Depression: Walking From Darkness Into The Dawn It’s not unusual for young people to experience "the blues" or feel "down in the dumps" occasionally. Adolescence is always an unsettling time, with the many physical, emotional, psychological and social changes that accompany this stage of life. Unrealistic academic, social, or family expectations can create a strong sense of rejection and can lead to deep disappointment. When things go wrong at school or at home, teens often overreact. Many young people feel that life is not fair or that things "never go their way." They feel "stressed out" and confused. To make matters worse, teens are bombarded by conflicting messages from parents, friends and society. Today’s teens see more of what life has to offer — both good and bad — on television, at school, in magazines and on the Internet. They are also forced to learn about the threat of AIDS, even if they are not sexually active or using drugs. Teens need adult guidance more than ever to understand all the emotional and physical changes they are experiencing. When teens’ moods disrupt their ability to function on a day-to-day basis, it may indicate a serious emotional or mental disorder that needs attention — adolescent depression. There are some possible causeswhich leads into depression like cyber addiction, hooked-up culture, substance abuse, pornography, academic pressure, peerpressure and body dysmorphic concerns. If left untreated, depression can have serious — and sometimes long-term — consequences that can affect every aspect of your life. Fortunately, depression is treatable. By getting help and following your treatment plan, you can prevent these complications. When adolescents are depressed, they have a tough time believing that their outlook can improve. But professional treatment can have a dramatic impact on their lives. It can put them back on track and bring them hope for the future. Nothing goes away until it teaches us what we need to know. By: Pamela Dorothy Castro Women Empowerment: Winds of Change Women empowerment has become the buzzword today with women working alongside men in all spheres. They profess an independent outlook, whether they are living inside their home or working outside. They are increasingly gaining control over their lives and taking their own decisions with regard to their education, career, profession and lifestyle. With steady increase in the number of working women, they have gained financial independence, which has given them confidence to lead their own lives and build their own identity. Women are successfully taking up diverse professions to prove that they are second to none in any respect. But while doing so, women also take care to strike a balance between their commitment to their profession as well as their home and family. They are playing multiple roles of a mother, daughter, sister, wife and a working professional with remarkable harmony and ease. With equal opportunities to work, they are functioning with a spirit of team work to render all possible co-operation to their male counterparts in meeting the deadlines and targets set in their respective professions. Women empowerment is not limited to urban, working women but women in even remote towns and villages are now increasingly making their voices heard loud and clear in society. They are no longer willing to play a second fiddle to their male counterparts. Educated or not, they are asserting their social and political rights and making their presence felt, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds. While it is true that women, by and large, do not face discrimination in society today, unfortunately, many of them face exploitation and harassment which can be of diverse types: emotional, physical, mental and sexual. They are often subjected to rape, abuse and other forms of physical and intellectual violence. Women empowerment, in the truest sense, will be achieved only when there is attitudinal change in society with regard to womenfolk, treating them with proper respect, dignity, fairness and equality. The rural areas of the country are, by and large, steeped in a feudal and medieval outlook, refusing to grant women equal say in the matters of their education, marriage, dress-code, profession and social interactions. Let us hope, women empowerment spreads to progressive as well as backward areas of our vast country. By: Pamela Dorothy Castro Carpe Diem I am a rape victim. Those 5 words are harder to write than I thought, let alone accept the fact that it happened. To me. It’s been 4 long years and I am still trying to live with myself. Still trying to believe that this is what I survived, and not a movie I watched on Netflix. It’s been 4 years and this is what happened after that incident. Days felt like nights and nights felt like days. I could not differentiate between the two; everything from that point on was complete darkness. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I emotionally and mentally shut myself off and, as such, the days became one big blur. I was lonelier than ever. I was trapped inside my own head. All the “what if’s” and “could’ve been’s” I tortured myself with when I was sure that it wasn’t my fault. There was a constant battle between whether I should tell someone or deal with it alone. My head was screaming for help but I didn’t want people to look at me in disgust. I did not want to be anyone’s charity case. So I chose the latter. A month goes by and I cannot recall where time went or what I did in those thirty days- I guess I just simply didn’t care. It’s been a month and I am still trapped inside my own thoughts. I remember looking down at a bottle of pills and having the urge to live inside the euphoric state of meticulously engineered chemicals. This was my first suicidal thought. I turned on the bath, and filled it to the top with warm water and lush bath bombs. I swallowed the remaining pills and slid into the bathtub, watching the water overflow onto the bathroom floor. I woke up the next morning, still in the bathtub, my head ringing. I ran to the toilet to throw up what felt like my insides. I felt completely empty. I felt like there was nothing left of me but my thoughts- and of that, only one distinct thought that kept repeating over and over again: why was I still alive? There were a million ways I could have died, ranging from the obvious over-dosing to drowning. But I didn’t I was still alive. A year goes by and I moved to an entirely different country in hopes of escaping this tragic event that should never hap-pen to anyone, but I still had the same nightmares. Nightmares of how he punned me against the wall, took my virginity away, and left me sitting there, crying with shame, anger and fear. He robbed my mental sanity but most importantly, my happiness. I would wake up crying and screaming. I hated going to bed. Those sleepless nights where I would think of what It’d feel like to jump in front of a moving car. This was my second suicidal thought. How many bones I’d break and all the different approaches I could go about doing it, ranking them starting with the ones ha would cause maximum injury. Things do, as they say, get better. I stopped feeling sorry for myself and slowly learned to let go. I learned to wake up. By: Pamela Dorothy Castro Who Are the Real Life Superheroes ? Mother; she has no cape or superpowers like other superheroes but a very strong woman by all standards whose advice and godly counsel has brought me thus far. The love God has given mother is beyond description. I concur with Prince NicoMbarga, the Nigerian composer who sang the 1976 hit song, “Sweet Mother”. In his song he said, “If I no sleep, my mother no go sleep. If I no chop, my mother no go chop.” One very important thing that our mothers have left us as a legacy of their love for us were not houses, cars, or a fat bank account. The best legacy that we will always remember her for is to teach us in the ways of God and ultimately leading us to Christthe greatest decision that we will ever make in life. Nurturing a child can be one of the most rewarding experiences anyone can have. It’s exciting to witness how a new-born learns to recognize faces, objects, and sounds, or how an infant comes to bond to those who love and care for him. It’s exhilarating to share in the growth and development of a young child, helping them make connections so that life’s wonders begin to fall in the place for them. Because caring for children is one of the most important and demanding jobs that anyone can have- being a Mom is career for many. Choosing motherhood could be one of the most important positions you ever take. You are the one responsible for the well-being of a child or children. As a parent you are counted on and trusted to help or solely raise the children. Moms are in charge of groceries, kitchen, household concerns and budgeting funds for the entire family. She is the person to sacrifice her life by giving birth to all of us children. She taught us how to walk, talk and smile. Our first mentor and teacher in helping us deter-mine what is right and wrong. That is how are mothers are! Many are saying that mothers are the emotional back bones of the family. If problems occur they are the strongest person to hold back and we can always rely on them, help us when we are undergoing certain emotional or physical problems along the way in the challenges of life. A person who does the work of many for free. A mother’s unconditional love can’t be replaced. As their children, let us show them our appreciation and love of the priceless sacrifice they have done ever since we are born. For this moment maybe we are making our dreams come true and facing our adult life and grow, but they are also get-ting old every day. Many people are longing to have a mother’s love. Let’s be thankful that we have a mother who is always with us along the way. Respect them at all times. Be with her not only in worst part, but also in our happiest moments and best time of our lives. Mothers are the real life superheroes which are stronger than those who have telekinesis, super strength, super speed, or invisibility. “A mother has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child”. “A mother can take the place of anyone but no one can take her place”. By: Pamela Dorothy Castro
