Columbia University researchers, Alethea Desroiers and Lisa Miller suggest that “spirituality experienced in a personal way through a relationship with God may be uniquely protective against depression”. These researchers believe that the growing epidemic of depression among girls and young women may be due in part to “broad lack of support or validation of relational spirituality during individuation.”

This is a researchers way of saying girls in our culture are no longer encouraged to pray, or seek spirituality.
Don’t deny spirituality , its a part of life just like sports is to the body, and school is to mind. If left behind spirituality is left untouched, a young girl can be left with an empty hole in their self awareness, and soon fill the void with other things like promiscuity, drugs, alcohol, and unhealthy relationships. Soon to be hugged by depression.

According to the Child Mind Institute’s 2015 Children’s Mental Health Report: “Of the 74.5 million children in the U.S., an estimated 17.1 million have or have had a psychiatric disorder – more than the number of children with cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined. Half of all psychiatric illness occurs before the age of 14 and 75 percent by the age of 24.”

Symptoms of Depression in Children to look for:
The presence of the following symptoms may indicate depression. If your child or teen is exhibiting any of these signs for more than two weeks, it’s time to contact your pediatrician for a consultation:
* Frequent sadness, tearfulness or crying * Continuous feelings of hopelessness * Withdrawal from friends and activities the person previously enjoyed * Extreme sensitivity to rejection or failure * Upticks in irritability, agitation, anger or hostility * Changes in appetite — either increased or decreased * Changes in sleep — sleeplessness or excessive sleep * A lack of energy or feeling unable to do simple tasks * Feelings of worthlessness or guilt. Low self-esteem * Difficulty focusing or making choices. School grades dropping * Not caring about what might happen in the future * Pattern of dark images in drawings or paintings * Play that involves excessive aggression directed toward oneself or others, or involves persistently sad themes * Frequent physical complaints, such as headaches and stomachaches * Recurring thoughts or talk of death, suicide or self-destructive behavior

Sources: Mental Health America; American Academy of Pediatrics

Depression can occur to anyone, at any age, and to people of any race or ethnic group. Depression is never a “normal” part of life, no matter what your age, gender or health situation. Unrealistic academic, social, or family expectations can create a strong sense of rejection and can lead to deep disappointment. When things go wrong at school or at home, teens often overreact. Many young people feel that life is not fair or that things “never go their way.” They feel “stressed out” and confused. To make matters worse, teens are bombarded by conflicting messages from parents, friends and society. Today’s teens see more of what life has to offer — both good and bad — on television, at school, in magazines and on the Internet. They are also forced to learn about the threat of AIDS, even if they are not sexually active or using drugs. Teens need adult guidance more than ever to understand all the emotional and physical changes they are experiencing. When teens’ moods disrupt their ability to function on a day-to-day basis, it may indicate a serious emotional or mental disorder that needs attention — adolescent depression. Parents or caregivers must take action. Source – Mental Health America

According to Dr. and Professor Jean Twenge, from San Diego State University in an excerpt from a book called “Girls on the Edge”, She finds a continuous rise in the prevalence of anxiety, with girls consistently and significantly more anxious than boys. Part of the reason, Twenge believes, is a change in our culture, a decline in what she and other psychologist have termed Social Connectedness. “Anxiety increases as social bonds weaken”. “Societies with low levels of integration produce adults prone to anxiety.” After some research, she found that lack of social trust is the highest predictor of anxiety.
Knowing how to connect with each other outside of social media is critical to self-development. Teaching adolescents how to build bonding connections with others in a healthy, positive, cooperative way outside of social media is imperative.

When I hear the word renewal, the first thing that comes to my mind is the notion of time. Is time really relative? Does time really exist, or can time be just a controlling factor in our lives? Time is every where, its eternal, and it never stands still, So is time the same for all of us? The tick tock of clocks keep moving whether we are awake or asleep in a cyclic manner, but does that mean it’s the same for all of us? Sometimes it seems we do not have enough time to do the things we really want to do. Sometimes it feels like years are coming and going faster than the previous year. Is time just an illusion? Does time keep us captive, or free?
This weekend we will “CELEBRATE” and “WELCOME” a new year with new goals and aspirations. It will be the end of the old year, and the start of the new year. Bringing with it a luring spirit of renewal. Every year marks the start of a renewal for most. Some of us start new plans, new goals, and embark on a new journey. On January 1, 2017 lets remember that every day is a new day, every day is a time for renewal. Every day we can make new goals. Every day is a time of beginning, because tomorrow’s not promised. Lets make our lives matter every day.

In the present world of  chaos, I closed my eyes and discovered a new world.  One that laid dormant deep inside of me.  It was with me before the thought of me,  it was with me inside my mothers womb, it traveled with me through the birth canal, it followed me as a child.  It travels with me everyday, and everywhere I go.  A haunting feeling that follows you everywhere, Like when you turn your head to look behind, but there is no one there. So we, you, me, we keep walking unaware.

I closed my eyes and discovered a new world. One laid dormant deep inside of me.  I discovered this new world was the knowledge of myself, the person I was meant to be, I took a deep breath and inhaled my new world, then I exhaled my old world,…….I opened my eyes and started Living my life for the first time as ME.