Amanda Diaz blog #2 team #1

 

Three keys to changing our inner and outer world: self-care, healthy eating, and actively helping others.

During the past two weeks, our class had its second round of presentations. Having already gone through the first round, we were more prepared and better understood how to organize ourselves. We knew what to expect and were eager to participate in this stimulating activity. My group was the last to present, so I had the opportunity to learn and enjoy my classmates' presentations for two classes before presenting myself. I can confidently say that the first two groups did an outstanding job. They demonstrated excellent research skills, synthesis, and presentation of information.

The first presentation was about self-care. The group was confident in their delivery and had chosen their slides carefully. They began by defining self-care and explaining its importance for our well-being. They then discussed the pillars of self-care, which included hygiene, rest, exercise, and stress management. For each pillar, they provided practical advice that we could use to incorporate into our daily lives. They also highlighted the benefits of following these tips. The group emphasized the importance of rest and how it can be achieved through good sleep, regular breaks, and relaxation techniques. They also stressed the importance of exercise, movement, and physical activity in our daily routine. For stress management, they covered topics such as deep breathing, meditation, and expressing emotions. They also shared interesting statistics about countries with high meditation rates, including the United States. The presentation ended with a summary of the main points and an invitation to practice self-care daily.

During the next presentation class, the team responsible for discussing the importance of good nutrition for a healthy body and mind presented. They started by explaining the correlation between food and health, detailing how our food choices can impact our energy levels, mood, concentration, memory, and more. They then went on to explain the four principles of healthy eating - variety, balance, moderation, and hydration. They gave examples and recommendations for each principle. For instance, for variety, they talked about the significance of incorporating foods from all nutritional groups, including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, proteins, fats, etc. For balance, they emphasized the importance of distributing meals throughout the day and consuming appropriate portions. For moderation, they stressed the importance of avoiding excessive processed, sugary, salty, and fatty foods. Lastly, for hydration, they talked about the significance of staying hydrated and avoiding alcoholics, soda, and energy drinks. They concluded by summarizing the key points and encouraging everyone to eat healthily every day.

The last team to present, in which I participated, had to discuss the movie "Pay it Forward" and the textbook chapters dedicated to listening."Pay It Forward" is a movie that tells the story of an 11-year-old boy named Trevor McKinney, who has an idea to change the world. His idea is to do selfless favors for three people, and for each of them to do the same for three others, forming a chain of favors. Trevor puts this idea into action by helping a homeless man, his social studies teacher, and a bullied classmate. However, he faces several obstacles and difficulties along the way. The film shows us how a simple idea can generate a big change in the world. It teaches us several human values, such as solidarity, generosity, empathy, courage, and creativity.

-Solidarity is the ability to help others without expecting anything in return and to feel part of a community. The film demonstrates how solidarity can improve the lives of the people who receive and give favors and create a multiplier effect that spreads throughout the country.

-Generosity is the ability to share what you have with others and to give more than you receive. The film shows us how generosity can surprise and thrill people who receive favors and inspire others to be more generous too.

-Empathy is the ability to put yourself in the shoes of others and to understand their feelings and needs. The film shows us how empathy can help identify people who need favors and create an emotional bond between them.

-Courage is the ability to face fears and risks and to act with determination and bravery. The film shows us how bravery can help overcome the obstacles and difficulties that arise when doing favors and motivate others to be braver as well.

-Creativity is the ability to generate original and novel ideas and to solve problems in an ingenious way. The film shows us how creativity can make favors more impactful and memorable and inspire others to be more creative too.

To apply these values in real life, it is crucial to develop a fundamental skill, this ability is listening. Listening is more than just hearing what others say; it involves understanding their perspectives, emotions, and needs. Paying attention, expressing interest, asking questions, and avoiding interruptions or judgments are all part of effective listening. It is a form of communication that enables us to learn, connect, and collaborate with others.The movie demonstrates how listening is relevant to the film's teaching in these ways:

-Listening helps us recognize people who require our assistance. In the film, Trevor listens to his teacher, his mother, and his classmate, and understands the issues they face. By listening, Trevor can comprehend the situations and emotions of others and offer his support and solidarity.

-Listening helps us provide more appropriate and effective assistance. In the film, Trevor doesn't offer random favors; instead, he customizes them to meet the needs and desires of his beneficiaries. For instance, Trevor doesn't offer money to the homeless man; instead, he provides him with shelter, food, clothing, and a job. Trevor doesn't buy flowers for his mother; instead, he gives her a business card from his teacher. Trevor doesn't offer advice to his classmate; instead, he provides her with his friendship and protection. By listening, Trevor can identify what types of assistance are most appropriate and effective for each person, and he can provide them with generosity and creativity.

-Listening helps us create emotional bonds with the people we help. In the film, Trevor doesn't just provide assistance and forget about people; he maintains contact and interest in them. Trevor visits the homeless man at his new job and checks in on him. He also calls his teacher and his mother to see how they are doing. Trevor also spends time with his classmate, asking her about her interests. By listening, Trevor can express his love and concern for the people he helps, and he can establish a relationship of trust and friendship with them.

-Listening helps us learn from the people we help. In the film, Trevor doesn't just offer assistance and feel superior to people; he acknowledges their virtues and learns from them. Trevor learns from the homeless man the significance of being grateful and helping others. He also learns from his teacher the importance of being brave and overcoming trauma. Trevor learns from his classmates the importance of being empathetic and respecting differences. By listening, Trevor can appreciate the value and knowledge of the people he helps and grow as a person.

During the presentations, we learned about different factors that affect our physical and mental well-being and how to help other people. The first group highlighted the significance of personal care and shared some practical tips on maintaining good hygiene, rest, exercise, and stress levels. The second group emphasized the connection between food and health and provided useful recommendations for maintaining a varied, balanced, moderate, and hydrated diet. Lastly, the third group introduced us to the movie Pay It Forward, which demonstrated how a simple idea can have a huge impact on society. These presentations helped us gain a deeper understanding of important human values such as solidarity, generosity, empathy, courage, and creativity. Additionally, we learned about the actions we can take to improve our personal care and adopt a healthier lifestyle that will improve our physical and mental well-being and healthier body and mind.d healthier body and mind.