In the world we live in now, it’s easy to get distracted especially while driving. From texting and driving and eyes wandering across the street and you driving into a pole. There are 3 main types of distractions while driving that can all lead to a car accident or injuries to you and other passengers/ pedestrians . First one is visual- taking your eyes off the road to text back or use your GPS. Second is manual- taking your hands off the wheel to reach for something. Lastly is cognitive- your mind spacing out somewhere else to the point you forget your driving. Statistics show younger drivers tend to email/text while driving as they are leading in distracted driving
Ways to prevent distracted driving
Avoid phone usage completely- have an idea or know your route
Speak up if your another passenger in the car.
Avoid eating or doing tasks while driving
Have everything arraigned before putting the car in drive gear
Self -care is often times abandoned or delayed. September is the month to appreciate the act of self-care. Self care should not be preceived as selfish or egotistical. Many situations require the need to care for others before caring for yourself, however maintaining proper self care can sometimes be overlooked. I know it can be time consuming and in most cases vastly spendy. According to NationalDayCalendar.com, you should use the month of September to observe your daily self-care practices and to be good to yourself. Outside of taking morning breaths, there are several ways to practice robust self-care.
What is Self-Care?
Self-care can be defined by maintaining a regular sleep routine, eating healthy, reading on Sunday afternoons in the park or even having a cup of cocoa after a cold day out. Self-care is limitless. NationalDayCalendar.com reminds us to keep ourselves the focal point of your own life. A birdie once told me that it only counts as self-care if it produces happiness and health. Self-care should be looked on as taking care of yourself so that you can take care of others. It should make you feel good about yourself and should show to others. It should promote happiness within your heart and within communities.
I hope in respect to the Evolve of Life non-profit organization, don’t forget to hashtag #SelfCareAwarenessMonth when you show how you self care.
September is Hunger Action Month and a great time to think about what you can do to donate to your local food shelf or other local organization to take a stand against hunger and food insecurity.
By Visiting Feeding America, you can find resources to share with those who may be struggling to feed their families or themselves. You can also find a way to join in the fight in your own community. No donation or participation is too small.
The pandemic has most impacted families that were already facing hunger or one paycheck away from facing hunger.
According to the USDA’s latest Household Food Insecurity in the United States report, more than 38 million people in the United States experienced hunger in 2020.
Households with children are more likely to experience food insecurity. Before the coronavirus pandemic, more than 12 million children live in food-insecure households.
Many households that experience food insecurity do not qualify for federal nutrition programs and visit their local food banks and other food programs for extra support.
The rates of food insecurity are much higher for African American, Latino, and Native American families because of systemic racial injustice. To achieve a hunger-free America, we must address the root causes of hunger and structural and systemic inequities.
September 2021 is National Recovery Month! Celebration events in the Twin Cities include the Walk for Recovery on September 18th, which takes place at the Minnesota State Capitol Grounds. All are welcome and encouraged to participate in this community event. Register for free on this link: https://minnesotarecovery.org/walk/
We have just recently begun the month of September, which is a month that has a public, widely known campaign that is known as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. This particular campaign is very important to me, especially this year, this month. Just a few days ago – someone that I knew tragically lost their life to suicide.
They left behind a very confused, frustrated, and mournful family… in that family, was my niece. She is only five years old, and now no longer has a father. Her father will not be there for her prom, her high school graduation, he won’t be there to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day, he won’t be there, at all. He is gone – but he is not forgotten.
Lets Talk About It
Nobody enjoys talking about suicide. Nobody wants to talk about suicide. Nobody wants to hear the word, suicide. In order for our society to stop it, we first must understand it, we are unable to prevent something that we don’t have knowledge in – after all. Before a few days ago, I never wanted to speak of suicide. It seemed taboo, and I didn’t want to think of it. However – it was forced upon my mind when I found out suicide took someone I knows life.
When this happened, I began to think… what could have been done to prevent such a tragic event, how did this happen, what drove this individual to do such a thing? but then I realized, I do not have any answers to any of these questions. Instead of thinking “what could I have done” I realized I should start thinking “what can I do”.
Mental health and suicide prevention needs to be more prevalent in today’s society. Instead of seeing targeted ads on Facebook about video games and materialistic items, mental health and suicide prevention ads need to be made more so available to those that need them. Here in the US, we are known to be a very, very individualist society. We focus on ourselves, which is OK – but we need to remember to think of others, too. I can’t help but think my nieces father could still be here if someone would have reached out. Experiencing this dilemma has certainly taught me to think of others more often.
Be There When Those Need You Most
So, after thinking about what I can do to try and prevent things like this happening in the future is to be kind, caring, open, and most of all – be there for folks. Every single person you know has their own struggles, their own battles, and their own trials and tribulations. Instead of adding to that, be kind, be helpful, and remember most of all – we must discuss the taboo subject, suicide… we must be aware of it and discuss it before we can prevent it.
In reading chapters 1-3 of our textbook, “The New Rules of Marketing and PR”, we learn that communication is not possible alone, and in isolation. The author David Meerman Scott stated in the book introduction, “Thousands of you have followed along, and many have contributed to the writing process by offering suggestions through comments on my blog, via Twitter, and by email. — Your enthusiasm has made the book much better than it would have been if I had written in isolation.” (p.5)
Communication contribution as strangers are crucial; even to others who may not know others personally but are taking heed of their words for their case studies. With that said, imagine how important our words are to people who we do personally know. There seems to be an original root in some form of communication, and I’m inclined to find it!
I am convinced that those initial roots go right back to us. The power of communication is evident. We all have the power to communicate with others and bring out magic from what we say. The power to bring life, positivity, and negativity is at our grasp. Blogging consists of community peers who not only strive to create content, but they also strive just as equally to receive it. Tony Robbins echoes these beliefs in this message:
Mr. Carlson placed into perspective in his lecture this week of the Shannon & Weaver “transmission” model (1949), that there is always a sender who encodes to a channel, is then decoded and received. In the channel stage, there may be noise before the decoding stage is reached, but it is a part of getting to the destination of the receiver. It is up to the receiver to perceive the message as intended from the sender; but it is often my hope that the sender does an adequate job sending the message efficiently. Communication is the utmost mediator of our times. We live in a world where all five stages of this model is very often at stake. Words are the root before it becomes an action. Communication is the utmost mediator of our times. We live in a world where all five stages of this model is very often at stake. Words are the root before it becomes an action.
Communication is a starting point, and it has an ability to shape the events of lives and progress. The freedom to speak, and the freedom to receive is prevalent. I can only hope we continue to walk the right path, speak the right words, and perceive communication to truly be better, so that the world can be better. The power of communication is truly in our hands, our thoughts, and our actions. It can determine how we will work with others. As Scott D.M exemplified; the idea to work in isolation is not up for questions.
It seems like we are in a time where the disasters this world is facing are hard to keep up with. It is also hard to determine whether or not that this is due to the end of the world or just more access to information on these devastating events. My focus has been turned to the Caldor Fires that are raging in California. This was just one event that I did not have much knowledge on. These fires that started on August 14th have made their way from Little Mountain, CA to now Christmas Valley with nearly 500 homes destroyed and 33,000 places being threatened by the spreading fire. What is known as a red flag warning was expressed saying “This is a systematic evacuation, one neighborhood at a time,” South Lake Tahoe police Lt. Travis Cabral said on social media. “I am asking you as our community to please remain calm.” (KCRA) People are intending to evacuate but are then faced with traffic as all fear for their lives. It seems ironic in a time where people who had to stay within the confines of their homes to quarantine are now forced to evacuate due to this natural disaster. Multiple news sources are reporting on the spread of these fires and providing information to not only those living near or in those areas but are also resources to those, like us, tuning in to stay updated.
The imminent threat that people are facing with grounds being leveled by the raging fire and being that this fire has been ongoing for over two weeks now presses the issue of how it will be stopped. With winds at thirty miles per hour, it seems like a tough task to feat. It is not only disrupting the land, travel, and homes of the individuals that live there but the air they breathe as well. I have linked a website that is dedicated to helping those that have suffered through these natural disasters if anyone is interested in helping be a part of rebuilding the communities that have been lost. This and some many other disasters feel too close to home.
For my News Media class this week we were required to read chapters 1-3 of our textbook, “The New Rules of Marketing and PR.” In these chapters the author went into great detail about how he believes that big corporations are (sometimes) clueless about what the public truly wants and needs when it comes to advertising. He believes that social media and its ability to speak and learn directly from the consumer is the answer to lowering marketing budgets, getting better understandings, and finding the correct niches. The author Scott, D. M. (2020) said, “The web has opened a tremendous opportunity to reach niche buyers directly with targeted information that costs a fraction of what big-budget advertising costs.” (p.19)
Also, during lecture we discussed the process of communicating and how knowing what happens and how to manage a message once it is in transition from sender to receiver is key to a successful healthy understanding and conversation. We looked at the Hannon & Weaver, “Transmission” Model (1949) that that shows the whole process on a graph step by step with the “senders” message working its way through the many distractions and interruptions that can affect how the receiver perceives or inherits the message. This Message from Tony Robbins says it well!
I think (and agree) that understanding communication and how to craft the message to adapt to your desired audience or receiver’s needs is vitally important to the success of not only getting what you want but giving respect in return. This is where I also agree with the author of our text that social media really helps to break down those barriers and enhances understanding. I think it does this by allowing people or companies to first research the subject or group they are attempting to reach and then talk to them directly. I think when done correctly it can sometimes give you a direct insight into the receiver’s thoughts and beliefs before the conversation even begins. Entering someone’s page or reading their posts is almost like walking in on an unrelated conversation and being able to make an informed decision about your own topic as to how (or if) your message will be received or relevant to the potential receiver’s needs or beliefs. To a certain extent with the right amount of research you will have “mind reading abilities” !
In relation to this topic, as you will see in the (attached link) I found a great article called “6 Ways Social Media Changed the Way We Communicate” this compelling article does a great job at looking at social media as a whole and how the most popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc… have taken it to a level that makes it almost impossible to deny that Social Media is not only here to stay but it is a part of and has created a worldwide shared culture! Willis 2017 said, “This means that over a third of the world’s population is using some form of social media to communicate, making social media marketing an imperative tactic ….” It’s ability to entice people to open up, share, and connect is uncanny and when used correctly can be a profound and powerful tool!
