Month: May 2024

How to stay mentally fit as a teen mom

Posted on by Shazia Kassim

Being a teen mom comes with its own set of challenges, but maintaining your mental fitness can help you tackle each day with a positive attitude. Here are some tips to help you stay mentally fit and find joy in your journey.

 

Create a Support Network

Having a strong support system is important. Surround yourself with friends, family, and other teen moms who understand what you’re going through. Join online groups or local support clubs where you can share experiences, get advice, and feel less alone.

 

Schedule “Me Time”

Taking time for yourself is essential. Even if it’s just a few minutes a day, do something that you enjoy and that relaxes you. Read a book, listen to your favourite music, take a walk, or practice a hobby.

 

Stay Active

Exercise isn’t just good for your body; it’s great for your mind too. Find a physical activity you enjoy, whether it’s dancing, jogging, yoga, or even a walk with your baby.

 

Eat Well

A healthy diet can impact your mood and energy levels. Try to eat balanced meals with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Avoid too much caffeine and sugar, which can lead to energy crashes and mood swings.

 

Stay Connected

It’s easy to feel isolated when you’re a young mom, especially if you’re juggling school, work, and childcare. Make an effort to stay connected with your friends and make new ones. Social interactions, even virtual ones, can lift your mood and provide emotional support.

 

Set Realistic Goals

Setting small, achievable goals can give you a sense of accomplishment and help you stay motivated. Whether it’s completing a school assignment, organizing a part of your home, or spending quality time with your baby, celebrate each win.

 

Talk About Your Feelings

It’s important to express your emotions and talk about your feelings. Whether you confide in a friend, family member, or someone you generally trust, letting out your thoughts can be incredibly freeing.

 

Laugh Often

Laughter truly is the best medicine. Find humour in everyday situations and watch funny shows or movies. Laughter can reduce stress and improve your mood.

 

Staying mentally fit as a teen mom is all about balance, self-care, and support. By creating a strong support network, finding time for yourself, staying active, eating well, connecting with others, setting realistic goals, expressing your feelings, and finding reasons to laugh, you can navigate the challenges of motherhood with resilience and joy. Remember, taking care of your mental health is not just good for you, but it also sets a positive example for your child. Stay strong, stay positive, and enjoy the journey!

 

If you or a friend need advice or help, you can contact me here on Ask Choma, send me a Facebook Message, an  Instagram message, a  Twitter DM, or a WhatsApp Message (071 172 3657).

Why Going Offline is Good for You

Posted on by Shazia Kassim

In today’s digital age, it can be hard to disconnect from our phones. Between social media, online gaming, and streaming services, we’re constantly plugged in. While the internet offers a lot of benefits, taking time to go offline is good for your well-being. Here’s why unplugging can be so beneficial.

 

Improves Mental Health

Constant exposure to social media can lead to anxiety, depression, and feeling like you’re falling short. Taking breaks from the online world allows you to reset and reduce these negative emotions. Engaging in offline activities, such as reading a book or going for a walk, can help you relax and improve your mood.

 

Real-Life Connections

While online interactions are convenient, they can’t replace face-to-face connections. Spending time offline allows you to build stronger relationships with family and friends. It’s important to engage in conversations and activities that encourage deeper bonds and create lasting memories.

 

Productivity and Focus

Being constantly online can be distracting. Notifications, messages, and endless content can make it hard to concentrate on tasks. Going offline helps you focus better on your studies, hobbies, or any other activities. You’ll find that you can accomplish more in less time without the constant interruptions from your phone.

 

Physical Activity

Going offline gives you the opportunity to get up and move. Whether it’s playing a sport, going for a run, or even just taking a walk, physical activity is important for maintaining a healthy body and mind.

 

Better Sleep

Excessive screen time, especially before bed, can make it harder to fall asleep and affect the quality of your rest. Turning off your phone an hour before bedtime can help you sleep better and wake up feeling more refreshed.

 

Creativity

Taking time away from phone allows your mind to wander and explore new ideas. Offline activities like drawing, writing, or playing an instrument can boost your creativity. When you consume less content online, you’re free to create and imagine in ways you might not have otherwise.

 

Awareness and Presence

Being offline helps you be more present in the moment. It allows you to fully experience and appreciate your surroundings without the distraction of digital devices. Mindfulness, or being aware of the present, has been shown to reduce stress and improve overall well-being.

 

Going offline might seem difficult at first, but the benefits are well worth it. By taking regular breaks from the digital world, you can improve your mental and physical health, build stronger relationships, and enjoy a more balanced life. So, take a step back, unplug, and see how going offline can make a positive difference in your life.

 

If you or a friend need advice or help, you can contact me here on Ask Choma, send me on Facebook Message,  Instagram message,  Twitter DM, or WhatsApp Message (071 172 3657)

How to deal with academic pressure from your parents

Posted on by Shazia Kassim

Dealing with academic pressure from parents can be stressful, but it’s important to remember that they usually have good intentions and want the best for you. Here are some tips to manage this pressure:

1. Open communication: Talk to your parents about how you’re feeling. Explain that while you appreciate their concern, the pressure is overwhelming and discuss ways they can support you without adding extra stress.

2. Set boundaries: Politely but firmly set boundaries around academic discussions. Let your parents know when it’s not a good time to talk about grades or schoolwork and suggest alternative times when you’re more open to discussing these topics.

3. Focus on effort, not just outcomes: Highlight the importance of effort and learning over grades. Help your parents understand that your worth is not solely defined by your academic achievements.

4. Seek support: If the pressure becomes too much to handle, seek support from a school counselor, teacher, or another trusted adult. They can provide guidance and help you manage the situation.

5. Find balance: Make time for activities outside of school that you enjoy and that help you relax. Balancing academics with hobbies and social activities can help reduce stress.

6. Set realistic goals: Work with your parents to set realistic academic goals that consider your abilities and interests. This can help improve some of the pressure to excel.

7. Stay positive: Maintain a positive attitude and remind yourself that it’s okay to make mistakes. Focus on your progress and growth rather than perfection.

How do you feel about these tips, do you think that this is something your parents would be open to? Comment down below.

If you or a friend need advice or help, you can contact me here on Ask Choma, send me on Facebook Message,  Instagram message,  Twitter DM, or WhatsApp Message (071 172 3657)

Adolescent and Youth Friendly Services!

Posted on by Shazia Kassim

As a young person, why do I need to go to government clinics or hospitals when I fear that I will get shouted at or judged?

…because you have a right to get health services, allowed to access these services and never be turned back.

In the past, a lot of young people were afraid to go to our government clinics because they complained about bad services and that they were constantly judged for their health queries. This stopped them from going to seek healthcare services, thus leaving themselves at risk of being sick, infected or havingtheir conditions worsen.

In order to respond to the needs of young people, the Department of Health came up with the solution that would help with this problem…to train their staff and companies working with young people to know how to provide services to young people in a way that would make them feel less judged and more welcome at the health facilities. These are called Adolescent and Youth Friendly Services (AYFS), meant for all young people to understand their right to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. There is a list of standards that the health facilities must reach, in order to be called youth friendly.

What do youth friendly services include?

  • Education on family planning, STIs including HIV
  • Prevention of unplanned pregnancies, provision of contraceptives including condoms
  • HIV testing services
  • Screening for STIs and treatment of these STIs
  • Prevention of HIV for HIV negative clients, PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis – this is pilltaken once a day to prevent HIV infection)
  • Treatment of HIV positive clients, provision of ARVs (Antiretrovirals pills) and support
  • Screening for GBV (Gender Based Violence) and referrals thereof
  • Treatment for clients who have been exposed to the risk of acquiring HIV (PEP – Post-exposure Prophylaxes). For example, a person who has gone through rape or experienced a condom burst.
  • Other general health checks, conditions and health concerns and needs
  • Information on SRHR and other illnesses

AYFS clinics and hospitals usually try to adjust their facility times to suit young people and to also have specific areas in the facility to attend to young people where they are most comfortable.

Just keep in mind that not all health facilities have reached the required level of to qualify as youth friendly services but are a work in progress. Don’t ever let one bad service take away your right to receive health services.

You, Choma, have a RIGHT to good healthcare at our public health facilities…make use of it!

If you or a friend need advice or help, you can contact me here on Ask Choma, send me on Facebook Message,  Instagram message,  Twitter DM, or WhatsApp Message (071 172 3657)

Improving the relationship with your parents

Posted on by Shazia Kassim

Have you ever felt like there’s a something missing in your relationship with your parents? That no matter how to try to communicate or not communicate to keep the peace, it always ends up misunderstood by your mom, dad or guardian?

Believe or not, this is common in developing youth.

What is it about this age that makes a young person feel so emotional and misunderstood?

Remember that you’re going through a lot of changes, here are some:

  • You’re building your self-identity and your guardian might not necessarily agree with who you’re developing into
  • Your mental capacity is growing, which means your thinking about certain issues might start changing and you might start questioning things that you initially just did or followed
  • Your emotions are affected by what you think and therefor what you’re feeling, which might make you more emotional than usual, making you seem angry, argumentative or disobedient
  • Your body is developing and the changes may cause you to want more privacy for example, and if that privacy is not respected, you might be upset and seem to be unreasonable because not so long ago, you didn’t need such space…might even make it look like you’re hiding something or do not trust them
  • Your social development is also a concern for guardians because you might lean towards being with your friends or other external people more often than usual, which in their perspective exposes you to wrong decision making or even danger

All these changes can be very confusing for the family, especially your parent or guardian because they still regard you as their child. Keeping up with developments is hard because they also start feeling pushed away and isolated from your space…to a point where they might feel that they are losing you.

Parents do tend to base their advise and nurturing of their children on their life experiences and it also comes from a place of fear because they are constantly trying to protect you from the world and that may seem to a young person like a violation of space or even disregard of their feelings. This ofcourse only applies to healthy parents, which means that in this example, there is no sexual or other kind of physical or mental abuse on their children.

How does a young person then improve their relationship with their parents?

  • Try to improve communication by not only speaking when you’re upset but by also stating when your guardian is right and making light conversations. Don’t always communicate only when there’s serios issues to discuss. Remember that adults may find it hard having difficult conversations too.
  • Ask your guardian to do activities with you, example, take a walk together; wash dishes together while talking about your day or theirs; ask to help them out with their chores and make it fun (you might know what makes them smile); watch a tv program you can both watch.
  • When given instructions on chores, try to do them before the set time because this might help you to avoid making them upset when they find that the chore they’ve asked you to do hasn’t been done and you can avoid them having to remind you about it…builds trust from on their side when they see this independence
  • When you feel emotional or upset, try to calm down before you speak to them, to avoid it getting out of control because they might be upset too
  • Remember that some guardians have also gone through abuse or painful childhoods and never healed from it, that could also cause them to be emotionally vulnerable when dealing with you

Note that this does not in any way mean that it is your responsibility alone to make this relationship work, it takes both parties to make it work. However, it is important to remember that you have a part to play and that like any other relationship, both parties need to have mutual respect; consideration and empathy (we can only imagine what someone else is going through, even if we don’t know how difficult or easy it could be to them).

If you or a friend need advice or help, you can contact me here on Ask Choma, send me on Facebook Message,  Instagram message,  Twitter DM, or WhatsApp Message (071 172 3657)