Articles Tagged with: #lifestyle

Identifying The Three Types Of Friends And When To Let Go

“A real friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” – Walter Winchell (Actor and writer)

Though they are an essential aspect of our life, friends are individuals who we must all carefully select before making any friendship commitments. This means that, rather than the other way around, we should choose our friends. Additionally, we must understand what a friend is before we can make these personal decisions.

A friend is someone in whom we may have entire confidence. A friend is someone we respect and who respects us, not because they are deserving but because they share our opinions.

All of us have come across various folks at some point or another. Depending on who you ask, we were good to some folks and bad to others. This occurs frequently, depending on how the other party treats us. Below are the three types of friends we encounter every day, and how we should know our way around all of them.

Photo source: Aline Viana Prado

The confidants

These are often extremely rare. No matter how we are feeling, they are into us and have an unwavering affection for us. If we make a mistake, they still believe in us and will correct us right away. They are there for the long run, both with and for us. They are the kind of folks that will always and everywhere come to our aid and are the kind of people we can be open with and speak freely with knowing they will not use the information against us or talk to other people about it. They will always find a way to get us out of trouble.

The constituents

These folks may seem like confidants, therefore we need to proceed with extreme caution. This means that although there is a thin line between constituents and confidants, it is the difference that could make or break us. These are the people that support our values even though they do not like us. For this kind of people, as long as we support what they stand for, they will toil with us, walk with us, and work diligently with us for the longest time, giving us the impression that they are on our side. These people support what we stand for, but they are never for us in the first place, so if they find someone who would further their goals, they will leave us for them.

The comrades

They are only against what we are against; they are not for us or what we stand for. To combat a more formidable foe, they will always join forces with us. They will stay with us until the victory is won, and they act as scaffolding that enters our lives to serve a function before being withdrawn after that mission has been fulfilled. However, let us not make these kinds of friends stay when it is time for them to leave. We ought to permit those who wish to depart from our life to do so.

We learn through confidants, so we need to be on the lookout for people like this because they are actual friends. Since they are so uncommon, we must preserve them when we find them. We should, therefore, anticipate that comrades and constituents would eventually turn against us because they never supported us but rather used us as a means to an end. Our dreams are valuable and ought to be expressed to the appropriate individuals.

It is safe, therefore, to say that constituents are friends for a season, comrades are friends for a reason, and confidants are friends for a lifetime.

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Living a Chaste Life

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

Many young couples earnestly adhere to the Church’s teachings that restrict having sex before marriage. They are aware of the many compelling arguments supporting the notion that fornication is fundamentally sinful. Even though these young couples have the best of intentions and a strong desire to maintain their chastity, they frequently encounter extreme temptation, and some give in to that desire, occasionally leading to pregnancies.

Chastity, therefore, is an attribute connected to temperance. According to their state of life, a chaste person abstains from either sexual conduct deemed immoral or any sexual activity. Chastity and celibacy are synonymous in some situations, such as when one takes a pledge of chastity.

Without chastity, the virtue that allows us to regulate our sexual urges rather than let them control us, it is almost impossible to have a happy marriage. Chastity is also a challenging virtue to grow in. It will be extremely challenging to develop after marriage if it is not fully formed before marriage. Therefore, achieving the virtue of chastity is something that should be done before getting married.

Ponder about some specific actions you can take to complete this wonderful mission, and keep in mind that you can still go back no matter how far you’ve already traveled in the opposite direction.

Avoid becoming too emotionally dependent on one another.

This could seem unusual because, after all, you are in love, but with a certain degree of “all-out dependency,” that love rapidly turns into an emotional attachment that hinders you from getting to know each other all that well. Such dependence is evident when you talk on the phone for hours on end and cannot wait for the next call; if the call does not come, you panic, believing your friend does not love you; when you believe you must do everything including studying together; and when you schedule your days so that you are in close contact. Undue sexual closeness is the logical conclusion of this immature reliance.

Steer clear of potential sinful situations.

This notion is frequently regarded as archaic and prudishly out of date today. It is a pearl of sensible advice that will be helpful to young couples with their unique endeavor. It means that you should not spend alone time when you are alone together. Spend time together in public places like parks and shopping centers. This is realistic, not conservative.

You can cultivate the virtue of purity, which purifies the mind and heart of lust, alongside the virtue of chastity, which is so intimately related to it.

Young people can get their heads “out of the gutter,” so to speak, by constant effort, working with God’s mercy, and with the aid of the graces. The freedom that comes from being free of dirty ideas is immense. One is free to treat people as people, and not as objects of emotion, for their own sake. And those who still have lingering habits of solitary sexual actions left over from a possible weakness in youth can rapidly and efficiently overcome them with the development of the twin virtues of chastity and purity.

One can only make an informed choice about marriage or celibacy when their sexual drive is under control. By adopting this mindset, many more people will enter religious life, many more marriages will be stable and happy, and many premarital couples will have far happier courtships.

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Are You in An Abusive Relationship?

Abuse in a relationship can take many forms, including physical, sexual, emotional, or all three, but it always involves aggression, contempt, cruelty, injury, or force.

Abuse, in whatever form, has a tremendous impact on one’s emotional stability, and because emotional health is so crucial to one’s well-being, it is critical to recognize the signs of an abusive partner and avoid them while guarding your heart.

“Above all else, guard your heart,” Proverbs 4:23 says, “because everything you do flows from it.” By guarding your heart, you end up taking care of yourself and obeying the Word of God, which in turn enables you to be discerning of dangerous associations rather than always looking for faults in yourself to justify the other party’s behavior. Here are some indicators that you may be in an abusive relationship.

Disrespect

An abusive partner ridicules you in front of others, insults and calls you names, never respects your requests, and dismisses your viewpoint. While disrespect can take many forms, including physical, sexual, and mental abuse, it is vital to remember that you can only be treated in a certain way if you allow it to happen. While there could be times when you can only control so much, do ensure that you speak up when disrespected and maintain your assertiveness.

Lies

One of the most fundamental cornerstones in any great relationship is trust. A spouse who does not respect you enough to always tell you the truth is likely to abuse and gaslight you.

Isolating you from loved ones

Isolation is key tactic abusers use to make sure other people do not realize their victims are being abused. They do not necessarily need to use threats or violence to keep you at home.

“The abuser discourages contact with others in subtle and manipulative ways, preventing loved ones from being able to detect changes in mood or well-being,” Genovese says.

Controlling behavior

An abuser may try to keep you under control by restricting your freedom to leave the house, seizing control of your funds, and monitoring your online activity, to name a few. This may start small, such as constantly calling or texting you when you are away from them, but it can escalate quickly.

Physical and, or sexual abuse

A physically abusive partner may attack you at any time, resulting in emotional and mental instability or even death, while a sexually abusive partner may force you to have sex, resulting in long-term health difficulties.

Given this, you should avoid the effects of abuse by saying no to abusers and seek professional help if you find yourself in such a situation, keeping in mind that your mental health is crucial to your growth. Abuse is not a form of power, therefore do not support it. If you know of an abuser, speak to a professional about it in the hopes that they too can get help. Oftentimes, abusers struggle with unmet needs which can be addressed clinically.

Above all else, prayerfully think through every association, especially romantic associations and do not entangle yourself with anyone who hinders your ability to grow in Christ.

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How Much Caffeine is Too Much Caffeine?

Caffeine is a stimulant found in several foods and drinks like tea and coffee. Caffeine can also be found in kola nuts and chocolate-flavored snacks. It is quite popular in everyday meals because of its ability to help people regain mental clarity when tired.

An overdose of caffeine can cause a variety of symptoms and side effects such as dizziness, headache, sleeplessness, and fever, among others, which may not appear as serious as vomiting, chest discomfort, and convulsions. Some of these serious symptoms may require urgent medical attention. Caffeine in high dosages may also increase the risk of miscarriage or low birth weight in expectant mothers. It should be limited or avoided entirely during pregnancy.

Coffee and coffee beans. Source: Pexel Photos

However, avoiding caffeine can be difficult because it is a common ingredient in many foods and drinks. According to Mayo Clinic, most healthy persons may tolerate up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day. Four cups of brewed coffee, ten cans of Coca-Cola, or two “energy shot” drinks have about the same amount of caffeine. Important to mention that caffeine concentration in beverages varies significantly, particularly in energy drinks.

Given this insight into caffeine education, we must take care of our bodies and monitor the amount of caffeine we ingest regularly. However, caffeine affects each individual differently, hence not a one-size-fits-all. It is, therefore, important to learn how your body reacts to it.

Articles Tagged with: #lifestyle

“A real friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” – Walter Winchell (Actor and writer)

The confidants

The constituents

The comrades