She's Connected conference

I was going through a writing block when my best friend gave me a ring in the middle of the night. There were only two reasons why either of us would break the no-calls-past-midnight rule. It’s either there was an emergency, or something bothered someone mentally.

When I answered the call and made sure that it was not the former, I asked, “So, what’s keeping you up tonight?”

“I got a promotion at work today. I am the new supervisor in my department,” my friend said.

I instantly felt happy for my best friend. I witnessed how much she busted her butt off to get into that digital marketing company. But I found it odd that her tone did not reflect the good news that she just shared. That’s something I pointed out, and my best friend took it as a cue to finally talk about what’s bothering her.

“It was my coworkers, you see. Of course, we were not the best of friends, but we were quite chummy at work. As soon as the boss announced my promotion, though, I saw their strained smiles and claps. And during the coffee break, they did not invite me to get up and go to the pantry, which they usually did. I even found them huddling there, but they dispersed and pretended like nothing happened when they saw me.”

“I understand,” I said carefully. “It seems like your coworkers have caught the jealousy bug. It occurs more often than you think, even if you do not mean to seem above them. You should relax your mind, knowing that you did not use hocus pocus to get that promotion.”

Our call ended at that, but I could not help but feel sad for my best friend for becoming a victim of jealous people. I have seen her case multiple times in my counseling office. Sometimes, it even causes workplace bullying, which pushes someone to get depressed or have suicidal thoughts.

In those cases, I would need to treat the bullied individual. However, I would have preferred it more in an ideal circumstance if the jealous person would come to my office for mental help. That happens once in a blue moon, but if you think about it, if there are no people with jealousy reigning over them, there might be fewer to no bullied people on the planet.

If the person reading this blog has ever felt jealous towards a coworker, here are a few tips on avoiding hating that newly promoted person.

Acknowledge Your Feelings

The primary thing you need to do is to stop denying that you are jealous of someone else’s success. I know how challenging that can be to say out loud, but you should at least be able to admit that to yourself. Then, you can say, “Yes, I want what they have.”

Doing so allows you to assert your own goals. After all, you cannot feel jealous about something that you do not want. Still, instead of trying to bring the successful person down, you should use your jealousy to feed your determination to be better than them in a different way.

Count Your Blessings

Jealous people tend to experience jealousy on a whim sometimes. It is like a childish part of them that makes them think, “All for me; nothing for others.” They do not aspire to have the job of the newly promoted person, but they’re jealous anyway.

If you ever go through that phase, you have not counted your blessings in a while. That’s something you must often do because we tend to get jealous of the wrong individuals. For instance, while that is their only win, you are ahead of them by five or ten goals. Once you realize that, you may feel like a fool as you see that there’s nothing to be jealous about.

Learn From The Promoted Person

Assuming your aims are no different from that of your newly promoted coworker, you may be unable to keep yourself from feeling jealous of their success. That’s especially true if you started almost simultaneously in the company, but they overtook you in no time. Still, I would like you to be honest about that person’s traits That are perhaps better than yours.

Say, are they friendlier than you? Do they pick up new information faster than you? Are they better at communicating compared to you? If the answer is yes to any or all of them, then you have your work cut out for you. You can observe how your coworker those things or ask them directly to take you under their wing. This way, when a vacancy for a new promotion opens, you will have a better fighting chance.

Final Thoughts

Jealousy is a normal emotion that we all feel when another person appears to be better than us. However, instead of letting it fuel your hatred towards the newly promoted person at work, you should use it to find your own success.

I used to think that digital marketing was a female-dominated area. After all, if you look at most websites or any form of digital marketing strategy, you would most likely find women modeling them. However, I eventually realized that the men behind those ideas were merely banking because women were far more likable than men in general.

I learned all about this from my twin sister, who decided to break the stereotype and start her digital marketing firm. Of course, it raised eyebrows in our family, but our parents supported her as much as they supported my decision to change my career from medicine to counseling a few years back. They even gave her a substantial amount to rent an office space and get her ideas running.

I should say that my sister’s business took off smoother than anyone expected. I knew that first-hand because I was one of her clients, and I recommended her to other people who wanted to market their businesses and offices on the internet. It was incredible how much my online presence had grown since her team built my website and social media accounts.

Then, A Boyfriend Came

My twin sister called me early in the morning one day, sounding extremely giggly. When I asked what’s happening, she said that she found the love of her life. I heard that line way too much since our teenage years, so I told her to hold her horses and leave at least 1% of herself to herself just if this golden guy turned out to be brass like the others.

“Sis, I hear you, but believe me when I say this is the one for me,” my sister insisted. “I met him in one of the digital marketing conventions I attended. He has a company in New York as well, so he lives near me and gets me. Isn’t that wonderful?”

I wanted to point out to my sister that the last question made her entire statement less believable, but as her family, I was expected to give her new beau the benefit of the doubt. “All right,” I relented. “Just promise me you won’t forget what I said about keeping 1% of yourself.”

My twin sister wasted no time after that to introduce her new boyfriend to our parents formally. Mind you, it had not been a whole month since they started dating exclusively when they decided on that. The guy had introduced my sister to his family to prove that he was not playing around.

But There’s A Big Hurdle

Everything was excellent in my sister’s relationship until they thought of bidding for the same project in Manhattan. When I asked my sister about it, she said that it was all out of pure fun. “Whichever company wins, we will be happy for each other. Who knows, perhaps we will do a merger if we end up getting married,” my sister explained, giggling.

Of course, I decided not to worry about it. For one, it was not my place to dictate how my sister should run her relationships. Secondly, I knew how competitive she could be. If I should worry about someone, it should be directed towards her boyfriend because he chose the wrong girl to challenge.

And as if I was a fortune teller, I saw my sister’s latest ad on a massive digital billboard on the freeway one day. It was for the company that she and her boyfriend decided to bid on as rivals. I called my sister to congratulate her on her victory, but I was answered with sobbing.

Even without my sister confirming it, I already expected the worse. Then, once she said that her boyfriend broke up with her when he learned about his company’s loss, I was no longer surprised. I had seen more than my fair share of egotistical men who could never accept a defeat, especially if the fight was against a woman, regardless of the area of expertise.

How To Feel Happy When Others Win

My sister’s relationship is a lost cause at this point, but if you want to know how to be happy when others win in life, you should:

• Avoid making comparisons between others and yourself. Everyone has a different winning strategy.
• Be grateful for the other wins you have experienced. You may have lost now, but you have probably won a lot before, too.
• Clear your head – and your goals. Sometimes, you may feel jealous of someone because their lives are in order – and yours is not – so it’s easier for them to make their dreams come true.
• Look up to the winning individuals instead of getting jealous of them. They are doing something amazing, and you should learn how they did that.

Final Thoughts

My twin sister learned an incredible lesson after dating a jealous man. But even if you do not get romantically involved with them, you should be aware that you’ll come across many jealous people in your life. In that case, hold your head up, offer some tips if they are open to it, and enjoy your wins because you deserve them.

There is no stopping the internet in today’s generation. Everything about a person’s life is, in fact, visible on social media. Almost all individuals post and share their stories with the hope of influencing others. There is nothing wrong with that, though. Anyone can do whatever they desire as long as they are happy with what they do. Unfortunately, despite the benefits of social engagements in social media, a lot of individuals are getting more affected emotionally and mentally. It is not because they are not socially active or anything, but because too much of everything is out in the open, and not everyone can handle it.

Social media has been a place where people’s issues build up. There are insecurities, jealousy, rejection, impulsiveness, violence, cyberbullying, emotional torture, lies, and too many expectations. With all those negative things going around, people’s mental health has a hard time keeping up with what genuinely matters in life – true happiness.

Source: pixabay.com

Behind The Captivating Stories And Pictures

As we all can agree, not all the things we see in social media are, in fact, the truth. Some are fake content, and people are only using such platforms to gain fame and money. Some use social media to gather attention, while others rely on its availability for the sake of validation. But what is more damaging is the effect of social media on those individuals who already put their lives on it. Those are the people who cannot identify reality from fantasy. It is such a shame that social media has become one of the main sources of emotional and mental health problems despite bridging the gap between people. Understanding more of its negative effects are the frequently asked questions below.

How does social media addiction cause depression? 

Using social media more often causes a lot of mental health-related issues. Teenage and young adult users substantially experience unbalanced emotional and mental health, including feelings of dissatisfaction, inadequacy, and isolation. In turn, these feelings negatively affect their mood and aggravate symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression.

Based on a daily dose of high expectations and out-of-reach life standards, social media is killing people’s happiness in life. It ruins satisfaction and contentment by somehow promoting lies and deception.

 What percent of depression is caused by social media? 

In several recent studies, social media causes negative effects on a person’s well-being, particularly depression and anxiety. There is a 13 to 66 percent or even higher rate of reported mental health problems than those who spent less time with social platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

 How do social media help mental health? 

Social media is an excellent platform that offers people the chance to connect with others despite being far away from each other. Often, it serves as an outlet for those with mental illnesses to express themselves without revealing their identities. There is enough anonymity that takes away the stress and pressure of judgment and criticism of others. Social media allows individuals to develop their self-awareness and improve self-expression.

Looking thoroughly, social media intends to put an end to social isolation. But unfortunately, some individuals are using it the other way around. That instead of taking advantage of its purpose for self-expression, social media becomes their escape for hiding what they genuinely think and feel.

Source: pixabay.com

 Do social media cause depression in youth? 

While social contributes to a certain number of benefits, too much of it still damages mental and emotional health, particularly in youths. Usually, social media makes teenagers live in a different world. They tend to experience feelings of self-doubt, insufficiency, discontentment, and isolation. These emotions trigger the warning signs of depression and often lead to self-inflicting harm and even suicide.

 Which country has the highest depression rate? 

The World Health Organization (WHO) listed Ukraine, Colombia, the Netherlands, and the United States as the country with higher prevalence estimates of depression. Meanwhile, Asian countries, particularly Japan, are considered the least depressed country with a diagnosed rate of individuals of less than 2.5 percent of the whole population.

 How is social media bad for you? 

With the booming of new technology, there is still little research to establish and determine the long-term consequences of too much technological use, particularly with social media. That is because multiple studies show a strong link between heavy usage of social media and an increased risk of mental illness such as loneliness, anxiety, depression, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts.

Honestly, from a wider perspective, social media is not that bad. There are tons of benefits to using it. However, to some people dealing with mental health issues, social media can be dangerous as it can trigger even unnoticeable depressive symptoms.

 How social media affects your brain? 

Social media affects the brain differently. A great example is the brain chemicals’ stimulation when a person posts a picture and gets positive social feedback. There is the release of dopamine that rewards the behavior and carries on social media habits. Thus, this particular increase in brain chemical levels results in much the same way that addiction works with things like shopping, alcohol, drugs, and gambling.

 Does social media make us lonely? 

Few pieces of data link social media to loneliness. That is among heavy social media users, particularly teenagers who often think their lives are not as perfect as others. Social media can change the way people integrate their decision-making skills into their existing lives, which impacts isolation and loneliness. These may include online spaces that are often oriented to status, performance, exaggerating favorable yet unrealistic qualities.

 Why is social media bad for teens? 

Too much use of social media can be dangerous and unhealthy for teens. The habit has been linked to feelings of inadequacy, envy, and less satisfaction with life because of some unrealistic representation of what life should be all about. Teens are more concerned with what other people think, making them even more susceptible to mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Social media’s negative impact on teens usually ends up with an increased level of self-doubt, a possible implication of self-harm, and constant thoughts of suicide.

 How long do teens spend on social media? 

American teenagers usually spend an astonishing nine hours a day with their digital devices. These kids entertain themselves by listening to music, streaming videos, playing games, and watching movies. But more than half of 54 percent of teens, particularly 12- to 15-year-olds, spend too much time on their cellphones browsing social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. These teens are the ones that are twice as likely to experience loneliness, anxiety, depression, isolation, or anti-social behavior.

 What is a healthy screen time per day? 

Experts recommend that teens and adults should spend at least two hours a day for an acceptable amount of screen time. No screen time or digital use should be given to children under two years old, and only an hour a day for kids 2 to 12 years old.

Source: pixabay.com

 What are the symptoms of too much screen time? 

Too much screen time’s negative side effects include physical strain to your eyes and body, increased risk of obesity, sleep deprivation, and impaired socializing skills. It also contributes to chronic health conditions, weakened emotional judgment, and delayed learning in young children. In some instances, it also leads to attention problems, anxiety, and depression.

 Is Screen time linked to depression?

Youth’s increasing depressive symptoms can be associated with many things. However, increased screen time is generally linked to progressively inferior psychological well-being. Rather than alleviate negative thoughts and feelings, an individual often feels more anxious, depressed, or lonely after spending too much time with social media.

 Does screen time affect mental health? 

A study found that the relations between screen time and mental health diagnoses, particularly depression and anxiety, occur with young people who spent seven hours or more a day on their screens. These kids are more likely to get easily distracted, become less emotionally stable, often experience difficulties finishing tasks, and find it difficult to make friends.

 Why is technology bad for your mental health?

Technology itself is not bad for people’s mental health. Instead, it is the usage that makes things more complicated. The relationship between technological use and both physical and mental health outcomes relies solely on digital addiction. Therefore, if individuals will not notice emotional, physical, and mental strain, things can lead to a severe overall health condition.

 

I had been in the digital marketing industry for more than six years now. I started as a content writer for an agency that created websites for different companies. After a couple of years, I applied to another agency to become a social media manager. A few years later, I felt like I had the necessary connections and knowledge to open my own digital marketing firm, and I did it.

Many people praised my decision to do so. Most of them said that it would mean an addition to the handful of lady bosses in the industry. After all, even though it was about marketing products and services, it was still a male-dominated career. Some folks admired my guts, considering I did not have formal training as a digital marketer. They were correct about that – I learned everything through experience. Others would even jokingly ask me, “How can I be like you, Andrea?”

I would smile in reply and talk about the importance of having a competitive team to back you up to all these. It was mostly true – I might have gotten nowhere if I hired people who did not know what I asked them to do. As for the last question, when it was only my husband and me, I would answer, “Try dealing with depression and using digital marketing to save your butt.”

Opening My Version Of Pandora’s Box

It was in middle school when my sleeping and eating patterns began to shift. My parents maintained that I should sleep at nine o’clock on school days so that I would look – and think – my best in the morning. I followed that rule like any obedient daughter would for a few months. However, the more rigid my lessons became, the harder I found it to fall asleep quickly. Because of that, I turned to reading my favorite book series – Harry Potter. 

Whenever my parents would close my bedroom door, I would keep my eyes closed until I hear theirs close as well. Then, I would jump out of my bed to get a book from the series and read until three o’clock in the morning. I could sleep for three hours after that before Mom would wake me up to prepare for school. 

I did that secret routine up to high school. By that time, I was already a fast reader to the extent that I could finish a 300+-page book in less than six hours every night. When I got slightly bored with the Harry Potter series, I moved on to the Twilight Saga, which is supposed to be a long read, too. My friends envied me for having such skill and not getting caught by my parents once.

When I went off to college, I agreed to take up Chemistry, even though I wanted to take up Communications. I excelled at sciences, and I honored my parents’ words that I could still go to writing workshops if I wanted to be a writer later. As expected, the more semesters I dealt with, the more challenging my classes became. In my third year, I already lost complete interest in Chemistry and asked my parents if I could shift courses, but they said no. “Finish Chemistry first, then we’ll talk about that,” Dad said firmly.

Being stuck in classes that I did not care for and resenting my parents for not listening to what I wanted me to do in life caused me to slip into depression. I lived in the dorms, so it was easy to skip classes or pretend I was in one when Mom or Dad called. I would still go to class sometimes, but that’s only to take exams. This new routine went on even to the next semester, though I didn’t go to classes at all. I also shut my friends/classmates out and didn’t answer calls from anyone.

How did I not end up killing myself, you might ask?

I was on the verge of doing that, frankly speaking. I would not sleep or eat for as long as I could. It’s not that I did not want to sleep or eat; it’s just that the voices inside my head were somewhat paralyzing. I would try to decipher them in the morning, and then I would eventually realize that the day passed me by already. The only way to lessen the noise was to write my problems in a notebook until they stopped. 

After doing that for a couple of weeks, I found the courage to talk to my parents about everything. I expected them to disown me, but I was surprised when they both hugged and apologized to me for going through that on my own. I shed buckets of tears that day, too, since I felt a heavy weight lifted off my chest. Then, when they asked what I wanted to do, I said that I wanted to try writing for a living. As people said, the rest became history.

Talking About Depression

I still find it challenging to talk about depression in person, but I would love to use this chance to write about it instead.

What is the most reliable symptom of depression? 

 Among the most reliable symptoms of depression is hopelessness. 

What are the four major causes of depression? 

• It is in your genes.
• You have experienced some form of abuse.
• You are dealing with chronic physical illness.
• A loved one passed away.

What are the early warning signs in mental health? 

• The dramatic or constant change in your sleeping, thinking, and eating patterns
• Lack of interest in activities or people you used to be unable to live without
• Significant performance slump
• Poor concentration or logic
• Getting hurt by everything
• Thinking that everyone is against you
• Lack of sense of reality
• Peculiar behavior

What are the signs of poor mental health? 

• Excessive worrying
• Poor decision-making
• Easily overwhelmed
• Easily distracted
• Increased sensitivity

What are the five signs of mental illness? 

• You get paranoid and worry too much about everything.
• You feel sad or irritated for an extended period.
• Your mood hits the extremes often.
• You withdraw from your friends, family, and society.
• Your sleeping and eating patterns have been erratic.

What are the four types of depression? 

• Bipolar disorder
• Major depression
• Persistent depressive disorder (PDD)
• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

What is the biggest cause of depression? 

 Abuse is the primary cause of depression.

Does depression count as a disability? 

 Yes, depression counts as a psychiatric disability.

What are the seven types of mental disorders? 

• Anxiety disorders
• Eating disorders
• Mood disorders
• Personality disorders
• Psychotic disorders
• Post-traumatic disorders
• Dementia

What’s a mental breakdown? 

 A mental breakdown is a term that people use to describe when a person succumbs to emotional or psychological stress. 

How do I know if I’m bipolar? 

Bipolar disorder symptoms are divided between mania and depression.

Manic Signs:

• You feel “high” for hours or days, even if you have not taken substances.
• You do not feel the need to sleep at all.
• You talk as quickly as your mind races.
• You want to act on every idea that comes to mind.
• You cannot focus on a specific activity.
• You get too confident.
• You welcome risky – borderline life-threatening – activities.

Depressive Signs:

• You feel sad, hopeless, and discouraged for a long time.
• You refuse to meet your loved ones.
• You no longer enjoy your favorite activities.
• You either overeat or don’t eat at all.
• You always feel exhausted.
• You cannot recall or decide on anything.
• Your mind gets preoccupied with suicidal thoughts.

What is Stage 4 mental illness? 

 Reaching Stage 4 of any mental illness entails dealing with severe symptoms that most likely affect your functioning and relationships.

Is overreacting a mental illness? 

 No, overreacting is technically not a mental illness but a symptom of one – particularly bipolar disorder.

What is poor mental health?

Poor mental health is characterized by an individual’s inability to process situations without feeling tired, angry, sad, unhappy, or stressed.

Final Thoughts

The takeaway from this blog is that depression is supposed to be seen as a life challenge, not the end of everything. If I managed to surpass it and find success in life, anyone could do it. The key is to be honest about your mental health to the people you love.

Millions of people look for a job every day. Some are fresh graduates; others already have years of experience under their belt. Some want a career change; others wish to resume what they have started but had to hold off due to personal issues. Despite that, if you look at various data, you will notice the lack of gender inequality in a few industries.

One particular thing I am talking about is my female friend’s experience while trying to earn money. Since many companies were not hiring en masse, she decided to become an Uber driver to generate income for her bills. Her chosen work time was between 9 P.M. to 2 A.M., assuming that commuters would pay extra at night.

As it turned out, though, my friend got at least one canceled trip or two every night. She wondered initially if it was because the would-be passengers chose to walk or grabbed a taxi. But after meeting other male Uber drivers and hearing that no one ever declined their services, she realized that seeing her gender must be the problem. After all, men have more confidence in driving than women — studies have proven that, and many people believe it. It does not matter to them if the same studies claim that women are safer drivers than men.

Is It Unfair?

Of course, it is! Transportation is not the only male-dominated industry across the globe. You can hardly find a female construction worker, miner, computer programmer, engineer, or software developer. It is not due to women’s lack of interest in those fields — many strive to work in such industries out of love for them.

Nevertheless, male-dominated industries were not 100% impenetrable. Some accepted women due to their incredible skills; others did it to avoid getting labeled as gender-biased. Either way, the ladies had to work harder than everyone to keep up with the guys or prove that they were better than the latter.

How Does It Affect A Woman’s Mental Health?

 In all fairness, since women pretty much expect some form of gender discrimination in their chosen fields before they get hired, they prepare themselves for it early. Because of that, misogynistic colleagues or biased bosses could not always affect their mental health and make them want to quit. Some even managed to earn respect and admiration of their male coworkers, to the extent that they were treated as “one of the boys.” That seems to be the highest compliment that a woman gets when working with guys since they are seen as equals.

The problems merely appear when a weak-hearted woman gets shoved into a male-dominated industry out of sheer desperation to find a job. When they feel less recognized or appreciated than their male counterparts, they cry in the bathroom or curse everyone behind their backs. If the promotion goes to someone else, they get upset and hand over their resignation letter. Then, they get depressed and do not want to work with men again.

How Should A Woman Think While Working In A Male-Dominated Industry?

From the get-go, women need to know their rights as an employee. For instance, if the men receive X amount of bonus, they should also get the same amount. If a higher position opens, everyone should be able to apply for it and be considered relatively. And once they experience discrimination, they can appeal to the executives or go straight to government officials that handled such problems.

Women should not tolerate emotional or verbal abuse either. Although it rarely occurs in well-established companies these days, there are still some unique cases where women get taunted or treated as inferior by men. Instead of taking it all in quietly, afraid of losing your job, you need to speak up and inform the authorities about it. That’s the only way for them to prevent them from treating other women like that.

Consequently, it is wrong for women to expect receiving special treatment in a male-dominated industry because of their gender. You are entitled to a separate bathroom, for sure, but your workload should be similar to that of others. Doing otherwise will be discriminatory towards the male employees, especially if you hold the same positions.

Final Thoughts

Many women cannot stand working in male-dominated industries; that’s why some have banded together to create their own companies. Since their talents cannot shine in those areas, they make sure to build a platform for themselves where no one will feel like they can be bossed around due to their gender. For that, everyone is proud of your accomplishments.

In case you are still in a male-dominated industry, though, ask yourself: “Am I treated fairly here?” “Do I get the same privileges as my male counterparts?” “Do they respect me as a person, not just as a woman?”

If you can answer ‘yes’ to everything, that’s awesome! It practically means that your coworkers are #woke and know how to treat people equally. If one or all your answers are ‘no,’ then it’s time to say goodbye to them and carve a new path for yourself. Trust me that will be better for you mentally and emotionally.

 

Source: wallpaperflare.com

 

Over the past months, a new virus known as COVID-19 has proliferated, transmitting to thousands of people and affecting humankind worldwide. We have yet to witness the devastating effect that it has in the aftermath – because of the state and countrywide lockdowns, school and business closures, and social distancing measures, among others – we are not experiencing the effect of the pandemic on our economy.

Businesswomen, specifically, are among the populations that are tremendously affected financially by the pandemic. From branding and marketing to mental and feminine healthcare, businesses have been required to adapt to these challenging times. In this article, let us give praise and appreciation to some businesswomen who have successfully dealt with the negative impact of the coronavirus.

Crystal Evuleocha. She is the founder of a digital health company to expand access to reproductive and sexual health services for multicultural women. Kliit, her company’s name, began during Evuleocha’s journey involving the Internet and how it provides convenience and safety in terms of health. This eliminates the need for patients to visit the emergency department or the hospital for consultation. She started launching telehealth consultations when the pandemic was continually spreading its wrath across the world. Kliit caters mostly women whether or not they have insurance coverage. She has a team of licensed therapists who are available to provide medical diagnoses, prescriptions, and advice. She was inspired to push this vision of hers as she observed that routine checkups and non-essential visits have become scarce for the past months.

 

Source: publicdomainpictures.net

Evuleocha also expressed her take on the importance of practicing self-care. She has pushed her advocacy by connecting with family and friends through video chat, helping them get the healthcare they need while keeping themselves safe at home.

Mollie Eliasof. This strong-willed woman is the CEO of her self-named company, the Mollie Eliasof Therapy, where she is also the Chief Therapist. She states that from its opening, there has been a steep increase in the need for their services. However, she also noticed that her clients were having difficulty paying for their consultations and organizing time for confidential connections. Because of this, Mollie launched a live show on Instagram to focus on providing free information. According to her, a lot of marriages fail with or without the current pandemic, and couples need all the support they can in their relationships. She aims to help them find better solutions before they decide to end their marriage.

In her live show, she also speaks about books that have somehow inspired her and podcasts that she finds interesting and helpful for her and her clients as well. She is also loves dancing and is currently doing online ballet classes, which she shares with her clients during her daily live sessions.

Dawn Dickson. The creator and organizer of PopCom, a digital retail company, Dawn Dickson, uses facial recognition and machine learning to comprehend her customers better. PopCom is involved in providing hardware and software solutions for kiosks and vending machines. Dawn is also the first woman founder ever to raise more than $1 million in a Regulation Crowd Funding round. When the pandemic hit the United States and other countries, Dawn recalls that their sales in vending machines, which were made in China, were largely affected, which made her decide to do the core of their manufacturing in America. It did take a while for her team to organize things and before the process went smoothly again, but she believed that it was the best move that her team ever made since COVID-19. It was difficult to renegotiate with their clients and make new partnerships, but she made it happen. Though she had to withdraw her previous showcase schedules for demonstrations, the upside was that delivery of the products was faster, and customer service became better.

 

Source: wallpaperflare.com

As for self-care, Dawn Dickson has been religious, as she works at home and has a daughter who is in a homeschool program and obviously is also at home most of the time. She shares that despite her efforts to be successful in business, she strives to be the best mom to her child as well.

Whether you are a man or woman, you can ask for help from BetterHelp anytime. They are fantastic at assisting people to get through major issues in life.

 

 

 

Proofreading is done after all the editing process, and this is the last stage before your work will be printed out. You will focus on finding any overlooked misspellings and typographic errors, consistency, grammar, and other inserts.

The Proofreading Process

You may use the proofreading process below to help you with your work

Don’t Rely Entirely On Spelling Checkers

In the age of technology, you can easily use a spelling checker online, but don’t solely rely on it, what they check are only limited in their dictionary. And sometimes, it will not accurately catch your errors.

Grammar Checkers Can Be Even More Problematic

This will annoy you more than you expected, they will sometimes ask you to revise your sentence, but they won’t give you a thorough explanation of why you should do that. They can’t catch every error, and they sometimes make mistakes.

You can use an online grammar checker to help you see the errors and edit it yourself.

Proofread

If you are proofreading the punctuation, focus only on the punctuation. You will lose your focus if you check the punctuation and spelling at the same time, you tend to make more mistakes. If you are done in one task, proofread it all over again for another kind of error.

Read Slowly And Read Every Word

Do not skim over your work. Read it slowly and read every word. Doing this will help you notice every detail and mistakes.

Read each sentence aloud, and it will help you catch mistakes that you can’t visually see.

Separate The Text Into Individual Sentences

Break-in between sentences and read it separately, and aloud, it will give you a new perspective on your work. It will help you catch grammar errors, punctuation, or spelling.

Circle Every Punctuation Mark

Every time you do this, ask yourself if it is the correct punctuation use in that specific sentence

Read The Paper Backward

This technique will help you get your attention. Your mind is already following the structure if you read it from the beginning, and you often miss some mistakes.

By reading it backward, it slows you down, and your brain stops from misleading you.

Proofreading Is A Learning Process

In proofreading, you are not just looking for mistakes, but also, you are learning in the process to avoid similar errors in the future. Proofreading is not a one-time read-only, you will need to read it again and again until no mistakes are seen, and your work is in its correct format.

Don’t Make Ignorance As An Excuse

There are confusing words in the sentence, but the spelling or grammar checkers didn’t catch them. If that’s the case, you shouldn’t ignore it, instead, look it up yourself. It will help you in the future, and it will make you better in proofreading.

Have A Systematic Strategy

When you are proofreading your work often, you will find out the areas where you usually make a mistake and needed close attention. By proofreading it regularly, it will help you evolve your idea while correcting your work.

Always remember, the more you write, the more you edit, the more you proofread, the more you learn!

 

 

 

Most people are interchanging editing and proofreading as two points of the revision process. But, they are not the same thing, although both required close and careful reading, but they emphasized different angles of the writing process and utilized a different approach.

Editing

Editing is a challenging job after you finished your draft, you have to edit it. Editing lets you see whether your paper is compelling if there’s a smooth transition between paragraphs, and if your argument backs up with the evidence that you have. You have to reread your drafts for you see those things.

Levels on what you can edit:

Contents

Content editing, as the name suggested, means checking the content of your work. You will go into the contents for factual errors, inconsistencies, and contradictions. If you are working for a fictional paper, in content editing, you need to check the plot, character, or dialogue. Content editing lets you check whether if the theme adequately developed. Content editing is subjective than other forms of editing; it involves a lot of thought and decision-making.

Content editing assesses the content in detail.

Overall Structure

Structural editing is not about revising your work, but it involves making structural changes.

In structural editing, your goal as the editor is to check out the story’s overall flow, paying attention to the plot, dialogue, descriptions, characterizations, and any other unique components to the story or writing, before going into details like spelling and grammar.

Structure Within Paragraphs

A paragraph is a distinct section of a piece of writing, a group of sentences that all relate to one main idea or topic. Topic sentence, unity, coherence, and adequate development; these are the four main characteristics your paragraph should have for it to be effective.

A topic sentence is one of the most effective ways to attain clarity and unity in one’s writing.

Unity is essential because it assists the readers in following along with your ideas. One paragraph only deals with one topic; when a paragraph is written, your readers will expect a new topic.

When you switch main ideas or topics within a paragraph, it often confuses. You, as a writer, should display how the concepts involved in a paragraph are connected to the main topic.

Adequate Development means when the paragraph describes, defines, and upholds the topic sentence.

Clarity

Editing for clarity, your goal is having your sentence one interpretation only. To ensure your sentences are clear, you should use specific words, use active voice, simplify tenses, use Standard English, replace vague pronouns, avoid using the helping verbs (would, should, and could), and check for any misplaced modifiers.

Style

The style in writing can be characterized as the way a writer writes. It can also describe as the author’s “voice” that readers listen to while reading. In style editing, it will let you see if you use correct capitalization, punctuations, the proper usage of apostrophes, and the words that are easily confused.

Citations

Citation and Reference editing are essential to a paper, especially if you are writing an academic paper. References validate the information you write in your paper; proper citations also complete the paper’s progress.

It is vital to give proper credit to your sources – footnotes, endnotes, reference lists, and separate citing page.