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The
Personal Side |
The Personal Side of the Ventures Scholar
Being a high school student is not all about grades
and test scores. There is a personal side and we want
to help you make the right personal decisions. This
section provides you with links to Web sites that will
offer you information about the following topics:
ALCOHOL
AND DRUGS
A Guide for Teens - Helping Your Friends
Does your friend have an alcohol or other drug problem?
What can you do to help?
Read more:
http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/govpubs/PHD688/
Issues Related to Alcohol and Other Drugs
Do you know someone who is drinking too much? Are you
drinking too much? This site provides information about
the effects of alcohol and drugs and suggestions to help
those who might have a drinking or drug problem.
Read more:
http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/prospective/undergraduate_admissions/
student_life_and_services/student_support/counseling_center/
alcohol.html
Dealing with Addiction
The difference between substance abuse and addiction is
very slight. Addiction begins as abuse, or using a substance
like marijuana or cocaine.
Read more:
http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/getting_help/addictions.html
3,000,000 Young People
Need Help With Alcohol Problems
Welcome to the Alcohol Cost Calculator for Kids, developed
by Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems. This easy-to-use
tool is designed to help teachers, parents, lawmakers
and child advocates calculate the toll serious alcohol
problems are taking on their community.
Read more:
http://www.alcoholcostcalculator.org/kids/
Alcohol Use Among Girls
According to SAMHSA’s National Household Survey
on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), male and female rates of alcohol
use among 12- to 17-year-olds were similar in the early
1990’s for the first time.1 Girls are beginning
to drink at younger ages than ever before. In the 1960’s,
7 percent of new female users of alcohol were ages 10
to 14, but by the early 1990’s, that figure had
risen to 31 percent.2
Read more:
http://www.health.org/govpubs/rpo993/
Organizations, Articles and More
This site has a wealth of helpful information about how
to help those with alcohol and drug problems.
Read more:
http://www.focusas.com/Alcohol.html
ANXIETY
Most of us experience some level of uneasiness or tension
before and/or during a test. A small amount of tension
or stress is expected. Sometimes that nervousness works
in our favor, motivating us. However, in larger amounts
that tension can interfere or even impair our capacity
to think, plan, and perform on tests. The following
information will help you to cope and overcome test
anxiety.
Read more:
http://success.oregonstate.edu/study/tests.cfm
http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy/cajolet/reducing_anxiety.htm
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/stress.html
ASSERTIVENESS
Assertive Communication
Do you have trouble saying no, even when you really
should? Do you feel like people walk all over you? Do
you have trouble keeping your temper under control?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you
might find it really helpful to learn about assertive
communication.
Read more:
http://www.uiowa.edu/~ucs/asertcom.html
Assertiveness
Do you often find that others coerce you into thinking
their way? Is it difficult for you to express your positive
or negative feelings openly and honestly? Do you sometimes
lose control and become angry at others who don't warrant
it? A "yes" answer to any of the above questions
may be an expression of a common problem known as "lack
of assertiveness."
Read more:
http://www.couns.uiuc.edu/Brochures/assertiv.htm
Assertive Communication
Infants and young children have direct ways of making
their needs and desires known! Without being conditioned
or taught what is "polite", they naturally,
constantly ask for what they want - even though they aren't
sure they will get it. However, as we grow older, we tend
to adopt less direct styles of communicating. Messages
we receive from society and significant others seem to
discourage what is perceived as "making waves",
which is generally nothing more than making our needs
and feelings known - directly and respectfully.
Read more:
http://www.usu.edu/arc/idea_sheets/assertive.htm
Assertive Communication
Here are some tips on how to communicate more assertively
with others.
Read more:
http://www.twu.edu/o-sl/counseling/SelfHelp011.html
CONFLICT
Conflict with Significant People
in Your Life
As soon as you come into contact with other people, you
begin to experience conflicts. This means that, if you
work to decrease isolation from other people, you get
some new problems as a result.
Read more:
http://mirecc.stanford.edu/content/ptsd/conflict_with_significants.htm
Conflict
Tools for Relationships. Handling Conflict. Content:.
What is conflict
Read more:
http://www.coping.org/relations/conflict.htm
Fourteen Winning Strategies For Handling Conflict
How do you handle conflict? Ignore it? Get defensive?
Blame it on someone or something else? There are better
ways to handle conflict and criticism. Try following these
tips.
Read more:
http://www.hodu.com/negotiation-skills.shtml
DIFFICULT PEOPLE
Dealing with Difficult People
How do you deal with difficult, irrational, or abusive
people, especially those in positions of authority who
have some degree of control over your life?
Read more:
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2004/11/dealing-with-difficult-people/
Learning to Deal With Difficult People
If you have to work with difficult people every day, you
probably dread going to work each morning. What's more,
you might get so stressed that you can't concentrate on
the job. Have you ever wondered why some people are difficult
to work with?
Read more:
http://www.confidencecenter.com/art12.htm
How to Deal with Difficult Family
We choose our friends, or they choose us, but family is
a hand-me-down. If we outgrow friendships, or choose to
end them because they have turned toxic, even though the
process is difficult, we close those doors and move on
with our lives. However, how do we handle family members
who are negative, critical, unfeeling and domineering?
After all, for some of us this is the only family we have!
Read more:
http://www.turnonyourinnerlight.com/DifficultFamily.html
Practical Examples on How to Deal with Difficult
People
Interesting information on how to deal with difficult
people.
Read more:
http://www.dealing-with-difficult-people.com/practical_examples_on_how_to_d.html
EATING HABITS
Many teens feel pressured to lose weight and try different
types of diets, but if you really need to lose weight,
improving your eating habits and exercising will help
you more than any diet. Keep reading to get the down-and-dirty
basics on dieting.
From KidsHealth
http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/dieting/dieting.html
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/binge_eating.html
From healthfinder
http://www.healthfinder.gov/news/newsstory.asp?docID=515401
From Health Behavior News Service
http://www.hbns.org/news/extreme12-28-02.cfm
Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are mental disorders that can have
serious physical complications. These disorders may
make normal functioning difficult and can become chronic,
crippling illnesses and in extreme cases require hospitalization.
There are three main types of eating disorders: Anorexia,
Bulimia, and Binge Eating. These are complex disorders
focusing on issues of eating, body weight, and body
shape. Disordered eating can lead to an eating disorder.
It is important to identify eating habits and change
them before they become severe.
Read more:
http://www.mirror-mirror.org/college.htm
http://www.campusblues.com/healthy_eating.asp
http://www.brewsterschools.org/BHSMain/GuidServ/Eating/Eating
%20Disorders.htm
FEAR
OF FAILURE
Overcoming Failure - Failure
Can Be Positive or Negative
Failure is a learning tool. Thomas Edison failed a thousand
times before he invented the light bulb. Failure is
trying to do things others have not considered. It is
a temporary byproduct of creativity. It is challenging
the learning process. It is experiential education at
work. The real winners in life tolerate failure and
the agony it produces. Success is achieved by those
who are willing to take risk and lose.
Read more:
http://www.motivation-tools.com/elements/overcoming_failure.htm
Overcoming Failure - Failure Is
Nothing to Fear
Failure can be a beautiful experience. Why? Because it
provides us with an opportunity to develop courage. Or,
as Confucius said, “Our greatest glory is not in
never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
Anyone who has seen the movie Rocky can never forget the
scene in which he continually rises after being knocked
down in the ring over and over again. Bloodied and barely
able to see, he continues to get up and stagger toward
his opponent, while his manager shouts, “Rocky,
stay down! Stay down!”
Read more:
http://www.personal-development.com/chuck/failure.htm
Ten Reasons Why People Fail
Why do people fail? Find out!
Read more:
http://www.goalsguy.com/Knowledge/t_07_whyfail.html
Knowing How To Overcome Failure
Is Part Of Being Successful
Poem about overcoming failure!
Read more:
http://www.dwlz.com/Motivation/tips34.html
FRIENDSHIPS
Making and Keeping Friends
For some people making new friends comes easily. For
others, it can be a difficult task. The development
of a true friendship, whether it's with one person or
many people, is a great feeling. Below are a few commonly
asked questions that will help you establish the confidence
to make new friendships or strengthen the ones you already
have.
Read more:
http://www.teengrowth.com/index.cfm?action=info_article&ID_article=1342&category=friends&catdesc=Friends&subdesc=Friendship
12 Tips for Making and Keeping Friends
Helpful tips for making friends.
Read more:
http://www.crgs.org/bullies/bullies6.htm
Making And Keeping Friends - A Self-Help Guide
Making new friends can be exciting or intimidating, depending
on your personality and your circumstances, but ultimately
it is rewarding. To meet new people who might become your
friends, you have to go to places where others are gathered.
The hardest thing about going out and doing anything in
the community is doing it for the first time. It's hard
for everyone. Push through those hard feelings and go.
Most of the time, you will be glad you did.
Read
more:
http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/SMA-3716/default.asp
GENERAL
HEALTH
Health Topics
Everyone has special health concerns based on gender,
age, race, ethnic origin, or role in helping others
care for their health. We've selected very specific
information from our health library so it is easy to
zero in on health topics of special interest to you.
Just choose one of the special groups below to begin.
Read more:
http://healthfinder.gov/justforyou/
Student Health
Here's an Education Week page that takes a close look
at the health issues facing students--and what schools
are doing about them.
Read more:
http://www.edweek.org/context/topics/issuespage.cfm?id=117
Teen Health - Myth or Fact
The Just Think team put together this Myth vs. Fact
sheet so you can see how much you do or don't know about
issues affecting teen health and well-being.
Read more:
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/senioryear/reachout/myth.html
SHYNESS
Understanding Shyness
For some people, the problem of shyness may simply be
having trouble thinking of things to say in social situations.
For others, it may involve crippling physical manifestations
of uneasiness. For most, shyness involves a combination
of both symptoms to a greater or lesser degree. In any
event, the effects of shyness can be devastating.
Read more:
http://members.aol.com/cybernettr/shyness.html
Shake Your Shyness
Shyness is feeling uncomfortable in social situations
in ways that interfere with our ability to enjoy ourselves,
to perform at the level we're capable of or that cause
us to avoid social situations altogether.
Read more:
http://www.shakeyourshyness.com/
Steps to Overcoming Shyness
To overcome shyness, "say anything even if you
make a fool out of yourself" is often suggested. I do
not have a degree in psychology, but I think this step
is impractical. By making a fool out of yourself, you're
just becoming more aware of the judgmental world that
you always feared.
Read more:
http://www.heartsandminds.org/self/shysteps.htm
Overcoming Shyness
Shyness can be debilitating and I know because I used
to suffer from acute shyness which threatened to destroy
my social life. It caused me a lot of pain and was holding
me back until I began to start reading about the subject
and thought about how to beat the problem.
Read more:
http://www.more-selfesteem.com/overcoming_shyness_tips.htm
SOCIAL
PRESSURE
What is social pressure? That's a big question that
many teens all over ask but never get an actual response
to. Social Pressures are the combined pressures that
are around you during everyday life such as Peer Pressure,
Academic Pressures and Socioeconomic Pressure. These
are the ones that teens are familiar with. You may think
that you have complete control over these pressures
but when a situation arise your ideas may not be as
clear as they are at another time. Social Pressures
can be confusing and stressful.
Read more:
http://www.smith.edu/ourhealthourfutures/socialpress.html
STRESS
MANAGEMENT
Be a Real Survivor - Study
Skills and Stress Management for High School Students
If you are like the majority of teens, your life
is so hectic that you may wish you were stranded on
a desert island, teamed with your fellow island dwellers
while you strive to outlast them.
Read more:
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HUV/is_2_30/ai_79410059
Stress Management
During stressful situations our bodies tend to tense
up and we rarely stop to think about that is happening
inside of our bodies. Being stressed out leaves you
in an unhealthy state of being.
Read more:
http://www.chemistrycoach.com/WRstress.htm#Stress%20Management
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