For this blog post, I decided to read Teen Vogue articles. First, I read an article called “How to Fall Asleep”. Teens today are having a hard time falling asleep, and staying asleep. Sleep deprivation effects mental, and physical health and effects academics. Essential oils like lavender help to calm down and become sleepy. As well as not going on electronics before bed. Next I read an article about teen dating violence, and how to stop it. Dating abuse is a pattern of mental, physical, and verbal abuse for someone to gain control. It needs to be stopped. This can happen to anyone, and they need to reach out for help if it is happening to them. I read another article which was talking about red flags and to avoid them. When someone tells you to not share with others your concerns, that can be dangerous. It is basically the person telling you to hide that you are being abused. Stay away from those people. Then, I read an article titled “Learning How to Fail”. Failure is risky, and will not always be appreciated. If we cannot fail we cannot succeed. Failure is okay, and should not be frowned upon. Finally, I read an article on how to get over a situation. The main idea was to block out negativity, and things that remind you of the situation.

1. What was your personal reaction to this reading selection? I enjoyed this reading selection. It talked about important topics and interesting topics.
2. What do you believe the author’s intent was, and what patterns of organization did you observe? I think the author wanted to help teens, and let them know they aren’t alone. I observed a lot of lists, and cause and effect organizational patterns.

For this blog, I read five different articles from Seventeen magazine. The first one was titled “How to Deal with Bullying”. Bullying is very common, and happens too often. It is affecting teens. Those that are bullied are at a higher risk of self harm, depression, and anxiety. It is super important to reach out and get help for the situation. The second article I decided to read was called “Teen’s Guide to Building Self Confidence”. It is also very common for self-esteem to be an issue for teen girls these days, and social media does not help. Again, posts on social media can increase shame, depression, and anxiety. A good strategy to help with these negative thoughts is to write them down, and then in your mind change the negative thoughts with positive thoughts. Cut out all negativity and toxicity in your life. Whether that’s a friendship, relationship, or app it helps! Next, I read an article called “How Can I Be Independent And Happy?” To take it slow, and take life one step at a time is the best way to be happy and healthy. Make small goals until growth occurs more and more! Healing is a process, and it takes time, but it is worth it in the end. For the next article I read “How Can I Form Deeper Friendships?” Never invest in a friendship that is draining. With friendships it is important to do what is best personally. To find new people it is important to invest in the community and join activities. To deepen friendships with current friends, it is essential to open up conversation. Ask them about their goals and passions. Finally, I read an article titled “Raise Awareness for Mental Health!” This article talks about ways the conversation about mental health can be addressed and emphasized. First, joining a movement is a great way to get involved. Not only that but sharing a personal story with others gets the conversation started. Mental health needs to be normalized, and talked about because it is a very serious issue/topic.

1. What was your personal reaction to this reading selection?  My personal reaction to these articles was that they were all very insightful and helpful. They relate to my personal situations as well. I enjoyed reading them. They gave me inspiration for my life.
2. If you were to create notes to help you remember the most important points from your reading, what style of notes (lists, outlines, thought bubbles or webs, etc.) would you use and why? If I wrote notes from these articles, I would make a list with bullet points of the separate ideas underneath each topic. I would use a list because the ideas and thoughts would flow best in a list to understand each topic.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.