Erika Grace Macalong

Monitoring One’s Career Development

Building and Establishing Harmonized Relationship with the Family

Throughout each one’s life, family is what is always there for us, whether in good or in bad times. You are with them from the very first time you were born in this world and will be the last one you are with ‘til the end. Your family influenced you in many aspects, your physical appearance, trait, habits and even your thoughts and decisions. Moreover, there is no such thing as a perfect family where it has zero problems or conflicts going, always happy, doesn’t have any financial problems, have stable jobs, and etc. all in all. However, any family could make their family the best family they ever have. With love, respect, peace, understanding, unity, and faith, a family can experience good and joyous times, go through the dark times, and can be the best family they had. 

Building and Establishing Harmonized Relationship with the Society/Community

Members of a society or community are not only limited to be a follower to its leader. It does not mean that all they do is to follow their leader’s commands or instructions. Instead, each person has its own role and responsibilities to uphold. Moreover, with the unity and cooperation of each member, improving and/or building up an environment where people could enjoy quality of life, an environment that promotes peace, harmony, equality and kindness is highly feasible. Furthermore, leaders are not also limited to those who are of age or adults and just lead and have more people. Instead, great and effective leaders know and should create more great leaders and even as young as we are, we could be a potential leader in our community. Besides, no matter how big or small your contribution to the community or society is the important thing is you have made the lives of the people and the community a better place to live in.

Building and Establishing Relationships with Others

Focusing on the Psychological Health

As we’re going through adolescence, challenges keep going along our ways, it is the time where we are finding out each one's role and purpose in life, and it is also the time where we are prone to various psychological or mental health conditions. Thus, taking good care of thy emotional and/or mental aspect is significant, aside from the physical aspect. Also, being aware of the various psychological conditions helps us develop and take care of our mental health, recognize how it affects people, and know what we can do to cope up and help others with these. Furthermore, in going through our journey in life, finding out our purpose, positivity is of great importance, as it is part of the process of becoming the best version of thyselves. Filling your minds with positive thoughts, gives you a positive life. 

Encountering Stress as a Part of Adolescence

As we are going through adolescence, changes and challenges are coming along our lives consistently in which we’re also experiencing stress. While we’re trying to overcome these challenges in life, we tend to feel stressed. Adolescents feel too much pressure from their peers, family, academics, and even have self doubts which makes them stressed and anxious. They tend to feel lack of certainty and think negatively about themselves, their future, and with everything they decide and do. Some would even try to give up and end their lives because of all the pressure and problems they have. However, we can overcome or manage these things with different strategies. For me, being an OPTIMISTIC or POSITIVE kind of individual is the most important and should be done for coping stress. Let go of the negative thoughts and doubts, think on the bright side and not on the opposite one, do what makes you happy and accept the things that are not meant for you. Moreover, you should also share your problems, worries, or questions to someone you know who would listen to you, in this way, you will feel lighter since you had released your feelings you kept within yourself. 

Dealing with the Challenges of Adolescence Stage

Change is the only thing that is constant life and as we’re going through adolescence, it becomes more visible. Changes on our physical appearance, emotions, the way we think and handle things on our own are just some of it. And as change is present in our lives, challenges also are there. We may think that challenges are just a bother or burden in life, but these could be a blessing in disguise to us. Challenges will either make or break an individual. It will either mold us as a stronger and better person, or it will be the cause of being destroyed. We should not think of challenges as negative chapters in life, but rather think of it the other way around. That challenges are important in each one’s lives as these give us experiences, make us learn and grow, and helps and molds us to be wiser and stronger individuals.

Being Mindful with the Self ; Entering the Phase of Middle and Late Adolescence ;  Peer Social Comparison

We have a long day today as we have 3 topics that were discussed. Throughout the class, I did learn something. The first one is, every aspect (physical, emotional, social, etc.) in oneself  is connected and is part of what you are and who you are as a being. Having complications even on just one area or aspect, could affect your being in general. For instance, you are emotionally or mentally tired, or depressed, it is not only your inner aspect who is affected, it is also visible in your physical appearance where you could look haggard. That is why, it is important that we should take good care of ourselves, both our mind and body, as this could help have a happy, stress-free, and good life. The second one would be, as we’re going through adolescence, changes are happening in our lives. Changes on our physical appearance, cognitive and socioemotional aspects. These changes happening are influenced by our surroundings. As we’re in our adolescent stage, we tend to become more practical, realistic, independent and mature individuals. Lastly, also during our adolescence, our peers have great influence on us and have a great role in our personality development. They support us emotionally, help us in developing our skills, and in shaping us with our behaviors and beliefs. However, we also tend to compare ourselves to them or to other people in which it could have either positive or negative effects on us. That is also why it is important for us to set aside those insecurities we have for others, and instead, accept and be grateful of what and who we are. 

Me, Myself, and I Activity

I have heard or read a lot that every person is unique and I know it really is true but I don’t truly quite know what makes an individual unique. As I have listened to my classmates explaining their work related to their traits, habits, likes, hobbies and experiences, I have realized what makes each of us unique. Each one's personality traits, hobbies, habits, creativity, and experiences are some of the things that makes every person unique. Everyone has various coping strategies with the environment or from the challenges in life, way of thinking and making choices or decisions, and has various experiences (negative or positive ones) which molds them of what they are today. Every person has their own hobbies and habits which makes them feel relaxed, happy, and/or entertained in which it could also tell what kind of person they are. We also have our own creative side, it may not be visible through our paintings or drawings, but it could be through our way of singing, dancing, planning, thinking, and many others. Also, I have this realization that none of us are weird or strange, it's just that we are unique in our own way.

Getting to Know One’s Self

Do I know myself? What are my likes and dislikes? How do I act in front of my friends, family, to strangers, and/or others? How do I act when I’m just alone? What are the people’s perception of me or how do they see me? These are just some of the questions that came on to my mind as I’m listening with our lesson today. Knowing thyselves has its great importance as this would help us in decision making, improving ourselves, and a lot more. As we know ourselves, that’s the time we’re getting to start valuing ourselves more. Valuing oneself by loving and embracing your imperfections, accepting what are the opinions or perceptions of other people about you, and improving yourself to become a better individual. Also, by refraining from comparing yourself to others, accept what you don’t have and remember what is written in the Bible in Hebrews 13:5 which says, “...... be content with such things as you have”.