'Tis The Season To Be... Depressed?

 

According to an article from Psychology Today, 45% of North Americans do not find Christmas to be a jolly season. The National Institute of Health claims that experiences of depression increase during Christmas. Additionally, suicides and attempted suicides are off the charts. Why? Isn't Christmas supposed to be a time filled with love, family, and happiness? Well, that is just the problem. Some people are overwhelmed with the need to be "perfect" as the movies and advertisements portray. All of us have seen those heartwarming, lovey-dovey movies about finding true love on Christmas day and spending Christmas unwrapping presents with close friends and family. That is the perfection most people strive for; however, when things do not go their way, and their Christmas is no longer "perfect" because of that family member, job, budget, or spouse, they cannot help but feel depressed for not achieving the ideal image of Christmas. According to this article, some people also feel depressed because of excessive self-reflection about the inadequacies of life, pressure to spend a lot of money on gifts, social gatherings with people they would rather not spend time with, and loneliness because of the loss of loved ones or their jobs. Besides listing the common causes of depression during Christmas, this article also lists some ways to avoid and treat this depression. As stated, mental health professionals suggest to, first and foremost, seek out help. Additionally, set up a budget for gifts bought, be involved in charities and worthwhile causes, be grateful for what you have not what you don't, and focus on all the good things about Christmas like the generosity and kindness of this season. Most important of all (at least to me), don't accept any "perfect" representation of Christmas that is portrayed by the media and other people; lower your expectations to how Christmas should look like and just enjoy each moment you spend with your family and friends because someday those moments might be all that you have left from them.
Link to article: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201011/why-people-get-depressed-Christmas

 

 

 

 

Soundtrack of Emotions

1. Admiration - Wanted by Hunter Hayes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruyaKdPfTN4

2. Remorse - Because of You by Kelly Clarkson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra-Om7UMSJc

3. Fear - Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzhAS_GnJIc

4. Acceptance - Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2FRPA3Gf8

5. Annoyance - Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0NmOzzC9jc

6. Serenity - Prayer by Celine Dion ft. Andrea Bocelli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjNfkbQr5zc

7. Love - My Love by Justin Timberlake
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1TsfShR5ZY

8. Interest - Still Into You by Paramore
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OblL026SvD4

9. Sadness - My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiy9YB1coMw

10. Optimism - I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYqcpTYQ8I4

All Those Years of Cello Private Lessons Finally Pay Off

       I was first exposed to music, in elementary school. Music class was my favorite class as kid even though we just beat on some drums and sang a few songs. I loved it when my teacher, who played the oboe, would put on some classical music and make us listen to the different instruments. In fact, it was because of her that I decided to play an instrument. Eventually, in sixth grade, I picked out an instrument, the cello, and joined my school's orchestra all the way through twelfth grade.
       However, seven years of orchestra get quite expensive. All those years of private lessons, instrument rentals, and those "mandatory" out-of-state trips add up in the checkbook. I couldn't help but think how all this will pay off in the future, especially if I am not going to major in music in college or make a career out of it. However, after coming across an article from PsychCentral, I am glad I stuck with the cello for all those years.

       This article talks about how music can alter the brain anatomy. It says that a new study shows how early musical training can strengthen the brain, especially regions that influence language skills and functions such as planning, organization, and managing time and space. According to Yunxin Wang of the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning at Beijing Normal University, the volume of brain regions related to hearing and self-awareness appeared to be larger in those who began taking music lessons before age seven. Wang states that "early musical training does more good for kids than just making it easier for them to enjoy music - it changes their brain and these brain changes could lead to cognitive advances as well." The article can be viewed using this link: http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/11/17/early-musical-training-alters-brain-anatomy/62122.html

       After reading that article, I realized that my orchestra directors were right. Everything we learn in the orchestra room applies to not only the music on the page but also life. I know. It sounds cliché; however, there are many skills that I learned in orchestra that are difficult to acquire anywhere else such as ensemble skills, planning, and organization.
       Looking back, I can see how orchestra has benefited me throughout the years. And I only started in sixth grade. I can't even imagine how I would be today if I started at age eight, seven, or six! It might be too late for me but hey, at least now I know to get my child straight into music lessons as soon as he/ she can walk. :)

My Life Story

       My life story begins with how I got my name. Before I was born, my parents had previously decided that they were going to name me Sylvia. They were 100% sure that that was going to be my name. However, my dad really liked the name of his friend's little daughter, Clara, and he noticed how smart and beautiful she was. On the day of my birth, he decided that he wanted to name me Clara. This did not go well with my mom at all. She wanted to keep my name Sylvia just like how they planned. To resolve this conflict, they decided to put both names on separate pieces of paper and draw from the 2 names. They did this 3 times and the name Clara was drawn all 3 times. And that is how I was named Clara.
       I was born on July 8th, 1996 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and I have 2 younger sisters. Although I was born in Abu Dhabi, I am technically an Egyptian because both of my parents were born and raised in Egypt. Arabic was my first language, but I learned English at school as well. Unfortunately, after I moved to Houston, Texas and became fluent in English, I now only understand Arabic. I cannot speak, write, or speak it very well anymore. I lived in Abu Dhabi for about 9 years and I loved it there! My friends and I went to the same school and church; we were basically brothers and sisters. I still remember playing hide and seek in my church's courtyard after Sunday school and begging my parents to let us play at my friend's house after church.

 

       The biggest transition in my life was moving to Houston, Texas at 9 years old. Moving to Houston was tough because I did not know anyone in Houston, and I did not want to be separated from the only home I knew. Even though I was scared about how my new life would turn out, I was kinda excited to live in a new country and meet new friends. Fortunately, I did meet some amazing new friends who have helped make that transition a little bit easier and have helped me during my times of trouble.

      
       Ever since I was young, math has always been my favorite subject. I always wanted to get some kind of job that involved a lot of math. Nerdy, right? Well, that is how I decided that I wanted to be an engineer. Coincidentally, both my parents are engineers. Anyways, to fulfill this dream, I plan on going to college (I still do not know which one) and majoring in chemical engineering (chemical because I found out I kinda like chemistry).

 

       As for my husband, my fantasy is that we will meet during college. He does not have to necessarily major in the same field, but he will be smart, handsome, caring, and preferably Egyptian. We will fall in love, get married after we graduate, and move into a beautiful house. Then we will have 2 children and a dog. The older child will be a boy and the younger one will be a girl and we will live happily ever after.

       I do not know when I will retire, but it will probably be around my 70's or when I start going crazy. Or maybe I'll just retire early on purpose so I can tour the world while I'm still sane. After I'm done touring the world, I hope to have a peaceful death at the age of 92 (more or less).

Personality Tests

Jung Typology Test:

After answering 72 yes or no questions, I received the letters INFJ. This means I strongly prefer introversion over extraversion (78%); I prefer intuition slightly over sensing (12%); I slightly prefer feeling over thinking (12%); I also moderately prefer judging over perceiving (56%). At first, I thought it was interesting how the test says that I prefer feeling over thinking. I always thought of myself as a logical person. I also found it interesting how accurate the others were. I am definitely a shy and reserved person. I usually do not like to mingle with people or start conversations with them. Additionally, I do tend to judge others by their appearances (maybe too much). Overall, I thought most of the results were accurate, and it was fun trying to figure out my true personality.
Test: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm

 

Art and Personality:

During this test, I had to rate different paintings on how much I liked them. I also had to rate how talented I thought the artist was then take a mini personality test at the end. According to the test, I like Impressionism. Impressionist paintings usually appear on mugs, calendars, and posters. They were also criticized for attempting to capture the effect of light and color found in nature. Here is a link talking more about Impressionism and a little bit of its background: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/imml/hd_imml.htm. The personality test predicts that I have low extraversion, average agreeableness, and high conscientiousness. I thought the test was pretty accurate overall. The personality test described me almost perfectly. I am more of a reserved girl, and I also try avoiding offending someone so I guess you can say I have average agreeableness. I am definitely an organized person who likes to prepare beforehand so the test was accurate in that area as well. I thought this test was fun, and it was interesting to see how it could predict my personality just by rating some pictures and answering a few questions.
Test: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/art/

 

                  

Careers:

The purpose of this test was to see what kind of job would best suit me. According to John Holland, there are six main types of person: realistic, conventional, social, enterprising, artistic, and investigative. My results suggest that the investigative, conventional, or social types of work might suit me best. Investigative types usually like to work with ideas rather than people which is very accurate. Typical roles with this type include scientists, engineers, computer programmers, and lab workers. I find this interesting because I am actually considering going into the engineering field so I think this type really suits me. Conventional types like to be organized, and they tend to focus on accuracy and efficiency. This also accurately describes me because I usually like to be organized and have a schedule that I must follow. The test also describes me as the social type, which like to help or teach people rather than do the thinking. I think the test is inaccurate in this area because I usually like to solve the problems and do all the thinking rather than teaching and assisting other people.
Test: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/careers/

The Sim's Personality Test:

For this test, I had to rate a series of personality statements from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The purpose of the test is to predict my personality based on the Sim's game. I received an 8 for neat (vs. sloppy), 4 for outgoing (vs. shy), 4 for active (vs. lazy), 4 for playful (vs. serious), and 8 for nice (vs. grouchy). My first impression of this test was that it was going to be inaccurate and a waste of my time; however, the results matched up pretty closely to the previous tests'. Just like the other tests predicted, I am a neat-freak and I do have to have things organized and planned out beforehand. As for outgoing, active, and playful, I received slightly lower scores which are also accurate. I am a shy, somewhat lazy, and somewhat serious person. Last but not least, I consider myself a very nice person. I am rarely grouchy and I usually give people the benefit of the doubt. The results also state that other Sims may take advantage of the nice Sims' good nature. Unfortunately, that is the downside of being too nice.
Test: http://www.personalitylab.org/tests/bfi_sims.htm

Implicit Association Test:

I thought this test was the most interesting of all the ones I took. Instead of answering a bunch of questions, this test has you matching a picture or a word to its correct category. In this case, the 4 categories were Black, White, Bad, and Good. If a picture of a black or white person pops up, you have to match it to the correct category; also, if a positive or negative word pops up, you have to match it to its appropriate category. You must try to answer all the questions as fast as possible without stopping to think about the answer. My results suggest that I have a strong automatic preference for white people. I never thought I was a racist person, but even the website states that our conscious and unconscious attitudes and beliefs often conflict. It does not mean that one is right and the other is wrong, so I guess this test is pretty accurate. I found it interesting that nearly 2 out of 3 white Americans show a moderate or strong preference for whites, as do nearly half of all black Americans. I guess it is true that everyone is racist in some way even if it is only unconscious.
Test: http://www.understandingprejudice.org/iat/racframe.htm