Insight

Submitted by Admin

Financial technology or fintech adoption was already growing at a steady rate before the Covid-19 pandemic struck. According to the Global FinTech Adoption Index—a report published every two years—consumer adoption of fintech services increased from 16 percent in 2015 to 64 percent in 2019. Fueled by online migration and social distances brought upon by the pandemic, fintech adoption has exploded worldwide, turning the sector into an essential part of the finance industry.

The Fintech Effect

Fintech is defined as a type of innovative technology that competes with conventional methods to deliver digitally enhanced financial services with more accessibility, both in the public and private sectors. From straightforward mobile banking to AI algorithms that power customer service advice, big data analysis for fraud detection to blockchain-based cryptocurrency trading, fintech can come in many forms.

Since the onset of the pandemic, fintech has become the global mainstream. Consumer awareness of fintech services is at an all-time high with 94 percent of consumers informed of some form of fintech payment or money transfer service. However, this level of awareness varies across services with consumers less knowledgeable about fintech offerings outside of everyday personal banking.

Along with its widespread adoption, global investment in fintech has been on the increase as well, rising from 22 billion in 2015 to an impressive 215.4 billion in 2019. Many fintech innovations are spearheaded by established financial institutions and large technology companies looking to enhance their level of customer service and outshine their competitors. Fintech provides an opportunity for incumbent financial institutions to diversify their services, reach a wider audience, and manage transactions more efficiently.

That said, many radical fintech services are pioneered by startups, who are more agile and well poised to participate in disruptive innovation. While fintech adoption rates are much higher in the Asia Pacific region, the Americas lead the charge for fintech business startups, registering 10,605 fintech startups as of February 2021 compared to 6,129 in the Asia Pacific. A simple look at the expansive list of fintech startups in New York will show how the sector is experiencing robust growth.

A New Way to Pay and Play

As consumer needs evolve, digital innovation is reshaping the financial world. Following the desire for convenience and efficiency, e-commerce and global cashless payments are becoming more abundant than ever. The challenge for conventional banks is to have the dexterity and originality to expand their fintech offerings amidst strong competition. If existing financial institutions are slow to come around, non-financial companies can wiggle their way into the financial services sector.

An example of this is Apple Pay, where users can connect their banking cards to their Apple account and use their iPhone as a contactless payment method. This service initially upset Australia’s major banks so much that they petitioned the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to be allowed to collectively bargain with or boycott Apple. The request was denied, citing multiple benefits to the consumer.

On the other side of the world in China, where 95 percent of consumers use fintech, digital messaging giant Tencent similarly dipped its toe into the financial services sector by including a wallet in its WeChat messaging mobile app. The WeChat wallet not only allows peer-to-peer transactions, but also includes services such as donations, wealth management, bills payment, and the purchase of tickets for transport and attractions.

If WeChat is anything to go by, an e-wallet that can be used for a variety of purposes across different businesses speaks to the needs of the busy modern consumer. In this case, consolidated platforms have the edge because consumers can avoid the hassle of having to repeatedly verify their identity before undertaking transactions.

Fintech for the Future

So, what is in the future of fintech? To see what the fintech space would look like in the coming years, we only have to look at the burgeoning list of fintech startups and their diverse and varied offerings. From AI for social media marketing to personalized insurance on your mobile, fintech is set to permeate and expedite every possible niche and need in our lives. For SMEs, fintech solutions will provide more affordable and functional services than traditional financial institutions, allowing them to grow faster than ever before.

As technology advances to empower consumers and the volume of data passing through the cloud grows exponentially, the risk to our information increases. Ensuring data and privacy security will be integral to the continued advancement of fintech because any breach of information security will have impacts on trust across the globe. A mammoth task for regulators would be finding the fine balance between disruption and security; innovation and compliance.

Perhaps the fintech revolution will decelerate as slower-moving markets catch up. Or maybe the fierce competition between the Americas and the Asia Pacific region will continue to produce cutting-edge creations. Whatever the outcome, it seems that fintech is here to stay. With numerous virtual banks being approved and markets becoming less regulated, we can look forward to better and more responsive customer-focused financial services.

Submitted by Admin

Automotive safety features have evolved immeasurably over the last century, in both structure and function. Windshields are key structural safety elements, and as such are no exception. They are designed to support the front part of the vehicle if it rolls, and not to shatter into harmful shards on impact. 

The technology used in auto glass repair has also evolved and improved, with the invention of newer, clearer and stronger materials. Cracks and chips can generally be repaired, if they are caught before they get too big or run too far. There are also kits available for do-it-yourself repairs, but these come with certain complications that make a compelling argument for getting the job done by a professional. This is because the resins used to repair cracks and chips come in different types, and not all react the same way, or should be used for the same purpose.

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Resins used for auto glass repair work are manufactured to fill in an area where glass is missing, adhere to the surrounding glass, and provide structural support to stop the surrounding glass from cracking further. Resins are used because they are clear, flexible and yet durable.

High quality resins will last a lifetime, whereas poor quality resins become brittle and ineffective quite quickly. Some low quality resins do not harden correctly, and some harden too much and crack under pressure.

Not all resins were created equal, and so it is important to use a high quality resin for an auto glass repair, as this is a safety feature of the car, and it needs to hold up under constant use, in all weather.

Viscosity

Resins come in different viscosities or thicknesses. Viscosity is measured in centipoise (cps). The higher the viscosity, the thicker the substance. For example, water has a viscosity of 1-5cps, while honey has a viscosity of 2-3000 cps.

Resins of a higher viscosity may take longer to cure or harden, and certain types of resins will have an ideal temperature range in which they should cure.

An auto glass repair professional should know which viscosity to use for the type of damage she is asked to correct, as resins for glass repair are available in 20, 40, 60, 90, 100 and 200cps. This is why technicians cringe when people suggest using nail varnish to repair a crack.

Different Fixes

As with anything in life, it may look simple at first, but on closer inspection, auto glass repair is never a simple job. Professionals classify windshield damage into various categories by shape, size and depth.

To the general public, a windshield can have a crack or a chip, but within the automotive industry, these blemishes are described in terms like bull’s eye, combination break, edge crack, floater crack, pit, stress crack, half moon, long crack and star break.

Not all of these can be corrected. If they are larger than eight inches, the windshield usually needs to be replaced. However, a knowledgeable and experienced technician will be able to determine the safety value in a repair, and will often have a couple of tricks up his sleeve when it comes to the repair job itself, what resin to use and how to use it.

UV Protection

Once a crack or chip has been repaired, and the resin has been allowed to harden and cure under the sun, a professional auto repairer will buff down the resin and coat the area with a type of varnish which is designed to protect the resin from the ultra violet rays of the sun. This is because exposure to UV rays after curing can cause resins to perish and become brittle, and the resin will lose its flexibility, causing the screen to start cracking again.

Windshield glass is also manufactured with an integral UV shield to protect passengers and the vehicle interior from harmful UV exposure over time. It makes sense to add in a form of UV protection to an area which has become vulnerable, although not everyone might think of it.

High Tech, Not High Cost

Many people believe that doing the job themselves will save money, but if the job has to be done twice, then it may be a case of false economy. Especially when dealing with a safety feature like a windscreen, and complex chemical compounds like resins, it might sometimes be a better choice to let the professionals handle it, and know that the job has been done well. In the end, this kind of consideration always comes down to money, especially in the current hard economic climate, but sometimes less really is more.

Submitted by Admin

In an era of rising property costs, home businesses have become an enticing and viable option for those seeking to start their own business. Home business serves as a good starting point for many. It is a rather low-cost endeavor and can allow you to gauge how successful your business can be. There are many advantages to starting a home business, and given the current circumstances, there is no better time than now.

A Guide to Starting a Home Business

Before anything, what exactly is a home business? A home business generally refers to a small business where you are operating from your home. Your business can range from selling baked goods to doing freelance work, such as photography or journalism. When Steve Jobs started Apple in the garage of his house in Los Altos, Apple was considered to be a home business too.

It might sound easy to start a home business, since you are simply providing a service from your home. However, here are some things you can take into consideration when starting a home business.

Firstly, it is important to do market research beforehand to find out what other businesses are doing. Based on a study conducted by Fundera, there are roughly 15 million home-based small businesses around the United States. This shows that home businesses are abundant, and this number will only continue to grow. If your business is going to be faced with many competitors, you can try to set yourself apart from others, either by offering something unique or better.

While doing market research, it would also be a good opportunity to figure out how you should price your product or service. You can check out similar businesses and analyze the market rates. Then, evaluate the quality of your own product and service in comparison and decide on a suitable price range for your customers. This can be important, as the accessibility of the internet allows customers to easily compare the prices of various businesses. By doing adequate research beforehand, you can ensure that you provide reasonable prices that will be able to entice potential customers.

It might also be useful to have a virtual address for business. When you start a business, you might have to place your address on name cards or websites and more. If you are working from home, it might not be the best idea to provide your home address as your business address. A virtual address will provide safety and convenience. Even if you move, you do not have to deal with the hassle of changing your business address on various platforms.

Lastly, creating an online presence is essential for a home business. In particular, social media is the best way to gain a wider audience. It allows you to interact with customers and easily receive feedback or reviews from them. Creating a website may also boost your online presence. Not only does it make your business seem more reliable, but customers can learn about your business and browse your products.

The Flourishing Home Business Industry

In current times, the home business industry has been growing and flourishing. In Singapore, a country in Southeast Asia, a woman named Josephine Wee started a home business selling baked goods. She was part of the tourism industry, but found it hard to make ends meet when tourism came to halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Fortunately, her home business was extremely successful, and she is now able to earn enough to be the sole breadwinner of her family.

Many home businesses have emerged for the same reason. Since the start of the pandemic, many people have been forced into unemployment due to the poor economy. Finding a new job was also a challenge amidst various lockdowns. As such, home business served to be a useful option for people to gain income while working remotely. Remote work is an extremely beneficial aspect of home businesses. It can ensure the safety of staff by lowering the possibility of them contracting and spreading the virus. Of course, having the comfort of working from home without needing to spend money on travelling or renting out a space are added benefits.

Another reason for the popularity of home business is also because it is relatively easy to enter this industry. If you already have all the necessary materials or equipment at home, you may already be halfway there. Starting a home business may be as simple as creating a social media. This is not to disregard the difficulties of starting a home business, but online platforms have been changing in a manner that is beneficial to home businesses.

In trend with the booming e-shopping and social commerce, many social media platforms have begun to provide shopping options. Some examples include Facebook Marketplace and Instagram Shopping. Since many people frequently use social media, these platforms allow users to easily find home businesses. Through such platforms, home business owners can easily gain a social media following. A steady stream of customers from social media and online can ensure the longevity of a home business.

As the digital market continues to grow and thrive, if you are interested in starting a home business, there is truly no better time than now to give it a try.

Submitted by Admin

Couples over 50 who have been together for decades are more frequently deciding to separate or divorce. This phenomenon has been termed “gray divorce”, and as dreary and dry as it may sound, the prospect of beginning again, after years as part of a pair, can seem quite daunting.

If you are a child of gray divorce, you may feel tempted to view yourself as collateral damage; a victim of the fallout. A more positive option you could choose, however, is to take an active and supportive role in your parents’ split. This choice can also help to mitigate the feelings of helplessness and frustration which might rise up in your own emotional well. Here are three ways in which you can claim your own personal control over how you experience your parents’ divorce.

Be like water

Bruce Lee was talking about how to move when fighting an opponent. If you are like water, there is nothing to fight.

As a young (or possibly mature) adult, you can afford to step back and not get caught up in the drama. When relationships dissolve, there is bound to be a degree of hurt feelings and resentment. One or both of your parents might refer to it as a “failed relationship”. Your role is to help your parents through this time, and you need to remind them that their relationship is not failed, and that they have not failed as people. The partnership has simply run its course, and they have achieved what they set out to do: make a home, have a child or many children, live together and have some happy times. Now it is time for a new direction and another goal.

If you try to resist your parents’ life decisions, you might complicate things, and you could end up doing damage to your relationship with one or both of your parents. Just be like water. Go with the flow. Try to keep your attitude compassionate but accepting. Your parents will appreciate a cooler, calmer head to offer them some perspective and (dare we say it!) a good example to follow.

Don’t take sides

Avoid the temptation to side with one of your parents. As much as one parent will hurt more than the other, and your heart might be breaking for him or her, don’t take sides. You might even be called on to sympathize with one of your parents at the other’s expense; no good will come of it.

It is important to realize that although you are part of your family, you are not part of your parents’ relationship. Their history and interactions go deeper than your experience, and only they know everything that transpired between them. Making value judgements on who is right and wrong will not produce any kind of positive outcome. It will only do more damage to your parents, who will already be experiencing pain from their decision to split up.

Instead, give both parents equal amounts of support and understanding, and ensure that they both know that you love them and value their roles in your life and your family’s life, if you have children. This kind of emotional support will go a long way to helping them through the insecurity of transitioning to a single life, and your relationship with them will be stronger for it.

Make time

Once the split has taken place, make the time to be with each of your parents. You will have to decide for yourself if one of your parents is not coping as well as the other, and needs more emotional support. You won’t be able to see this unless you are spending time with them, talking openly to them and paying attention to what they say, and don’t say.

This is important because, according to a study conducted by Prof. Susan Brown at Bowling Green University, depressive symptoms increase after dissolution of marriage, and are higher amongst divorcees than widowers. This means that your parents may need some professional emotional support through a psychologist or counsellor to help them through the rough patches, and you need to be there to point it out to them, if necessary.

Children don’t often grow up expecting their parents to get divorced. This kind of dissolution no longer only happens to people in abusive relationships, and there are many reasons why an older couple might decide to part ways. When older parents split up, it can come as a shock, and there is the potential for all family members to emerge from the process broken and distraught.

Of all the ways that a divorce can happen, the adult children of gray divorce can choose to take on a role which will help to direct the events towards the most positive and emotionally supportive outcome for everyone.

Submitted by Admin

Undergraduates often face an uphill battle with chemistry. It is one of those subjects that you either have a knack for or it knocks you over. Exploring life at its most elemental levels is fascinating but learning the equations and vocabulary can be frustrating.

You might assume that chemistry is one of those ultra-dry subjects that requires endless hours of toil and sweat over elemental properties and bonding theories. In many ways it is. Chemistry problems can get complicated in a hurry.

This is what makes it fascinating and fun if you have the right frame of mind and curiosity for the subject. Those who take chemistry simply to attain science credit may have the opposite opinion. Nevertheless, chemistry is unavoidable for most science majors.

Chemistry is a core class for students who aim for careers in medicine or the science industries and almost all majors require students to take at least one hard science course.

Because of demand, undergraduate chemistry students often experience large auditorium-style lectures and crowds of disinterested students. The professor may seem remote, lecturing from a far, talking in theory with little student interaction.

This is not a good dynamic for learning and contributes to the high failure rate in chemistry.

Up to one in five college students fail general chemistry on the first try. A recent study of general chemistry students at a liberal arts college near Chicago shows that less than 60% achieve the required pass rate of C or better to continue the course sequence.

While on some level failure is part of the scientific process, that might not be an option for you.
You can take steps to overcome the obstacles of overcrowded lecture halls, boring professors and complicated explanations of stoichiometry that make no sense.

Elements of Success in Chemistry

Conquering chemistry requires attitude and a high degree of tenacity. It is such a detail-oriented subject that leaves little room for interpretation. A chemistry problem is either right or wrong and professors do not usually give out partial credit for effort.

To succeed in chemistry, you need to stay on top of the game. It is easy to get behind in chemistry and once you are behind you may always be behind. Procrastination can be your Achilles heel. Chemistry professors cover a lot of ground and it is easy to be left in the dust.

Read that textbook no matter how dull it is. Listening to the lecture and taking notes is often not enough. In an average fifty-minute lecture, professors deliver about five thousand spoken words. Only ten percent are written down.

You might try using a text-to-speech app to listen while doing other things. University of North Carolina has developed good strategies that can help you read textbooks with greater efficacy. Textbook knowledge is a must in chemistry.

Look beyond the technical jargon. Chemists talk in a specialized language. Foreign students and even many native speakers of English often get freaked out by the big words. Words are only symbols and while they may look complex do not let them scare you.

Numerous studies show that across the sciences low marks are often due to a failure to understand the language of the questions.

Learn those vocabulary words but do not let them scare you. The language of science can make the concepts much more confusing.

While it may not be possible to ask questions in a classroom with hundreds of other students, simply being a passive, non-thinking, information receiver is not a recipe for success.

Unless you have a clear understanding of chemistry it is important to be more proactive. Find ways to supplement your learning either through a study group or a tutoring service, or pay a professional to provide chemistry homework help.

Take Charge of Your Chemistry Grade

At the end of the day, you are probably not a chemistry major. General chemistry can be a hazardous stepping stone and balancing on that stone may cause you concern.

Some of the obstacles are beyond your control. The podium lecturer writing complex equations on a whiteboard you can barely see. The crowd of distracted spectators, most of whom do not want to be there. The lengthy words that are easier said than spelled.

Despite these barriers to learning, you might not want to be the one of five who are repeating general chemistry next semester.

One way that you can resolve these common issues with chemistry is to seek extra help. A good tutor will have walked this path before and can offer perspective, advice and support. What is missing in most chemistry classes is context and a chance to ask questions.

First-year chemistry students need more than lecture notes, textbooks and long-winded lectures. They need opportunities to collaborate, explore, and connect information to real life. They need to know how to translate abstractions to real terms.

Sometimes you just need answers. Tutors go beyond books and confusing science terms. They can explain chemistry in ways that you can relate. They can lead you to accurate solutions.

Students lead busy lives and with a full-spectrum course load perhaps chemistry is not your top priority. Even if it is, tutorial services can ease your burden and activate your mind.

Submitted by Admin

The trucking industry is a vital pillar for the revival of the economy, as communities depend on trucks for the delivery of everyday goods. Without professional truck drivers, none of the facets of the global or local economy could function. Presently, there’s a driver shortage because the experienced workforce is retiring. That explains why there are so many bobtail trucks on the road. A truck driver that operates under someone else’s authority has to get insurance, whether or not they’re under dispatch for a job. In an attempt to help those employed in the trucking industry better understand insurance, we’ve compiled a list of the most commonly asked questions.

Do I need bobtail insurance?

Bobtail insurance is designed for motor carriers that transport goods for customers using their own trucks and equipment, and, at times, drive without a trailer attached. Owner-operators are required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to have liability coverage. Besides bobtail insurance, you can purchase other types of insurance, such as cargo insurance, roadside breakdown coverage, and personal property insurance, just to name a few. It’s better risk management. According to Insuranks, there are certain considerations for those contemplating bobtail insurance. Look at the terms of every provider and compare them thoroughly.

Is there any difference between non-trucking liability and bobtail insurance?

The term “bobtail insurance” is used interchangeably with “non-trucking liability insurance”. the question now is: Is there any difference between the two? Actually, there is. Non-trucking liability insurance protects the owner or the operator when they go to the grocery store or attend a kid’s special events – in other words when the vehicle isn’t used for business purposes. By contrast, bobtail insurance offers protection against any liability if you’re hauling any trailer or load. It doesn’t matter if the truck was used for business or personal reasons. Regardless of the scenario, the policy acts as an umbrella.

What’s the minimum coverage that I need to get?

Primary liability protection is a type of policy that all truckers must carry, as demanded by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The amount can range somewhere between $750,000 and $1,000,000. If you were to get into an accident, the primary liability insurance would pay for the related expenses. Attention needs to be paid to the fact that the minimum required limit depends a lot on the type of freight that is transported. Examples of freight include non-hazardous freight, oil moved by for-hire and private carriers, and other hazardous material.

How much does bobtail insurance cost?

The overall cost of bobtail insurance is decided by several factors, including driving history, the frequency of driving without a trailer, limits requested, and the number of employees, just to name a few. It’s not recommended to rush into buying a policy without checking out different quotes. There are countless insurance companies and agents on the market these days, which means that there’s no shortage of choices. Take the time to understand the terms and conditions. It’s worth looking into the legality of the fine print because surprises might arise when claiming liability.

Submitted by Admin

You may have already heard about the point of diminishing returns. It is an economic principle often talked about in relation to the mass production of products and economies of scale. The idea behind it is quite simple — increasing the input does not always lead to more output. There is a point at which the return on your investment starts to decay.

Consider this example. Say you have a factory that makes paperclips. The machines take cubes of solid steel and turn them into perfect paperclips, already packaged and ready for sale. Since the machines turn steel into paperclips, you may believe that the more steel you have, the more paperclips you’ll get. But that’s only true to a certain point.

Too much steel and you’ll wear down the machinery. Even if you don’t go above capacity, operating above the optimal speed will overheat the parts, increase wear and tear, and just overall lead to more costs than you anticipated. That’s what happens when you cross the point of diminishing returns — you start getting less value out of your input. And that’s what you have to keep in mind when it comes to sleep loss as a student.

How long can you stay awake?

University students are no strangers to pulling all-nighters, especially as they climb their way to getting Master’s and Doctor’s degrees. But staying awake longer only helps you produce more up to a point. Eventually, you’ll cross the point of diminishing returns, and you’ll be so drowsy that an hour of your sleepless study effort will only be worth as much as a half-hour of regular study.

Keep pushing and soon enough each hour will only be worth 15 minutes, then 5, and eventually you’ll be grueling over a text that you won’t even remember in the morning. Studying hard is good, but only when the results are worth the sacrifice. That’s why it’s important for you to be strategic about your sleep, rather than just staying awake no matter what because you’re worried you won’t meet a deadline if you fall asleep.

Sometimes, a short nap can help you reach your deadline, rather than hinder you. That’s what being strategic about your sleep is all about.

Sleep and self-care strategies

It’s important to remember that sleep does more than just allowing your body to rest. Your brain builds memories and assimilates knowledge during your sleep. On top of that, sleep helps regulate your hormone levels, which can help you feel both calmer and more energetic the next day. Sleep loss, on the other hand, accentuates feelings of anxiety.

This means that if you are going to skip sleep, you need to be smart about it. Don’t just stay up until you are done. Keep an eye out for the moment when staying up is doing you more harm than good. Is it worth getting through that next chapter if the sleeplessness will boost your anxiety, which might make you freeze the next day?

It’s also important to remember that sleep isn’t a binary choice. Don’t stay up just because you’ll only get an hour’s worth of sleep if you get to bed — that one hour can do you plenty of good. Yes, getting an hour of sleep will leave you disoriented by the time you wake up, but that’s nothing a cold shower won’t solve. You can even help yourself keep going by printing some motivational quotes on a custom shower curtain. And after that initial bout of disorientation, you’ll feel much better than if you had gotten no sleep at all.

Submitted by Admin

In the wake of COVID-19, we realize how important our immune system is. And the quest for immunity began: we started to eat more fruits and vegetables, exercise, and take our vitamin C and diindolylmethane (dim) supplements without missing a day.

Taking active steps towards building our physical immunity is important. But maintaining a healthy immune system should be holistic in nurturing our overall well-being, including our minds and emotions. Here are two other key types of immunity that we can build to lead healthier and more fulfilling lives.

Building Skin Immunity

When we think about physical immunity, our skin may have escaped the radar—we might have categorized skincare as vanity. Consider this instead: Our skin is our biggest organ. By caring for our skin, we learn more about our bodies and how to better care for ourselves. Building up our skin’s immunity can positively impact our mental health; we feel good about ourselves when we look good, allowing us to live more meaningfully.

Start with a simple 4-steps skincare routine to care for your skin. Five minutes is all we need at the start and end of our days; self-care is possible even with a busy schedule. Assess your skin type and fix a budget when considering the following products:

• Cleanser: Clears oil, dirt, and make-up from your face
• Toner: Preps your skin for other products and removes excess impurities
• Moisturizer: Repairs and strengthens your skin’s barrier
• Sunscreen: Protects your skin from harmful UV rays (worn in daytime only)

Use habit stacking to implement your skincare routine. Pair it with your existing habit of brushing your teeth in the morning and at night. Place your skincare products near the faucet—where your toothbrush and toothpaste are—so that they are visible and accessible.

A typical skin cycle is 28 days. Results will take time to show; don’t be discouraged if your skin is not improving as fast as you hope. Other factors that affect our skin are our lifestyle (i.e., diet, sleep), health (i.e., stress, medical conditions), and environment. We may need to look beyond our skincare routines to underlying lifestyle or medical concerns to address instead.

Building Psychological Immunity

We have experienced all kinds of losses during the pandemic. Someone you know died from COVID-19. You lost your job. We lost our sense of normalcy and certainty. Perhaps you may have realized that you don’t know how to grieve. It seems easier and more intuitive to wake up, dismiss it, and get on with your day. And repeat.

Being psychologically immune doesn’t mean denying negative emotions and thoughts and putting on a facade of strength. True strength comes from acknowledging that you are not in a good place and allowing yourself to think negative thoughts and feel heavy emotions.

We are creatures of habit; if we continue to run at the first sign of weakness or engage in mindless positivity talk, we will only hurt ourselves more. Your negative thoughts, feelings, and experiences don’t define you. You are merely experiencing them.

Our circumstances may not change. We may never have closure. Life doesn’t become less stressful. The first step to psychological immunity is to be aware of your thoughts and emotions. When you face them, they cannot consume you.

Next, you can learn how to process these thoughts and feelings. Ask yourself why you feel or think in a particular way. Here is the part where it becomes more difficult; people want out, choosing to distract themselves instead of getting in touch with what they truly need.

In the end, we may realize that our raw selves are insecure and fearful. We want to control. We want to be liked. We want to be understood. We want to be regarded. But there is so much that is beyond our control. What we can do is to accept ourselves and our humanity. We can be kind to ourselves by understanding and embracing our limits.

Find outlets where you can just be and release the heaviness you experience. Instead of putting on Netflix to escape your thoughts and feelings, spend 5 minutes journaling every night. Even when you write a single-worded “tired”, you recognize how you feel. You may need to process your circumstances with a friend or family member. Or, have a good cry.

You may also realize that you know what you have to do for yourself, yet you lack the courage to act upon it. It may be to set boundaries with your work, end a toxic relationship or seek professional help. Give yourself time and space to reconcile with the heaviness within you and take action. Whatever you choose to do is not an easy way out; it takes courage to be honest and do what is best for yourself.

While we celebrate our adaptability and grit as humans, we can also acknowledge how difficult and painful it is to be human. Validating our struggles doesn’t make our successes and joys any less meaningful, and vice versa. Allowing ourselves to express our pain helps us attune ourselves to our deepest needs to live more truthfully and meaningfully.

Submitted by Admin

“Your college years are going to be some of the best of your life!”—How many times have you heard that? If you were anything like me, you were psyched up to go to college years before you had to. But by some cruel twist of fate, we seem to have our college years overlapping with a global pandemic. No matter where we want to go, there seems to be some level of quarantine, lockdown or social isolation present. Not exactly the partying and socializing scene that we’d imagined.

But that’s what happens in life sometimes. You wake up one day and realize there’s a deadly virus on the loose that’s shutting down the entire world. But it’s been a year or so since the pandemic started, and at this point, we really can’t keep our lives on pause anymore. We simply have too little assurance of when it will be completely safe again to do so. So we must persevere with the state of things as they are, and try to make the best of them. And by that I mean we have to let go of our rose-tinted college dreams and face reality: zoom screens and online classes, and a vastly reduced campus life.

Granted, many states and universities are now opening up and allowing students to resume college in person. And for those students, moving to college will mean literally moving out, to college. For some others, however, it may still mean online classes only. It seems that those who are disproportionately affected by this are international students.

Woes of an International Student

International students inherently have it a little tougher; they have to fly to a far-off unfamiliar country for their education, often alone, and try to acclimate to this foreign culture and make friends from scratch. But the pandemic only worsened the situation for them.

At the beginning of 2020 when the pandemic was just starting to affect America, many international students had to make the difficult decision of choosing to stay in a foreign country and see how things played out, or fly back home quickly to be with their families. Either option posed its own risks. Those who stayed found themselves stuck for months on end without proper contact with their families and often isolated from their friends and peers who moved back home to their families. Those who chose to go home found that they could not return, and were at the mercy of the prevailing border controls that could change at any time. If their university chose to go back to in-person teaching and they could not make it back in time, then who knows what would happen to their course of study.

What this situation did was shed light on matters of social inequality and inclusion for international students in institutions of higher education. While every stratum of students faced uncertainties, international students were arguably the most affected. If they had online school, those students who went back to their home countries had to contend with vastly different time zones, firewalls in their home country which prevented the use of certain websites or software, faulty or low-speed internet connections, among many other problems. They may also have been faced with unsympathetic administrators, college or immigration policies that further disadvantaged them.

Furthermore, they might also have been unable to take part in many bonding activities like clubs or college events as and when they were allowed again. This could lead to international students feeling even more excluded and isolated than many of their native peers. There is little that can be done, unfortunately.

Reaching Out

If you have an international friend who hasn’t been able to make it back to college, try to reach out to them and initiate conversations. It will mean a lot to them that you still remember them and want to spend time with them even if you haven’t seen them for a year. Take some time out of your weekend to have a call with them, and perhaps other mutual friends, to chat about what’s going on in their life, or to watch a movie together.

It’ll do them good to speak to their friends to simply unwind and catch up, or even to talk about their worries in a safe space. Video calls will be especially helpful, provided everyone involved is comfortable with it, as there really is no replacement to in-person conversations and video calls are the closest you can get to hanging out together across borders. And most importantly, be open with them. Don’t hide the things that are happening in your life just because you think it might make them sad or angry. Confirm with them first if they want to hear about it, and if not, then talk about something else. But if you try to hide it, your friend might mistake that for you distancing yourself from them which can add to their feelings of isolation.

Finally, be aware of various initiatives available to help you get back onto campus. Funding assistance like a small mover scholarship can be helpful for both domestic and international students alike.

It’s not easy navigating this strange landscape, especially when you were expecting something so vastly different. But with all of us making efforts to reach out, and by providing a helping hand, or a check-in with our friends and peers, we can pull through this, together.