Elijah sommerz

Anti-Bullying Segment

ARTICLE Presented BY:J STONE MANAGEMENT GROUP & CO

Today Elijah sommerz will outline some of the social pressures our youth today may face and how to build self-acceptance in a social setting, he will also give us readers a guide on how to detect the following social issues for parents and guardians that may be concerned...

In today’s social setting our youth today are fascinated by the lusts of being accepted with their peers recent studies have noted asignificant uptick in depression and suicidal thoughts over the past several years for teens, especially those who spend multiple hours a day using screens, and especially girls. But many of the pressures teenagers feel from social media are actually consistent with developmentally normal concerns around social standing and self-expression.

Social media can certainly exacerbate these anxieties, but for parents to truly help their children cope, they should avoid making a blanket condemnation. Instead, parents should tailor their approach to the individual, learning where a particular child's stressors lie and how that child can best gain control of this alluring, powerful way to connect with peers, I believe that this is a growing issue that has no boundaries to it and the following steps should be taken to ensure that parent/guardian can gain control of the unknown social standing pressures they teen may face on a day to day basis.

Social pressures youth face today

§ Bullying

§ Gun Violence

§ Mental Health

§ Drugs and Alcohol

§ Obesity

This is a volatile time, and there are a number of social issues facing teens today that other generations didn't deal with. Advances in technology and the rise of social media have contributed to a change in the ways in which our young people interact with each other, learn and receiving information. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is different. It only makes sense that we'd start to see different problems among our kids. Let's take a look, in no particular order, at what the main concerns of adolescent are these days.

1. Bullying

Kids have always been known to tease. It can be a defense mechanism in order to feel a part of the crowd. Modern times have allowed the spread of bullying to expand beyond what it used to in the past. Kids can now reach each other through online sources and through texting. They can share evidence of bullying amongst their peers. Therefore, this is an issue that should continue to receive attention and awareness.

2.Gun Violence

Gun violence in schools and other public places where adolescents congregate seem to have increased in recent years. This has sparked great political controversy among our citizens and government leaders. The teens themselves, as seen with the Parkland, Florida shooting, are becoming more involved in trying to lessen gun violence among them. This is definitely an issue that merits advocacy in order to save lives.

3. Mental Health

Mental health is definitely one of the top social issues facing teens today, according to the Zur Institute – report.Kids have a lot of pressure on them to succeed. There is a greater awareness of mental illness and related conditions. With this awareness and understanding comes the responsibility of society to pay attention and to work to alleviate the issue accordingly. Depression, anxiety and other related disorders affect kids' school performance, their social interactions and overall wellbeing.

4.Drugs and Alcohol

Underage drinking and use of illegal drugs remains a problem for teens today. Peer pressure may be even higher these days due to the ways in which kids can so easily interact online. Though teenagers may not see the risks in such use, the danger is real. Impaired decision making happens when under the influence of illicit substances, which can lead to accidents or to other costly mistakes. In addition, overdose is possible. As is addiction.

5. Obesity

Kids are more sedentary these days with the increased use of social media and video games. In addition, processed foods and other "junk" foods are being consumed at high levels. This is a bad combination when it comes to physical health. Kids are at a higher risk of becoming obese today. Obesity is linked to other health dangers such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and certain cancers.

Today’s modern social setting has been enhanced with social media making it primarily hard for some youths to be accepted it is researched that We are overwhelmed in a world of created perfectionism, where we are all trying to reach an unattainable level, yet we don’t really realize the effort put into creating an “effortless” facade.

Creating these facades and these alternate personas can become addicting. Although you may not go out of your way to create a completely parallel universe of an incredible life, you can easily fall into the trap too. Slowly, you can start actively partaking not in how your life is, but how your life is perceived.

Since when did a number come to define someone’s worth among society? Since when did having the minimum number of 1k followers matter so much? Since when do you delete a photo if you do not get enough “likes”? So many people are staring at numbers, and they stare back like a reflection in the mirror, taunting his or her self-worth.

Building Self-Acceptance through Positive Self-Talk: Lesson BY Elijah Sommerz

Objectives:

· YOUTH will distinguish between the terms self-esteem and self-acceptance.

· YOUTH can discover ways to build self-acceptance through self-talk and apply their own positive messages.

Materials:

Building Self-Acceptance through Positive Self Talk handout with follow-up sentences

Paper

Writing utensil

Procedure:

1. YOUTH will list on paper messages (positive or negative) they have received from other people in their lives.

2. YOUTH will determine whether or not they adopted those messages and still believe them today.

3. As a group, YOUTHS will read the “Building Self-Acceptance through Positive Self Talk” handout.

4. YOUTHS will individually complete the follow-up sentences by using the strategy of self-talk.

Closure:

Students will rate on a scale of 1-10 (ten being the most difficult) how difficult it was to finish the self-talk sentences using positive responses. YOUTHS will discuss situations in which they can use positive self-talk in the future.

Evaluation/Homework:

Youth can write down five positive self-talk sentences that they will practice throughout the week.

Building Self-Acceptance through Positive Self-Talk

What is self-acceptance?Self-acceptance is being able to recognize your value as a person. It is essentially your level of self-worth and a feeling of comfort in your own skin regardless of your faults and weaknesses. Without self-acceptance, one would not be capable of reaching their full potential in life.

What is the difference between self-acceptance and self-esteem?

Self-esteem is a belief or feeling about yourself. It is what you believe or feel you are capable of doing. Having high self-esteem can help build self-acceptance.

High Self-Esteem = Feeling good about yourself

Low Self-Esteem = Feeling badly about yourself

Self-acceptance is more of an action rather than an abstract sense of self. It is something you do – you stick up for yourself, you utilize your strengths and take responsibility for your faults, and you practice loving yourself every day.

How can I build my self-acceptance? Self-acceptance is a reflection of beliefs you gained as a YOUTH and adolescent. It usually comes from messages you get about yourself. These messages can come from other people (like parents, teachers, or friends) or from yourself. The messages you send yourself is called “Self-Talk.” If you are used to hearing negative messages from other people, chances are you will send yourself negative messages too. Things like “I’m so stupid,” “I’m not good enough at this…” or “It’s my fault this happened” are examples of negative self-talk. One way to rebuild your self-acceptance is to re-train yourself to engage in positive self-talk. Positive self-talk us when you focus on your strengths and positive qualities, reminding yourself that you are a good and valuable person.

BELOW WILL BE POSITIVE QUOTES THAT ELIJAH SOMMERZ HAS RESEARCHED AND WANTS TO SHARE WITH US.

“I am a good and caring person and deserve to be treated with respect.”

“I am capable of achieving success in my life.”

“There are people who love me and will be there for me when I need them.”

“I deserve to be happy.”

“I am allowed to make mistakes and learn from them.”

“Facts of the matter”

“IN TODAY Society Many of the pressures youth/ teenagers feel from social media are actually consistent with developmentally normal concerns around social standing and self-expression.”

Positive words of inspiration

“Bullying is cruel so don't act like a fool. Meanness is a sign of weakness to be real!” -Eli -JAH Sommerz, Entrepreneur Businessman.

"The Internet can be used as a place to have a greater positive impact on the world, there’s a ton of positive initiatives online. The web should be used to inspire others, not spread hate or to hurt others." - Justin Bieber, pop star.

Related Resource:

https://www.thestar.com/life/2018/01/30/teens-under-pressure-to-be-perfect-now-more-than-ever.html

http://lovmusic1.blogspot.com/2019/11/Elijah-sommerz.html