Fighting Back...

The Ugly Scene For Teens On Screen

In the brutal world of cyber bullying, anyone can become the victim and it’s hard to figure out who the bullies are. The bullies can be good, hard working students who rebel by being "bad". They can be cliques of mean girls seeking to snub an outsider. Or they can be smart, slightly nerdy boys who are seeking revenge. It often begins with otherwise nice kids who go online to have some "fun" at someone else's expense. But too often this "fun" leads to threatening attacks.

So how can you fight an enemy you don't know? What can you do to make her stop? Well, the first thing to realize is that someone who uses e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging or chat rooms to hurt another person is guilty of a horrible cowardly act. The brave thing to do to shut them down, even if it doesn't feel that way. If you or anybody you know is a victim of a cyberbully, consider the following suggestions.

1. As tempted as you might be, don't reply to the messages of a cyber bully. She wants to know you are worried and upset, that her evil is working. Don't give her that satisfaction. Also, your response will give her an opportunity to strike again. Without your feedback, the game loses its thrill. So take five. Walk away to do something you enjoy.

2. Save the evidence, don't delete or erase the messages. Don't read them if you don't want to, but keep a printed record. The header information will be helpful in tracking where it came from. You might need it to prove your case later on.

3.  As embarrassed or scared as you might feel, please don't keep what's happening to yourself. Tell your parents or another adult. They will let your internet provider or your cell phone or your pager service know what's going on.

4. Realize by keeping a profile on your website, you become an easy target for bullies you know... and those you don't.

5. Remember that emails are not as private as you think. A message sent to a friend can be easily forwarded to others without your knowledge. It sounds harsh but never includes any information in an email that you wouldn't want everyone to see.

6. Google yourself to make sure your name isn't in any unwanted places. If it is, please tell an adult.

7. Harassment is a reason for stopping a person's online service. It's not "honest" or "funny" to hurt someone... ever... and defending yourself is a step closer to becoming the strong, smart, sensitive woman those who love you already see.

In brief, STOP, BLOCK, and TELL.

•  Stop before you answer back. Then you won't be tempted to say something you'll regret.
•  Block the sender. Then tell someone you trust about the message. Your parents, the parents of the harasser, school officials, even the police, are all there to help.

Info from BeingGirl.com

EXERCISE TIPS: Sticking to the Plan

Work that body...create an exercise plan that lasts more than a week!!!!!!

So you’ve decided to get in shape. You’ve decided to lose, oh, say, 40 pounds by the end of the year, look like a super-model, and run a marathon or two. The first week of your plan goes great—you get out your running shoes (and actually use them for running), you give up your usual nightly ice cream sundae, and you start feeling good. You’re off to a great start.

Then comes the second week. You get on the scale and see that despite all your efforts, you only lost one pound. You’re already getting bored when you go running and you start skipping your planned runs and start going to get chocolate instead. By the end of week two, you’ve decided to go back to your old ways.

Sound familiar? It’s easy to say you’re going to get in shape and exercise regularly and much, much, much harder to stick to the plan.

Here are some tips to help you get motivated and stay motivated about exercise:

• ^^Set realistic and specific goals
• -Saying to yourself that you want to get in shape and have the body of a supermodel means sure disaster for two reasons.
• ^^Only 2% of all women can have a supermodel’s body.
• ^^It’s not a realistic goal. You need to set a more realistic goal! Say to yourself: “I want to be able to run for 30 minutes without stopping" or "I want to lose 5 pounds." These are goals, which make sense and can be achieved.
• ^^Set short-term goals within the bigger plan
  -For example, make it your short-term goal to lose 1-2 pounds by the end of Week 1 of your program, or to run 10 minutes every other day of Week 1.
• ^^Work out in the morning
• -Studies show that people who exercise first thing in the morning are more likely to stick to their routine. Why? Because nothing else comes up. There’s no sudden invitation to go see a movie or go to a yearbook meeting at 7:30 a.m.! If you have a hard time getting up in the morning, lay out your exercise clothes the night before so you see them as soon as you wake up.
• ^^Get a motivated friend to join you
• -Working out with a friend is a great way to keep you on task. Just make sure your exercise partner is as motivated as you are about getting in shape so you stay on track.
• ^^Keeps an exercise diary
• -Keeping a record and a plan is a good way to track your progress—and keep you motivated. It will also help remind you of how far you’ve come!
• ^^Spice up your exercise routine
• -Variety is the spice of life—and of a successful exercise plan.
• ^^Following the same routine every day can get boring. So try other forms of exercise every other day—things like biking with a friend or even dancing count too!
• Ask your family and friends to support you.
• ^^Tell your family and friends how important your new exercise plan and goals are so that they can be supportive. Everyone needs cheerleaders.
• ^^Keep a photo of someone who inspires you
  -Maybe it’s a famous athlete like Venus Williams or Picabo Street, or maybe it’s just someone with a healthy-looking, fit body who inspires you. Whoever it is that you admire, looking at his or her photo might help keep you motivated—and exercising!

Info from BeingGirl.com

Ciara - Gimmie Dat

Ciara - Speechless

Ciara featuring Ludacris - Ride

Ciara - Like A Boy

Ciara - Promise

Ciara - Get Up ft. Chamillionaire

Ciara - And I

Ciara - Goodies ft. Petey Pablo

Tiffany Evans - Promise Ring ft. Ciara

Life As A Teenage Girl : Helpful Advice

Lots of teens have trouble sleeping. Some girls sleep all the time. Others can’t get to sleep or are only tired when they’re supposed to be awake. Either way, that can be a major downer when you’re trying to keep up with studies and social life and still get all the sleep your mind and body need.

On an average night, most people fall asleep between five and 10 minutes after their heads hit the pillow. But teens and tweens often have a tougher time winding down before bedtime and shutting off the constant buzz running through your developing brains! If you find yourself lying awake in bed counting homework assignments, try working this relaxation exercise and the tips below into your bedtime routine:

When you get to bed, close your eyes and get comfy. Focus your attention on the parts of your body that feel uncomfortable. Take a deep breath, and as you breathe out, focus on relaxing each of those areas, one at a time. Take two deep breaths for every body part that you relax. Continue this deep and relaxed breathing.

Once your body is relaxed, clear your mind by focusing on pictures of numbers or letters. For example, picture the number 30 in your mind. Imagine that the number 30 is getting blown away by the wind, erased by a pencil eraser, or fades into invisibility. Then picture the number 29 appearing in a different color, size, shape, and handwriting than the number 30. Once you have the image in your mind, imagine the 29 getting erased in a different way. Continue picturing each number with lots of details, and imagining each one disappear until you get to the number 1. If you don’t fall asleep before you get to the number 1, your mind will be free of stressful thoughts and more ready for sleep.

Tips and tricks:

Don’t:

...eat a heavy meal just before sleep.

..take sleep-aids or medication to help you sleep.

...drink coffee, tea, caffeinated sodas, or other sources of caffeine after 3 p.m. Caffeinated beverages (and chocolate, too) can disturb your sleep patterns.

… drink as much in the late afternoon and evening. Make an extra pit stop at the restroom right before bedtime.

Do:

...take a short walk after a late meal or a very active evening to help you unwind before you hit the sack.

...associate the bedroom with sleeping and nothing else. If you watch TV, play video games, or read before bedtime, do it in another room.

...keep to a regular sleep schedule, going to sleep at the same time every night, and waking up at the same time every day. Get 8-10 hours of sleep each night if you can. After a few weeks, you will start feeling sleepy at bedtime, and will awake ready to go before your alarm clock.

…set the scene in your bedroom to create a tranquil, comforting environment: turn on some soothing sounds and spray your sheets and room with lavender. If you need it totally dark to get your proper rest, try a sleep mask or scented eye pillow.

…indulge in relaxing activities before bedtime. Take a warm (not hot) bath or listen to soothing music.

Once you get into the habit of relaxing your mind and body, you should be able to fall asleep in less time and get just the right amount of beauty sleep every night.

Info from BeingGirl.com

Ludacris - Runaway Love ft. Mary J. Blige

Dream Facts ~ Dream Facts ~ Dream Facts

Do you remember your dreams? Are you curious to find out what they mean? For thousands of years dreams have been regarded as important indicators of how your life is going. Some believe that dreams can predict the future; others that they can help heal. Whether you think the dream you had last night was spurred on by indigestion, a barking dog or an upcoming chemistry test, you probably still find its contents fascinating.

Did you know that...

The most current research believes that dreaming may be the brain’s way of replaying experiences so that they are fixed in our memory for use later on.

One third of our lives is spent sleeping.

The Greeks and Romans hired dream interpreters to accompany their military leaders into battle.

In Egypt, it was the priests who acted as dream interpreters.

In ancient China, people referred to their dreams to figure out their next course of action.

Some Indian tribes believed dreams to be their opportunity to contact their ancestors.

The Bible makes mention of over 700 dreams.

Although most of us dream several different dreams a night, the ones we remember the easiest are the ones that occur closer to the morning.

The average person spends six years or 2,100 days dreaming.

Most of us dream four to seven different dreams for one to two hours a night.

Just five minutes after we finish a dream, we forget half of it. Five minutes more and 90% of it is gone.

The word "dream" originally comes from a Middle English word, dreme, which means "joy" and "music".

After giving up smoking, people tend to have more vivid dreams.

Although researchers believe even infants dream, we do not appear in our own dreams until we’re three or four.

You can’t dream and snore at the same time.

Nightmares are usually an indication of a fear that needs to be dealt with. They force us to pay attention and acknowledge the problem.

Virtually all dreams are in color.

Interpreting dreams is tricky business. Lots of books claim universal symbols mean the same thing for everyone. Dreams are highly personal and figuring out what they mean is best left to the dreamer.

Dreams vary in length, depending on how long we’ve been asleep. The first dream of the night is usually about an hour after we fall asleep and lasts about 15 minutes.

Info from BeingGirl.com

Mary J. Blige - Stay Down

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