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Psychiatrist Karyn Horowitz states that “‘Increased use of electronics — video games more commonly in boys and social media and texting more commonly in girls — can lead to increased conflict both within the home and with peers...For some kids, video game use can become an addiction, leading to social isolation, poor school performance, and impaired sleep.’” Not only does this dependence on electronics affect sleep and school, it also affect teenagers’ self images, causing them to have a more self centered mindset.
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Social media encourages teenagers to not only think more about themselves, but to view themselves through the skewed stereotypes and twisted values of society, and to stress about what others might think of them. These lead to some teens being depressed, others pessimistic, and some self centered. These negative attitudes are not only harmful to teens' emotional health, but they also cause them to have a negative outlook on life, seeing the negatives instead of the positives--and these attitudes only lead to unhappiness. In the aforementioned study, it even stated that between 2013 and 2016, depression rates rose approximately 47% in male adolescents, and 65% in females. This is a very serious problem with teenagers today, and the magnitude of this issue may seem overwhelming, however, there are many ways to combat depression and negativity, and I would like to focus on one: turning outwards. One way to become happier is to lift others through service. When one continually focuses on themselves and their problems, which, don’t get me wrong, may be completely legitimate, they can become weighed down. In the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens,” author Sean Covey states “I remember reading a statement by a psychiatrist who said that if you ever feel depressed, the best thing to do is help someone else. Why? Because it gets you focused outward, not inward. It’s hard to be depressed while serving someone else. Ironically, a byproduct of helping others is feeling wonderful yourself.” As Covey states, turning outwards is a way to take one’s attention off of one’s problems, allowing them to not only lift others, but lift themselves in the process.
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This is an important topic for me, because my personal experiences and the similar struggles people in my life face make me want to reach out and spread light. I want to inspire others to serve and uplift others in an effort to bring happiness to others while lifting themselves. Much of the world today is focused on the negatives, and I would like to show that there is so much good, and there is reason to hope.
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Meet Our Current Staff
Hello, my name is Julia Macchione, and I am a senior at ELCO High School. I am involved in many extracurricular activities, which include National Honor Society, student council, musical, fall play, band, chorus, cross country, and the morning announcements. Additionally, I play the guitar and also volunteer at my church.
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I took over the ELCO Cares blog this year along with Ashton Laucks, and am very excited to get to highlight the positive influence ELCO students are having on our community and the world. I've always had a passion for writing and journalism, and I'm looking forward to getting to write stories featuring the positive impact of ELCO students' volunteer work.
Julia Macchione: Editor-in-Chief, Head Writer
Ashton Laucks: Writer
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About Our Founder
Hi! My name is Dana Lovell and I am a graduate of ELCO High School. I participated in almost every musical and artistic group offered by my high school, four honor societies, and the Swing Timey Dance Club. Outside of school, I am an active member of my church, youth group, and church choir, I play the piano, and I work at a restaurant.
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I created this website because every day I witness the struggles of the people I interact with, and the negativity in their attitudes and outlooks. I hate seeing this and not being able to help. Struggles are a part of life--I have them, my friends have them, everyone has them--and though we may not be able to control our circumstances, we can control our outlooks on life and our attitudes, and we can decide to face them with positivity and to learn from them. We can also use what we have learned to help someone else who may be struggling through a similar challenge. In addition, we can control how we treat others, and I believe that if we all work together to turn outwards, we can bring happiness to others and become happier ourselves.
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Photo by Jammie ELkins
