Category Archives: Self-Esteem

What Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche are Doing for Female Self-esteem.

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Whether you are a fan of the UFC and MMA or not, doesn’t matter. What Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche did for women and women’s sports was nothing short of triumphant. These 2 athletes gave women a seat at the table of  mixed martial arts. They were the headlining fight for UFC 157 and they did not disappoint. The world of MMA has been dominated by male fighters for a significant period of time. Even the president of the UFC, Dana White was once quoted as saying that women would never fight in the UFC. But, in 2013 they did. These women proved themselves to be great athletes, worked hard and changed his mind.

Again, you don’t have to like MMA or even watch the UFC to understand what a significant event this was. It told millions of other young women out there that are trained athletes, Olympians and belt holders in martial arts, that they too can follow their dreams and fight professionally if they choose to do so. Women are no longer excluded.

I choose to also look at the young women who have no interest in mixed martial arts, but for the 1st time saw women publicly competing in a sport, never done before. It tells them that they too can reach for their dreams, work hard and be whatever they want to be in this lifetime. Rhonda spoke about how Judo helped build her self-esteem when she was young. She also spoke about not having a female MMA role model to look up to so she had to look inward and believe in herself. Her dreams came true that night when she won the fight and retained the title of champion. These 2 women are great role models for young women everywhere. They are disciplined, professional, and focused athletes. In my opinion, there were no losers that night. I saw 2 champions and significant game changers. I hope to see young girls mentioning their names during everyday conversations, putting up posters of these women, and reading inspirational articles about them in teen magazines. I believe they gave a boost of self-esteem to all women who watched the fight that night and will continue to do so. I too am in awe and inspired. Thank you Rhonda and Liz.

Helping Hobbies that Build Self-Esteem: When you help others, you sometimes help yourself..

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Guest Blog by Domonique Chardon 

Here are three hobbies that can help others as well as your own self-esteem.

Volunteering: Whether you’re helping out at a local organization, raising awareness for a particular cause, or fundraising for an issue you believe in — volunteering is an extremely fulfilling hobby.  Getting familiar with issues in your community and more importantly the people and organizations behind them, is a great way to give back and also benefit from the experience. It’s also a great way to make new friends and meet new people that you might not otherwise run into. A kind heart is always remembered.

Baking: You’d be surprised how far one cupcake will go!  Baking is a fantastic hobby that does require some skill and a penchant for hitting the sweet spot; but what I love the most about baking is:  I’m not the only one who can enjoy the results! One may not notice at first, but there are plenty of opportunities to apply baking skills. Aside from baking for special occasions like birthdays etc., I’m a firm believer that any day is a good day for a cupcake! Or a cookie, or cake, or cake pops, or brownies, or  -– you get my drift. The Baker is adored.

Physical Challenge: Let’s face it – not all of us were born athletes or are where we want to be in terms of physical fitness. That’s why choosing a physical challenge as a hobby is difficult; however, it can be most rewarding. Besides improving your health another upside is the various options one can choose from.  There’s literally something for everyone. If you don’t enjoy working out in a gym you can hike, bike or run outdoors. Why not join team in training, a road race, an organized walk or a marathon where all the proceeds go to a great cause. Knowing that you are doing it for others will help push you along.  It’s a win win situation. When you challenge your body, you also challenge your mind. It takes determination to commit to practicing a physical hobby regularly.  As your stamina builds you will become even more determined and you will see results!

Domonique Chardon is a bay area native, young professional, aspiring writer and a spiritual being having a human experience. 

Twitter: Domonique_007

About.me/domoniquewhite

FOMO: Do You Have It?

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Quick — do you know what your friends are doing right now?  As you read this, are you waiting for the ping of a new text coming in?  Are you hooked on Twitter, Instagram and FB? If so, you may suffer from FOMO.

FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out, has recently been identified as a phenomenon not only in the US, but worldwide (as this story about teens in South Africa and teens in India shows) and those in the “millennial generation.”  It has become such a widespread trend that this past summer Kotex even used it as a theme in its new marketing campaign citing that “94% of girls experience FOMO.”  Suffering from FOMO means constantly checking Facebook status updates and other social media sites and feeling that other people are always doing something better than whatever you’re doing.  FOMO can leave you feeling sad, left out or boring.
As social media seeps into every corner of our lives, more studies have emerged chronicling the ways in which its effects can be negative.  Generally speaking, fractured attention and lack of ability to focus are seen as the offshoots of too much online time.  But going online to “compare and despair” by reading friends’ news-feeds and then getting the sense that you’re not attending the hottest parties or having the best time can be damaging to your self-esteem, never-mind that it paints a false picture.

We all know how easy it is to leave out the bad parts when we tell a friend an anecdote about what we did last weekend. It’s deceptively simple to only post your best Instagram photo or share the night’s funniest 10 second moment in a cute tweet.  On some level, we know that’s not the whole story.  But if you’re stuck doing homework when everyone else seems to be partying, it’s impossible to not feel a stab of regret or envy.

While detaching from social media sites (at least for an hour at a time, if not longer) can help, it isn’t the entire answer. Don’t let FOMO make you feel that your choice to be with family or even have a night to yourself is less cool.  Sometimes finishing up a long homework project, practicing an instrument or cleaning your room is necessary and will feel worthwhile in the end.  So much about social media reinforces instant gratification.  Work now to identify what you value most so that FOMO doesn’t make you her slave!

Say NO to FOMO’s siren call. Don’t sleep with the phone by your side or computer on.  Try to avoid getting stressed because of what someone else claims to be doing. Don’t let it make you feel less than.  Create your own priorities and take the time for the things important to you. Breathe deeply when you feel anxious and don’t let your sense of validation come from the story you put up on your Facebook page or twitter feed.  Reframe “missing out” as “doing what I want to do” and realize how good that feels.  Don’t forget… YOLO 🙂