Articles from the Week of December 1, 2023
Interesting Quotes about Families (and other things)
Families are like fudge — mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
Les Dawson
Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.
George Burns
The family — that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to.
Dodie Smith
No one's family is normal. Normalcy is a lie invented by advertising agencies to make the rest of us feel inferior.
Claire LaZebnik
I grew up in a very large family in a very small house. I never slept alone until after I was married.
Lewis Grizzard
The thing about family disasters is that you never have to wait long before the next one puts the previous one into perspective.
Robert Brault
Interesting Quotes Not About Families
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
William James
Change is inevitable in life. You can either resist change and potentially be swept away by it — or you can cooperate with it, adapt to it, and benefit from it.
Jack Canfield
In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future.
Eric Hoffer
He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.
Benjamin Franklin
If you just set out to be liked, you will be prepared to compromise on anything at any time and would achieve nothing."
Margaret Thatcher
Fascinating Facts
Where is the geographic center of the continental United States?
Many states consider themselves the heartland of America, but where exactly is the geographic center of the continental U.S.? It is a nondescript field north of Lebanon, Kansas (located at 39° 50' 00" N 98° 35' 00" W). Not much marks this otherwise typical stretch of Midwestern farmland, except for a nearby historical marker noting that the location was determined by the U.S. Geological Survey, and that the point is “where a plane map of the 48 states would balance if it were of uniform thickness.” (Source: InterestingFacts.com)
Your femur can support 30 times the weight of your body.
Overengineering, designing something so that it can support more than it’s ever expected to have to bear, is a commonly-used feature in bridges and other structures. An example from Creation is the human femur. (Source: InterestingFacts.com).
At One Time Some People Protested the Statue of Liberty
When the Statue of Liberty was first unveiled in 1886 some women’s groups were against it. Their protests are understandable. At that time women in America did not have the right to vote, and they protested that to portray liberty as a female was ironic (Source: HistoryFacts.com).
Counseling Articles
Long-Term Use of ADHD Meds and CVD Risk: New Data
You may have seen this headline, or your ADHD clients may have seen it and wondered whether they should discontinue their ADHD medication. If you read the entire study you’ll find that long-term use of stimulant medication is associated with a small but statistically significant risk of some cardiovascular issues, and non-stimulant medication for ADHD is associated with different cardiovascular issues. However, almost every medication has some tradeoffs as far as benefits and medical issues, and wise doctors and patients should weigh one against the other. The important thing is not to see the headline and make an impulsive decision to stop one’s medication, but instead to talk with one’s doctor and make an informed decision about what is best for this particular client.
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Cannabis for seniors explained
A growing number of seniors are using cannabis to help them sleep better or to deal with chronic pain. But research on cannabis is limited and there are possible drug interactions with medication seniors are already taking for other reasons. So seniors who are considering using cannabis are strongly encouraged to talk with their doctors before embarking on a cannabis journey.
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Smell, Taste Issues After Mild COVID-19 Resolve Over 3 Years
If you’re one of the people who had mild COVID and lost your sense of smell and taste, there’s hope they will return. A long-term study in Italy found that sense of taste returned earlier for most people, and nearly everyone’s sense of both taste and smell had returned by the end of three years.
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Fun Headlines from the Babylon Bee
'So, What's for Dinner?' Asks Teen Boy Immediately After Eating 50,000-Calorie Thanksgiving Meal At 3 PM
History Made As Irish Citizens Riot While Completely Sober
Disney Awarded Defense Contract After Producing More Bombs Than Lockheed Martin
Fun T shirt slogans from Temu
I Did Just 9 Months on the Inside but My Parents Are Now Serving Life
I try to be good but I take after my Grandma
Do Dreams Make Your Sleep Quality Worse?
We probably all have occasional scary dreams. Does the content of our dreams affect our sleep quality? A short article by a psychologist who has studied dreams and sleeping and written a book about them answers some of your questions.
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The New York Times discovers school-lockdown learning loss — three years late
This editorial is from the New York Post, which is a competitor to the New York Times. At the height of the pandemic the New York Times supported the school lockdowns but now they recognize what many parents have long suspected--“The school closures that took 50 million children out of classrooms at the start of the pandemic may prove to be the most damaging disruption in the history of American education.”
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Why I Wanted To Be Transgender w/ Christine Sneeringer
This is an interview with Christine Sneeringer, one of our graduates and the developer of Worthy Creations, a ministry here in South Florida.
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Maintaining Financial Stability with Bipolar Disorder
People with bipolar disorder frequently overspend during manic phases. Here is a short article by someone with bipolar disorder who gives a simple plan that she has used to deal with this problem.
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Paper or Digital? The Best Planners for ADHD Brains
Probably most of us do best when we have some kind of planner to help us stay organized, but which one? This article suggests that one kind or the other is not always best for every person. Rather, the best one is the one you will use. Advice that probably is good for everyone, not just those with ADHD.
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Cancer risk could increase with consumption of certain foods and drinks, study finds
This is obviously not a counseling article, but it is such a well-done research study and relevant to all of us that I’m including it for those who are interested.
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3 Important Reasons Why Kids Should NOT Be Taught 'Consent'
Some counselors and teachers are now teaching children about consent. Kristen Jensen, the author of the highly regarded book “Good Pictures, Bad Pictures,” writes this strongly impassioned article about why she believes its unwise to teach children about consent, and an alternative teaching that she thinks is more appropriate.
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Psychotherapies for Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Adults: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is one of the most common problems that people bring to the counseling office. This meta-analysis of 66 randomly controlled studies found that CBT and third-wave CBTs were the most effective treatments for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. For long-term maintenance, CBT was the most effective. This is particularly interesting because it was published in a journal for psychiatrists.
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Disney’s New Christmas Movie Sexualizes Kids
If you wanted to watch a Christmas movie with your children, you may want to choose one other than the newest Disney Christmas movie. See article for details.
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Post-abortion depression is 'widespread globally,' study finds
Supporters of abortion have often alleged that post-abortion depression is a myth or is temporary. An article recently published in BMC Psychiatry, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal, provided a meta-analysis from 657 articles and more than 18,000 women from nations all over the world, found that about 1/3 of women who had an abortion experienced depression afterward. See article for further details. Therefore women who come to you experiencing depression following an abortion may be reassured that what they are experiencing is not a myth.
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Three Lies Everyone Should Tell During Job Interviews, According to a Recruiter
Normally I would not recommend lying, and I think this article uses this headline to attract attention. This career counselor has three good suggestions for those who are having job interviews.
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Police Issue Warning Over New iPhone Update
If you or your children have an iPhone, police are warning about a new feature called NameDrop which is turned on by default in the new update. If this applies to you and your children and you have not read about it, please read this article so you know the danger it can pose.
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How to Explain Your Bipolar Disorder to Friends and Family
One key to building understanding and trust with family and friends is to have a way to explain bipolar to them in ways that replace misconceptions they may have with accurate understandings. Julie Fast, who has bipolar herself and has written extensively about it, gives some pointers about how to explain your bipolar disorder to friends and family and how it is different from the normal mood changes that happen to people who don’t have bipolar disorder.
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Young people define ‘sacred moments’ broadly: From God to nature to relationships
If you counsel with teens or young adults, this article from Religion News Services would probably be helpful in understanding their attitudes toward religion and spirituality. It appears that most young people do have an interest in spirituality and most have experienced “sacred moments,” even though many of those moments occurred outside religious settings. Understanding how young adults experience religious experiences can perhaps help us to know how to nurture their spiritual development.
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Meta Is ‘Manipulating Platforms to Make Kids More Addicted’
There is a growing body of evidence that frequent use of social media is contributing to higher mental health problems among Generation Z, and that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, are purposely making their media programs addictive to this age group, prompting 41 state attorney generals to sue Meta. Since court processes can take considerable time, convincing parents and teens to place some time limits on their social media use may be a wiser and more timely way that counselors can help change this situation.
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A Backwards Day
A funny post from Ginny Sale’s Facebook page.
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I hope you have a wonderful week or weekend!
Henry Virkler