can cause many health problems for the person carrying a child. When my friend's mom was pregnant with him, the baby's need for calcium caused her body to pull it from her teeth, causing permanent weakening of her teeth. Babies need a lot of resources to grow, so without a careful eye on nutrition and supplements babies can take too much from their mothers. Pregnancy carries many risks, so it is important to know everything that could happen before getting pregnant.

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Nearly a third of women who give birth have some kind of pregnancy related complication (pg 10). Without proper prenatal care, those kinds of complications may not be detected or dealt with soon enough, potentially leading to serious consequences (pg 10). The best course of action is to start prenatal care as soon as possible. Common risk factors during pregnancy that can affect the health of the mother and the baby are alcohol and smoking, which can cause birth defects and even death of the baby, poor nutrition, which can cause birth defects, exposure to chemicals, especially pesticides, and many other factors like stress, asthma, bleeding, and disease (pg 11-12). Teenage pregnancy is a risk as well, because not only can younger mothers have more difficulties in pregnancy, but it affects society. Teenage parents do not have a life built up to support the ability, so they need help from their community and from welfare programs. Both the parents and the child usually struggle to attend school, especially higher education, and often the children of teen parents end up in a cycle, facing many of the same challenges as their parents (pg 12).

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Relationships are influenced by many factors, but the most important is, of course, how people get along. You have to be compatible with a person to have any kind of relationships. With different aims, attitudes, and thought processes, it may be hard to maintain a relationship (pg 5). Communication is always key in relationships, too. With effective communication, a relationship will flourish. With inadequate communication, thoughts can get misunderstood or lost, and without communication, people will grow apart (pg 6). Never lie or hide things from your partner, transparency and honesty are key to further developing connection and bringing you and your partner closer (pg 6). Forgiveness prevents fighting, by not holding grudges with your partner, taking through disputes, and both apologizing and forgiving, a relationship can be happy (pg 6). And finally, a relationship needs time to grow. Make time for your partner, meet them in person as much as possible, spend quality time, and make them feel important and valued. By cultivating your relationship over time, it will blossom into something beautiful. (pg 6). Being in a happy relationship will make both you and your partner happier people. Companionship and closeness enrich life, so to make yourself happier, keep your relationships healthy.

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Growing and Maintaining Positive Body Image

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Growing and Maintaining Positive Body Image

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Your body image is how you see yourself when you look at yourself in the mirror or see your body in your mind (pg 2). Body image can be positive or negative. A negative body image means that you have a distorted perception of yourself, and feel ashamed, anxious, uncomfortable, and awkward in your body (pg 2). A positive body image means you see your body as it really is and appreciate it for your unique natural appearance and feel comfortable and confident (pg 3). Having negative body image puts people at risk of developing an eating disorder and feelings of depression, isolation, and obsession with weight loss (pg 3). There are many strategies to stay out of the pitfalls of negative body image. You can spend less time in front of mirrors, stay away from media that makes you feel ashamed of your body, focus on all of your other good qualities not tied to your body, surround yourself with kind, supportive people, and treat your body with respect (pg 3-4).

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Taking risks is part of life at all ages (pg 8). Getting a new job, moving to a new city, getting a new hobby, or learning a new skill are all risks. Risks are not always all negative. Taking a risk can come with benefits (pg 8). Not all risks can come with benefits, some are dangerous to health. Smoking, taking drugs, driving dangerously, and drinking are all unhealthy risky behaviors (pg 8). Teens are particularly susceptible to peer pressure, and if your peers are not making good decisions, you may be pressured into also making risky decisions that can negatively affect health (pg 9). To avoid making a hasty and risky choice, think it over first. Will this affect my future? What will the consequences be? Can this choice affect other people? Will it damage my health? If the answer to one of those questions is one you don't like, don't make that choice. You can also ask a trusted adult or mentor for advice- they have experienced life and made some bad choices themselves, you can learn from their experiences. Also consider legal implications- always avoid breaking the law. (pg 10).

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How Health Care Access Affects Your Health

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How Health Care Access Affects Your Health

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Many Americans do not have access to good healthcare. Many people are uninsured because their workplace does not provide insurance and other insurers would be too expensive, or because there isn't an insurance plan that works for them (pg 6). Uninsured people have more risks because they are unable to develop a regular care team or relationship with a PCP (primary care provider) (pg 7). They also are less likely to receive care, more likely to die early, and more likely to have poor health status (pg 6). Access to health insurance and a regular doctor or team of doctors, depending on your needs, is crucial.

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Many factors in your environment can have health effects. Poor air quality from mold and dust can contribute to allergies or asthma, and secondhand smoke can cause cancer (pg 2). Both water and food can be contaminated, with leaded water in older construction causing serious damage to your nervous system, kidneys, and blood cells, and pesticides can cause birth defects, nerve damage, and cancer (pg 3). High noise levels, both auditory and visual, can increase stress, which can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke, and noise exposure can cause hearing loss (pg 3). Always be aware of the health risks in your environment. Seal all leaks to prevent black mold, ensure your pipes are not made with lead, stay away from smoke, and keep a clean and habitable space for yourself.

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Addiction is a horrible disease. Drugs will rewire your brain by overstimulating the "reward circuit" and forcing you to rely on them to feel normal (pg 7). This will lead to addicts feeling the need to seek out and take drugs, even if it gets them into dangerous situations or in trouble with the law. (pg 7). Overcoming addiction is hard because of how deeply it changes your brain. (pg 7). Treatment can include medications, rehab, or both, and often addicts can have relapses before they fully achieve sobriety- which is incredibly hard (pg 8).

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The way people consume has greatly affected the environment and the quality of our food. The desire for cheap food and corporate profits have allowed the quality of our food to plummet. Corn and soy are two of the largest agricultural products and the cheapest sources of large amounts of calories (ex. high fructose corn syrup) and as such have become a huge presence on American farms (pg 12.) However, these monocultures are destroying fields, making yields smaller, requiring use of more harmful pesticides and fertilizers which are now leaking into the water, causing a New Jersey-sized zone in the Gulf of Mexico where nothing can live (pg 12).

Our eating habits aren't just destroying the environment, they are also destroying us. Foods are now being imported from across the globe, and because of that transport across long distances, those foods lose much of their nutritional value (pg 13). Because we lose that value, we either have to replace it with more food, or simply lose those nutrients. This can lead to both obesity and malnutrition. A band-aid solution has been the development of the supplements industry. Supplements, like vitamin gummies, nutrition bars, or nutrition powders, can help to replace those lost nutrients. Supplements can be beneficial in improving nutrition and managing some health conditions, but they can't take the place of a variety of healthy foods (pg 11).

I have personally used supplements. I did get benefits from supplements, however I have gotten much more benefit from simply improving my diet. Instead of buying foods imported from distant places, my family now buys from local farmers markets or get our fresh foods from a box of discarded foods from grocery stores that had cosmetic defects but are still good to eat. We also try to cook with more healthy oils, make vegetarian meals, and add fruits and vegetables to every meal. These things have made us need to rely less on supplements since we're getting much of it from our diet now.

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I've always been a fan of over-the-top stunts. I watched plenty of stunt shows as a kid, but when I hit my teen years, I discovered my new favorite, the series "Jackass". It's definitely intense and exhilarating to watch, and coupled with the fun personalities of the stars that can make the behind-the-scenes just as fun as the actual film, I was in love. One of the longest featured and most prominent stars was Steve-O, an iconic figure in the movies and the MTV show. What you couldn't see on TV though was that Steve-O was struggling a lot with drugs and alcohol, and it was causing trouble in his life and harming his relationships. Once he realized that, after years of heavy abuse and trouble with the law, he checked into a rehab program with the support of his friends, especially his "Jackass" co-stars. He managed to massively turn his life around and has been sober for over a decade and is now a touring stand-up comedian. Because of support from his loved ones, he was able to turn his life around and completely quit drugs and alcohol, which just goes to show how important it is to have good influences in the people who surround you.

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Avoiding risky behaviors will help you live healthier and possibly live longer by avoiding top causes of death (pg 3.) By taking less risks, you expose yourself to less danger.

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Bullying and harassment are unfortunately common for students (pg 6). Bullying can leave lasting psychological trauma for victims (pg 7). Bullying and harassment create dangerous environments that nobody wants to be in except for the harasser (pg 6). Harassment can also have legal consequences for the perpetrator.

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Anyone can get involved with community activities to improve health. Being involved with community activities comes with a lot of benefits. You can come into contact with role models who can help you learn more about the world, your identity, and how to improve health (pg 4). Being involved can also foster a connection to your community and the wider world (pg 5). It also builds skills, like communication, time management, and potential career skills. (pg 5.) Getting involved also shows initiative, a drive to succeed, and a community-focused mindset, all traits that employers will look for on your resume.

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The teen years are the biggest years of personal growth and development, and that comes with a lot of risk. Teens may be at risk for eating disorders, substance abuse, unsafe sexual activity, poor nutrition, and other things (pg 4). The influence of digital media is an especially large problem in the modern day. Too much screen time can lead to a sedentary lifestyle, increase risk of obesity, or other health problems. (pg 3)

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Values are standards you have set for yourself, like honesty, respect, or kindness. They are virtues you want to achieve.

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For young people, school is the most prominent area of development (pg 6). The relationships built at school with peers, teachers, and other staff can have an effect on risk taking behaviors and on the development of skills (pg 7).

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The people in your community have a great influence on you. Teens especially are very likely to emulate the behavior of their popular peers (pg 3). Children and adolescents who surround themselves with a good friend group and community are less likely to engage in risk behavior. If a child or teen is in a group where substance abuse, crime, or risky decisions are promoted, they are more likely to engage in those risky behaviors. (pg 4).

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Family has a large impact on health, as your family is usually the group you spend the most time with growing up. Your family history can influence your health, as research has shown that previous generations' struggles can reflect in the development of your parents, or their parents, and those negative emotions can be passed down through the generations. (pg 2). Parents can also have a large influence on their kids, if a parent is nurturing and supportive, they can promote good behaviors and values in their child. (pg 3). Monitoring children and providing a good home environment can also prevent them from getting in dangerous situations. (pg 3)

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Asking for help can be hard. To overcome that barrier, you need to recognize what you are afraid of, let go of the feeling that you need to control everything, and trust yourself to reach out and trust someone else. (pg 14)

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Communicating ineffectively or poorly can be a cause of disagreement so it is important to recognize those barriers to prevent conflict. Using jargon, overcomplicated and technical terms, lack of attention or interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver, differences in perception and viewpoint, prejudices and stereotypes, and disabilities can all be barriers. (pg 10-12)

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People are often pressured to do things by their peers, and that can be difficult to resist. To resist spoken pressure, you can say no assertively, stand up for others, suggest something else to do, or leave the situation. (pg 6). To resist unspoken pressure, take a reality check, remember risks, walk away, and find something else to do. (pg 7).

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Negotiation can often help you come to a win-win situation. First you will need to prepare and plan a meeting and gather the facts to clarify your position. Then, you meet up at your designated place and time and discuss each side and ensure both parties are listening. During the discussion, both parties will clarify their goals. Then you will negotiate to an outcome that helps fulfill both parties' goals, and you may need to compromise. Then an agreement can be reached and a course of action can be implemented to carry out the agreement. (pg 8-9)

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A time I negotiated to improve my health was when I negotiated with my doctor about stopping a medication that was giving me lots of negative side effects. We discussed how it had been affecting me, and my doctor agreed that it was doing more harm than good when I presented my case and helped me stop the medication.

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Use active listening, clarification, and reflection to make sure you actually understand what someone is saying before you respond. (pg 2)

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Health can mean a lot of things for each individual person, so the vagueness of a "health plan" can be the first obstacle. I will be focusing on an intellectual health plan for this assignment.

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To be able to monitor, you first need to set a starting point. Asking yourself how you are doing is an important first step. (pg 8)

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Recovering from depression and some medications that had some lasting side effects has been a struggle but I am slowly improving my physical health. I'm starting to work out more and my family is making an effort to eat healthier. I am also starting to build new healthy habits (pg 3)

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I'm very happy with my job, I love my coworkers and my supervisors. It's not a fulfilling job and isn't a career, but no high schooler gets a fulfilling job part time. I'm happy where I am.

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I am very intellectually well, I am challenging myself with taking courses at Columbus State Community College and preparing to go to college for computer science after I graduate and I'm taking a couple classes about that.

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I have worked hard to cultivate a safe and happy environment for myself by distancing myself from people and institutions that have harmed me. I have decided to not be a people pleaser anymore and if someone disrespects me or hurts me, I will let them know and try to make them correct their actions or apologize. Now that I've stopped being a pushover, the people around me are people who actually care and respect me. I am also starting to get an interest in environmental activism to protect the planet (pg 3)

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My dad and I both made the decision to have coffee, but our decisions were very different. I explained my choice in 1.3. My dad’s choice on how to consume coffee was very different from mine.  I think that I made a better decision than my dad.

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I evaluated the long term risks of coffee by researching the effects of caffeine before I started drinking coffee. I also take breaks and only have one cup of coffee a day when I do have coffee. I appraised my decision after I had started too and realized that it had improved my life. (Pg 12).

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I have a very diverse friend group, most of us are LGBTQ+ and since coming to Davidson I've been able to meet more people of different backgrounds, an option I never had at Catholic school. I have learned a lot about the world and want to keep learning more about the world and the people in it.

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I sometimes drink coffee in the morning to help me stay awake and alert at school. Since it starts so early, I have trouble staying alert in the first few periods.

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A goal needs to answer Who, What, Where, When, Which, and Why to ensure you can recognize your goal so you can reach it. (pg 4)

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I have always struggled with anxiety, especially in social situations, but with the help of my family and friends I am recovering. I have an amazing close friend group, I am close with my family and I get along with my coworkers.

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My dad started drinking coffee in law school and pretty quickly became dependent. He did not evaluate the long term risks and made an emotional decision to have a lot of coffee to be more awake that ended up making him need coffee always to be awake. (pg 12). Even after he graduated, he kept drinking coffee because he couldn’t feel awake without it, and still drinks multiple cups of coffee every day. He didn’t appraise and rethink his decision and whether it was healthy or not. (Pg 12).

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To make sure your message is received as you intended it to be, ask for feedback and engage with the other person's concerns. Conversations go two ways, so have the person you are talking to clarify what they heard so you can clarify what you meant. (pg 12)

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The community and/or neighborhood of a young person also exerts a lot of influence. Many interactions young people have take place in the neighborhood (pg 7). The wealth of a neighborhood also has an effect. People from high poverty areas may be at higher risk for dangerous behavior. (pg 7).

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In the short term, coffee makes me feel great! I perform better in school because I can focus on work and not on staying awake. It sometimes will give me a stomachache but that’s rare. Coffee helps me a lot in the short term! But, humans are biased to the short term. (pg 9). I need to think about the long term too, and remind myself of that bias. (pg 10)

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Long term use of coffee can come with some negative effects. Caffeine can cause insomnia, nervousness, dehydration, and stomach irritation. You can also get dependent on coffee if you use it too much. If you get dependent, you may make a routine  of coffee and not even think of the decision anymore (pg 10).

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I think having a cup of coffee in the morning every once in a while to make sure I do good in school is okay, and I keep it in moderation and take breaks. If I keep it to a minimum and take breaks so I don’t get tolerant, I won’t develop a dependence and I won’t make it a routine, I’ll have to make the conscious decision to get a coffee (pg 10). I think it is a good health decision to keep coffee in my life but in moderation.

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I have had a long battle with mental illness to get to the point where I am and I am still fighting. It is a long road to recovery but I am working with my friends, family, and mental health team all the time. I am getting better at regulating my emotions too (pg 2)

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Since I left the Catholic Church 4 years ago my spiritual wellness has drastically improved. I have stopped worrying over every little action and if it has eternal consequences for me. I am a lot more peaceful and in tune with the world and nature, that the goal of everything in the universe is to survive and even the smallest of ants shares my goal, so all things should be respected.

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You need to be able to measure progress to keep on track and eventually reach your goal. Ask how much, how many, and how will I know when it is accomplished. (pg 5)

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Your goal needs to actually be able to happen, but with enough willpower just about anything is. You're always improving, so something that seemed impossible a year ago may be possible now. (pg 5)

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A goal needs to represent an objective you want and can work towards. That doesn't mean you can't set high goals, it just means to make sure you are willing and able to work. (pg 5)

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A set time frame can give you a sense of urgency that may be required to complete your goal. (pg 5)

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I want to start reading more again. I have found that I really enjoy reading manga, so I am setting a goal to finish a series I like so far, Berserk. I will use SMART to be able to finish Berserk by the end of this year so I can connect with my best friend over it. Reading can be a struggle since I'm so busy, so I am carving out 3 hours each week just for reading.

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To make a good goal and a good plan, you need to research first. A basic understanding is necessary to plan your path forward safely and efficiently. (pg 9)

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You need to set realistic timelines, things won't happen overnight. It can take a long time to start feeling healthy. (pg 10)

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My Dad is currently using a calorie tracker app to monitor his progress in weight loss. He does check ins with a scale frequently to monitor progress and logs what he eats. He does research on recipes and exercises that work for him too.

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I want to improve my intellectual health by reading more, making a study schedule, improving my knowledge on my fields of interest, and evaluating my future academically as I prepare for college.

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Since I struggle with chronic mental illness, finding happiness is hard for me. Often I can't find happiness at all, no matter what I try. Formulating long term plans intended to cause happiness can become challenging for these reasons. I need to try things to find meaning and find things that consistently trigger good emotions. (pg 12).

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My most important health priority is healing. For my goal, that can mean evaluating my past experiences, learning from my mistakes, and trying to improve. For example, I never developed good study skills so I need to do work on that. If I study and then do good on a test that can set me on the right track. (pg 13)

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The most important way I keep track of progress for this goal is to look at my grades. Seeing improvement or just staying consistently good is my goal, and while I have been doing well, I believe I can do better. I can also keep track through how much I read and what I read, since reading is important to me but I really fell off of the habit. (pg 13)

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Be empathetic to their struggles and celebrate their achievements. Be aware of their emotions and how what you say effects them. (pg 3) You should also empathize and see things from their point of view to understand them and not be judgmental. (pg 3)

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Think before you speak, focus on meaning, and consider how others will receive your message. Speak eloquently to come across as more intelligent and mature, and use your body language to express your meaning. (pg 4)

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Scheduling has always been a struggle in my friend group, because things get lost or people miss messages. So instead of struggling and failing to plan, we made a new group chat where we could organize our events in an announcements channel to ensure they didn't get buried and everyone could see them. By changing our approach, we learned to resolve our issues and communicate better.

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My Dad and I recently had a disagreement over my college essays. He thought I was being lazy and not trying hard enough since I said I was taking a break from essay writing. When I said I was taking a break, it was because I needed to focus on other schoolwork I was at risk of falling behind on, which is a more immediate risk. I wasn't stopping my work, I was just working on something else. By clarifying that, we were able to solve the disagreement through appropriate feedback. (pg 11)

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Offering to help can make a big impact on others, but we don't often think about offering to help. (pg 14). There are many easy things you can do to help your friends and family, like offering to do chores or errands, watch younger siblings or children, volunteer, or stop to help random people, like for example if someone is struggling to carry their groceries. (pg 15)

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A couple weeks ago, I noticed one of my friends was struggling. She was always busy taking care of her younger siblings and trying to train her mom's new puppy, while also keeping up her friendships and her job. I offered to run a few errands for her, like helping her with groceries, and came over to help her cook. We ended up having a lot of fun cooking together and the experience strengthened our friendship.

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I have experienced a lot of positive encouragement from my family. When I was in middle school, I was learning some things in religion class that went against my moral values, like that gay people are sinners or that women need to remain subservient to men. I went to my Dad to talk about it, and he helped affirm my morals and what I knew was right, even when I was being taught things that ran counter to that. His encouragement to maintain my values of inclusion, diversity, and equality have helped me become a kinder and more welcoming person.

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In the digital age, media is taking a massive role in young peoples' lives. The types of media we watch can affect our view of the world (pg 8) or can encourage us to adopt bad behaviors if they are portrayed positively (pg 8).

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Growing up, I played a lot of video games, especially Minecraft. I mostly played with my younger brother. I found out that I really enjoyed building in the game, so I started trying to find new ways to build things that looked nice, and started looking up pictures of real architecture and drawing interesting buildings that I wanted to make. This led me to develop my skills as an artist and cement a lifelong love of art, and it helped me grow closer to my little brother since we played together and he would help me build, so I got a positive impact from media growing up.

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Norms are societal values, the things that the world around you has set as an aspiration.

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How someone perceives the norm around them can affect how they practice it. Someone may see the societal norm of "healthy" as "very skinny" and start undereating. Seeing people around you or media engaging in or encouraging poor behaviors can influence teens to engage in those behaviors too. (pg 9)

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My friends have been encouraging me to work on my college applications. I always knew growing up that I was expected to go to college, since it was the "end goal" of school that people started talking about in kindergarten (pg 10). I saw people going to college in TV and movies and how fun it looked, so I always wanted to go too (pg 9). Now that I am applying to college, I'm focused more on the academics than the fun. My friends have been helping me brainstorm my essays and proofreading them to help me have the best application I can and encouraging me to keep working hard, even though it is very tiring and hard.

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Health policy can make a great impact on how healthy populations are. For example, in most EU countries, there are stricter regulations on food additives and content, which leads to a lower obesity rate than in the US. Encouragement from a government and restrictions on harmful products can help make it harder to engage in risks, like how restrictions on tobacco advertising and taxes on tobacco products decrease smoking rates.

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Helping others make good health decisions is important. My Dad and I have been supporting each other in improving our health. I have been encouraging him to exercise and helping him find and cook healthy dinners. He has been motivating me to exercise as well and to make healthy snack decisions, so we both work together to improve our health.

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Becoming involved seems daunting at first, but there are many ways to start working in your community. Pet shelters almost always need more help, as do soup kitchens or food banks. Getting involved doesn't have to be through an organization either. Independently doing a cleanup of a local park or offering to help your elderly neighbor with groceries or yardwork are also ways to interact positively with your community.

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It's easy to fall into the same cycle in life, especially during the school year. Boredom and burnout can make school absolutely miserable. A great way to shake up your routine and do good work is to start getting involved and doing fulfilling work in your community. Volunteering with pets is very important (and you get to hold cute kittens). You don't even have to leave the house to start helping. Online, you can transcribe images to help blind people with screen readers use the web, or go on a homework forum and help others with their work (without plagiarizing or cheating!). There are lots of ways to get out of the repetitive cycle of school while also making a good impact.

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When I was younger, I was bullied online for being gay. It caused me a lot of emotional distress, but my school couldn't do anything about it. One of my friends recommended staying off social media for a little bit and blocking everyone who was harassing me, and it did stop once I had blocked the main accounts who were bullying me. I think that was the best way to handle that situation and the outcome was good.

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Just three behaviors can do a huge amount to reduce risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and respiratory disease.
1. Don't smoke.
2. Eat less fat and more vegetables and fruits.
3. Be more physically active. (pg 3)
Even just one of these behaviors can improve your life and life expectancy massively. (pg 3).

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Anyone can establish healthy behaviors and habits. Set goals focusing on specific behaviors, like eating a fruit with every meal or drinking a liter of water every day. (pg 4). Even small healthy habits can make a big long term impact, it is okay to start small to begin making progress.

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My Grandma used to smoke when she was younger. After she had her kids and began learning about the risks of smoking and the risks of secondhand smoke, she decided to quit so she could be around longer for her kids and so her kids wouldn't get sick from her smoking. She was able to successfully quit cigarettes for good and has now been smoke-free for decades, and is now approaching 80 years old- an age she may have never reached if she kept smoking.

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Many disorders can be inherited from your genes. Mutations in your genes can cause a disorder, but not always. Some genetic diseases include achondroplasia, Marfan syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis, and Huntington's disease. (pg 4). Some diseases can also be caused by the absence or presence of an abnormal number of chromosomes, like Down syndrome, which is usually accompanied by an extra chromosome 21 (pg 4). Genetic testing before conception or during pregnancy can inform a pregnant person if their child could inherit or will have a genetic disorder.

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I have personally seen how heredity can affect health, as my best friend struggles with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, or hEDS (formerly known as type III), a genetic connective tissue disorder. In her case, it causes hypermobility, poor eyesight, malfunctioning of the autonomic nervous system, and chronic pain. Hypermobility, while it sounds like a bonus, actually highly increases risk for painful subluxations and dislocations. My friend at one point had a loose shoulder joint that was causing intense pain and needed daily shoulder exercises to fix- and she will be at high risk of that for the rest of her life. The disorder also weakens her eye muscles so she needs corrective lenses to force her eyes to focus. hEDS has also been linked with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS, which causes intense changes in blood pressure and heart rate when moving between postures (sitting, standing, laying). Autonomic nervous system dysfunction means my friend can sometimes forget to breathe or blink because sometimes, her nervous system just doesn't do it automatically. Genetic disorders like EDS which seem to not do much (many people have the misconception that EDS is just increased flexibility) still affect every aspect of a person's daily life. EDS has negatively affected my friend's life, as she can struggle to do a lot of normal things without pain, or even without a subluxation or dislocation. Often she will lay down wrong and pop her shoulder out of place completely on accident. That is why awareness of genetic disorders can help everyone, so you can support your loved ones with their struggles or be aware of a treatment for a condition that you never realized may be affecting your life.

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I have had a good experience with the healthcare system. I am lucky enough to have a good insurance plan through my Dad's employer. I have some unique medical needs that have required many visits over the years that would have been unfeasible if I was uninsured. I have also been able to build a good relationship with my doctors, and when I needed an unexpected appointment, I was able to get one within a couple weeks with my very busy doctor. My experience has shown me how important it is to have good, stable health insurance to improve and maintain your health.

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Risky behavior can have serious consequences. Last year, my cousin and his friends were driving recklessly late at night and ended up rolling over into a ditch. Luckily, nobody was severely injured, but they were hurt and the car was totaled. Cars can be dangerous when used without proper regard for safety, and unfortunately my cousin had to learn that the hard way.

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I have always struggled with body image. As a transgender person, most of my life I have felt extremely separated and disgusted by my body because it doesn't align with who I am. Now that I am able to fight my gender dysphoria with social transition and hormone therapy, I have been able to begin to accept my body the way it is. I still do feel uncomfortable with a lot of things, but by surrounding myself with people who treat me kindly and respectfully, focusing on the parts of my body that I do like, and knowing that as I continue in life my body will only keep getting more "me", I have been able to accept myself and be confident in my body.

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I have been dating my girlfriend for just under a year, but we have been best friends for much longer. We have a very strong and healthy relationship. The main ways we ensured we would be happy together were spending lots of time together, talking about the things we care about, learning about each other, and engaging in each other's interests. The more we learned about each other, the more we grew closer. We just "clicked", both as friends and as partners. When we have disagreements, sometimes emotions can get high, but we always are able to talk through the root cause of the disagreement and apologize when we are wrong, and forgive, no matter what the outcome of the disagreement was. Now, we are very close, and we see each other not just as partners, but as best friends too. The most important way we have grown our relationship is just by learning about each other. By learning about my girlfriend, what she likes and doesn't like, what makes her happy, what her dreams and hopes are, I can grow closer to her, take care of her, and make her life happier.

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I sometimes drink energy drinks or coffee to help me stay awake, and I wanted to research the potential effects of caffeine. By sticking to websites that are run by trustworthy institutions, like medlineplus.gov and the American Medical Association's website, I can make sure I get accurate information. By looking at multiple trustworthy sources, I can compare their results, and all of the sources agreed that caffeine in small amounts is okay, but to keep your consumption low and keep an eye out for adverse effects like jitters. Knowing how to properly research health helped me come to an informed and safe decision about my caffeine consumption.

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My brother has had to go to urgent care and the ER multiple times. His first trip was because he split his eyebrow hitting the rim of a staircase and needed stitches, which he went to urgent care for. He broke his thumb playing football, and went to the ER for a cast. He recovered well from both of those injuries because he was able to receive quick and appropriate care by going to the right place for treatment.