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Day Of Silence For LGBTQ

Jaclyn Baker
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On April 8th we honor the Day Of Silence for the LGBTQ+ community. This campaign was created in 1996 by Maria Pulzetti and Jessie Gilliam. National Day of Silence is observed in April each year as a movement against the harassment and bullying of individuals identifying with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) community.

The first event was held during their University’s pride week, where participants wore tape in the form of an x to spread awareness. This campaign has grown since then, and now anyone can join in and stay silent during work, school, or at home.

The Day Of Silence is a time to take a vow of silence in protest of the discrimination felt by LGBTQ+ people in school and in their daily lives. Allies all around the world can take a moment to understand the struggles faced by people in the LGBTQ+ community. 

We can educate ourselves further by learning more about the LGBTQ+ community by hearing about lived experiences, reading their stories, and watching videos. 

To strive for a more inclusive society, we can understand others on a deeper level. 

Check out the resources below for more:

11 Ways to Prepare for GLSEN’s Day of Silence

Open Letter To Educators About Day Of Silence

Break The Silence Rally Guide | GLSEN

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Earth Day

Jaclyn Baker
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April 22nd marks when nearly 200 countries observe Earth Day – a holiday that consists of advocating for both policy and environmental change on a global scale. a time when we can invest in our planet. We can create a more sustainable future by helping the environment, one small act at a time.

You can take this opportunity to get involved in your community by picking up trash from neighborhoods, beaches or parks to help prevent any harm to wildlife.  We can all try to find ways to reduce the waste and pollution around us. 

There are other ways we can cut down on our carbon footprint, even in our daily lives. Here are some ways we can celebrate Earth Day.

  • Find alternative transportation to driving (such as biking, carpooling, or taking public transportation).
  • Plant a seed in the ground and help it grow.
  • Use natural cleaners in your home.
  • Use a refillable water bottle to cut down on plastic. 
  • Bring reusable bags to take with you shopping or to the grocery store. 
  • Try to go zero waste at home

Implementing some of these activities can help us reuse, reduce, and recycle more often. We can be kind to the planet by treating it the way we want to be treated. 

While making changes to our lifestyle is one way we can help, getting politically active can also help our voices be heard and push for more widespread change. Consider contacting nonprofit environmental organizations to get involved or make a donation.  Green Dreamer has an extensive list of these organizations, including ones that focus on social and environmental justice, conservation and reforestation, wildlife protection, climate justice, ecological agriculture, and ocean conservation. 

For additional resources, check out the links below. 

Resources For Classroom, At-Home, And Community Learning

Celebrate Earth Day With These 7 Planet-Focused Books

Take Action For Education

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Diversity Month

Jaclyn Baker
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Did you know that April is a time to celebrate Diversity Month? This day was officially created in 2004 and is intended to help people gain a deeper understanding of our differences. 

We can acknowledge and value the diversity in our world by fostering inclusion. As a society, coming together to celebrate diverse cultures and beliefs allows us to be open to others’ perspectives. 

By appreciating the diversity in our own communities and making connections with others, we can strive for a more inclusive society. 

We can recognize this month by planning an international movie night, visiting a museum dedicated to other cultures, or reading about stories from another culture. 

It’s a great way to expand our knowledge of the world and try to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. 

For more resources, check out the links below.

10 Resources for your Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Efforts

What Should Inclusion Really Look Like In The Workplace?

15 Best Diversity and Inclusion Books for 2022

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Stress Awareness Month

Jaclyn Baker
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The month of April is a time for Stress Awareness Month. Stress can play a role in our daily lives. With the stress of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, we may feel stress creep in more than ever.

Stress is a normal reaction that everyone experiences at times. We are built to experience stress as your stress response helps keep you alert and ready to avoid danger. But stress becomes a problem when stressors continue without relief.  This can lead to negative physical and emotional consequences including:

  • Aches and pains.
  • Chest pain or a feeling like your heart is racing.
  • Exhaustion or trouble sleeping.
  • Headaches, dizziness or shaking.
  • High blood pressure
  • Stomach or digestive problems.
  • Anxiety or irritability
  • Depression
  • Panic attacks

Sometimes the stress we experience is outside of our control. There are still some things to try to cope with these challenging situations.

  • Recognize when you do not have control over the situation
  • Work on your reactions to the stressor instead of trying to change it  
  • Try to focus on something that makes you feel calm

Here are some ways you can cope with stress in your everyday life:

  • Carve out time for hobbies.
  • Practice meditation or yoga.
  • Get enough sleep each night.
  • Make time for movement and exercise.
  • Eat a healthy diet
  • Reach out to your support system.

Having a conversation with those around you about stress can help you or someone you know get the support needed. When we feel overwhelmed and stressed, it’s healthy to have an outlet to let out these emotions. Talking about it not only raises awareness of this topic but can validate the experiences of others. 

Check out the additional resources below:

The American Institute Of Stress

10 Free Resources to Help You Better Manage Stress

Stress Management Tools And Resources

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Alcohol Awareness Month

Jaclyn Baker
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The month of April marks National Alcohol Awareness Month. The first Alcohol Awareness Month was founded by Marty Mann, one of the early members of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Most adults in the United States who drink alcohol can drink moderately and without any issues. However, alcohol-related problems are the third leading preventable cause of death in the country. Alcohol use disorders affect about 15 million adults in the United States, and an estimated 90,000 people die from alcohol-related causes every year.

How do you know if drinking alcohol has become a problem for you or a loved one? Alcohol becomes a problem when it impacts your life in a negative way:

  • Has your personal or work life been deteriorating because of your drinking? 
  • Have you had times when you drank more or longer, than you intended? 
  • Are you drinking to feel better? 
  • Are you drinking to cope with stress or other problems? 
  • Do you feel anxious or irritable without a drink? 

If you recognize any of these symptoms in yourself, it may be time to evaluate the role that alcohol plays in your life. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has some helpful resources, including their Rethinking Drinking page, which allows you to take a closer look at your drinking patterns and offers research-based information to help you decrease or quit drinking. 

Alcohol dependence claims the lives of more than 90,000 people every year. In 1987, and is the most used substance by youth and adults in the United States. For more resources and ways to get help, you can check out the resources below:

Alcoholics Anonymous 

SMART Recovery

 Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder | NIAAA

What Are the Treatments for Alcohol Use Disorder?

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Setting Stronger Boundaries

Jaclyn Baker
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Setting boundaries is so important – but more often than not is easier said than done.

Saying yes can open the door to new opportunities.

But saying no can help you establish a healthy relationship with yourself which in turn can help you maintain an appropriate work-life balance. 

There will be times when you may not know if you should say yes or no to something. 

Often our emotional response can help lead the way. 

If a specific request makes you feel tense, frustrated or uncomfortable, that is a common sign that a boundary is needed.

Keep on reading for a deeper dive into those emotions.

Tension

Some of us perform better under a little bit of pressure or tension – but too much of anything is not good.

Unresolved and/or intense tension can make it very difficult to relax, recharge and be productive throughout the way.

The next time you catch yourself experiencing tension, take some time to reflect and ask yourself if any event or person may be triggering that feeling.

If you can list one or more, that may be your body’s way of telling you something needs to change. 

Frustration

We all feel frustrated from time to time – whether it be at ourselves, someone else or an event.

Some examples include being stuck in traffic, having a disagreement with a friend or being unable to find a solution to a problem.

Feelings of frustration can sometimes be a sign that your current game plan may need some adjustments.

We may not be able to control everything.

But, we can often control more than we give ourselves credit for.

You can control how you approach things. 

You can control what you say yes to. 

And you can control your thoughts and behaviors. 

Discomfort

Feelings of discomfort are often followed by our gut communicating to us that something isn’t right.

Mild discomfort can be a positive thing and push us to step outside our comfort zone and persevere.

But moderate-severe discomfort can be exhausting and help us realize that a certain situation may be making us unhappy.

Final Thoughts

Our mind and body and very powerful and often have their own uniques ways of communication with us.

Deep down, if something doesn’t feel right to you, you have the power to flip the switch.

You can create new rules that can help protect both your emotional and mental energy.

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Feel Like You Have Too Many Things On Your Plate? Here’s What To Do

Jaclyn Baker
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We all have those days when our to-do list feels completely unattainable and stressful.  

Believe it or not, your to-do list may not be as intimidating as anticipated.

Just because a particular task feels complex doesn’t mean it is! 

An overwhelming to-do list has the potential to become a simple one with a few mindset shifts.

Make a Decision

Have you ever put off making a decision (big or small) due to the fear of making the wrong one?

The thing is, the longer we put off making a decision, the harder and scarier it tends to become.

It’s so easy to tell yourself…

 “Oh, I will decide once I have more information.”

Or,

“I can’t decide XYZ until I figure out XYZ.”

Even though decision-making isn’t always easy – it’s part of life. Procrastinating can be exhausting both physically and mentally.

Making decisions faster can help give you more time in the day to focus on other activities, which in turn can help you knock more items off your daily list. 

Come Up With a Strategy For New Tasks

We all have those tasks we do on a daily basis that are pretty smooth sailing. 

But what happens when we have to do something new?

Working on new tasks is unavoidable – whether it be personal or professional.

Doing anything new for the first time can be draining and potentially take twice as long as it ideally should.

The good news is there are several tactics out there that can help make completing new tasks easier and faster such as listening to music or munching on your favorite snack.

Give it a try and see what happens. 

Done is Better Than Perfect

Spending 3+ hours on a task that should ideally take around 30 minutes won’t necessarily result in a better outcome.

More often than not, overthinking tasks can lead to more mistakes and limit our ability to be creative.

Accepting and embracing that done is better than perfect can potentially transform your overall productivity. 

“Don’t mistake activity with achievement.” – John Wooden

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Equal Pay Day

Jaclyn Baker
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By: Tanya Kramer, LPC

This year Equal Pay Day lands on March 15 and represents how much longer women need to work in order to earn the same amount as men in the United States.

The most recent statistics from “The National Committee on Pay Equity” reveal that in 2019, women earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts. 

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 clearly states that this act “prohibits sex-based wage discrimination between men and women in the same establishment who perform jobs that require substantially equal skill, effort and responsibility under similar working conditions.”

It is important to take Equal Pay a step further to examine the intersectionality of equal pay based on both gender and race. 

The impact is compounded from the US Census Bureau which was included in the article “Women of Color and the Wage Gap” written by Robin Bleiweis, Rose Khattar, and Joscelyn Frye.

The women’s workforce was negatively impacted by COVID as many women had to adapt to different jobs or quit in order to care for children at home 

Women are coming together through various ways to push back on this system.

But there is an impact that needs to be addressed. 

Some recent issues you may have heard about include the following:

  • Women’s Soccer settles lawsuit for $24 million dollars after a 6-year fight to guarantee equal pay. 
  • Anita Hill has a new podcast called “Getting Even” that covers the confirmation of Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas along with other equality issues including pay.
  • The news of Brittney Griner being detained in Russia, regardless of the drug charges, should raise awareness of why Brittney might have even been in Russia. 

For many female athletes, they don’t make enough money during their regular season in the United States, so they travel abroad during the off-season to play in other countries that actually pay them more money. This is an Equal Pay issue at the core. 

The Equal Pay for Team USA Act was introduced in July 2021. This bill, if passed, would “require that all athletes representing the United States in global athletic competitions receive equal compensation, benefits, medical care, travel, and reimbursement expenses, regardless of gender.”

New York Times Article “In 25 years the Pay Gap has Shrunk only 8 Cents” by Fracesca Donner and Emma Goldberg 

As the New York Times article listed above suggests, women may need to ask their colleagues who do the same job how much they make and if there is a gap, to advocate and negotiate. As this article stated, many people feel more uncomfortable pushing for equal pay since the pandemic. 

But it is a movement that happens through many smaller moments, along with bigger campaigns. Let us all play a role in change!

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When Things Don’t Go According To Plan

Jaclyn Baker
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Life is full of ups and downs, and things don’t always go our way.

Even the most thought-out plans can go sideways. That doesn’t mean you give up.

It just means you may have to re-route and change your path.

Channel Your Energy in a New Way 

Channelling your energy into a new engaging activity can help get your mind focused on something new and positive. 

Habits are great – however when we constantly do the same thing day in, and day out, we can find ourselves stuck in a rut.

Incorporating activities (big and small) into our day to day can help us look at things in a new way and re-set our motivation. 

Be Kind to Yourself and Others 

“Be careful how you are talking to yourself because you are listening.” – Lisa M. Hayes

The words we say to ourselves are so powerful. Even though it may not always feel like it, you have complete control over the stories you tell yourself.

A negative thought can quickly be transformed into a positive one if you allow it.

Being kind to yourself is just as important as being kind to others.

You have the courage within you to be kind! 

Be Honest With Yourself

Not all feelings are easy to pinpoint.

When there is so much going on, acknowledging how we feel isn’t always easy. 

Feelings such as disappointment, anger or sadness don’t always fade away on their own. 

Often they need to be noticed and reflected upon before they leave. 

The thing is, we can’t manage a feeling we don’t even know we have.

Setting aside 5 – 10 minutes a day to check in on ourselves and be completely honest about how we feel can help us become more in tune with our emotions.

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International Day of Transgender Visibility

Jaclyn Baker
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By: Tanya Kramer – LPC

The day to honor the Transgender Community was started in 2009 by Rachel Crandall, a US-based transgendered activist. 

Since 2009, this movement has grown with the help of social media to recognize and honor the transgender community all around the world.  

President Joe Biden officially proclaimed March 31, 2021, to be the International Transgender Day of Visibility in the United States. 

This day celebrates the resilience, contributions, successes and accomplishments of the transgender community. It’s also a day to recognize the important work that still needs to be done to achieve trans justice.

The International Transgender Day of Visibility celebrates places where transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals thrive. While also acknowledging the areas of continued oppression resulting in continued work for visibility and reform.

To learn more about the history of the International Transgender Day of Visibility, take some time to explore the National Today website.

To learn more about this day and access resources you can use in your local school, take some time to explore the GLSEN website:

To learn more about the Human Rights Campaign along with resources specific to transgender individuals, explore the Human Rights Campaign website:

To learn more about the resources available through Transactive Gender Project at Lewis and Clark, explore the following website:

Here are some resources to share or access yourself to continue the movement:

  • Book “Gender – A Graphic Guide” by Meg John Barker and Jules Scheele
  • Book “The Gender Creative Child” by Diane Ehrensaft, PhD
  • Book “The ABC’s of LGBT+” by Ashley Mardell
  • Book “Good Boy – My Life in Seven Dogs” by Jennifer Finney Boylan
  • Podcast “Gender Reveal” with Tuck Woodstock
  • Podcast “Gender Stories” with Alex Lantaffi
  • Youtube video interview with Micah Rajunov – who also wrote the book “Nonbinary Memoirs of Gender and Identity” along with Scott Duane

For individuals seeking Gender Affirming Medical Care, follow up with one of these resources:

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Autism Acceptance Week

Jaclyn Baker
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From March 28th to April 3rd, we can celebrate Autism Acceptance Week!

This is a time to recognize children, teens, and adults on the autism spectrum and spread awareness of neuro-divergence in our communities. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a condition that is characterized by having challenges with social skills, speech and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors.

This week is a great opportunity to learn more about autism and get involved with online groups or read more about it. 

Autism Acceptance Week also shows us the importance of acceptance. Whether it be self-acceptance or embracing everyone around us. The goal of this week is to listen and learn from others and see the world from another perspective. 

We can all take the time to understand one another on a deeper level. Now is our chance to show support and continue to appreciate the differences we all have. 

To learn more you can visit the resources below:

Autism Resources In the United States | Autism Awareness Centre Inc.

World Autism Awareness Week: A Message To The Public…| YouTube 

Events | Autism Speaks

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