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Articles by Cindy Duke
Social media engagement with transgender fertility content
Objective To identify transgender fertility content with the highest online engagement on social media, determine its accuracy and quality, and see how this has changed over a 2-year period. Design BuzzSumo, a content research tool, was used to identify the top 10 article links related to transgender fertility most interacted with on the social media platforms of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Reddit. We compared article links from June 2019 to June 2020 and from June 2020 to June 2021.
Black infertility and social media engagement: a mixed methodology analysis
Objective To study social media engagement on black infertility to better understand why there is lower utilization of in vitro fertilization by black women despite higher infertility rates. Design The online analytics module BuzzSumo was used to quantify total engagements with the search term “black infertility” across the commonly used social media platforms. The 10 article links with the highest engagement were selected from periods in 2020 and 2021.
How a Fitness Trainer Taught Me Life Lessons Beyond My Physical Well-Being
In 2006, I was drowning in my first year as a teacher. I started a home workout program that same year because I knew I needed to do something to maintain my health and my sanity. That workout program would forever change my life in ways that went far beyond fitness. The trainer in that program was Chalene Johnson. I was immediately drawn in by her upbeat energy and positivity. You couldn’t help but feel lifted up when you worked out with her.
This Is How I Learned to Prioritize My Well-being After Eleven Years in Education
My first year of teaching in 2006 was a memorable year. It was full of excitement, nerves, new experiences, and some of the greatest challenges I have faced. Perhaps the greatest challenge of them all was the impact that teaching had on my physical, mental, and emotional health. I have always been a competitive and ambitious go-getter. I want to be the best at everything I do. So naturally, I brought this mentality into my first year of teaching. I wanted to be Teacher of the Year material.
The Forgotten Art of Pleasure
How to Infuse the Essential Ingredient of Pleasure into Everyday Life By Cindy Duke, Freelance Writer, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach One of the most untapped resources we have today is pleasure. Our world is so obsessed with efficiency and productivity, that we have forgotten the simple art of pleasure. And ironically, pleasure can actually help us be more efficient and successful in our endeavors.
The 4 Steps I Take to Continue Living While Grieving
Just seven months ago I got a call I never expected — my father had been admitted to the emergency room, suffering from extreme pain. Less than 72 hours later, he was gone. I barely had time to begin processing the fact that he was even in the hospital before I had to shift gears into managing the aftermath that comes with a loved one’s death. Like anyone who’s experienced grief, I’ve had to navigate a new reality while trying to retain some sense of normalcy in my daily life.
Why We Need Rituals - #besomebody | Advice.
I’m a big proponent of them myself. Routines and habits make things easier in our lives because we don’t have to think about them so much. We don’t spend hours talking ourselves into brushing our teeth each day. It’s just ingrained in us to do it. But the downside of this kind of structure is that we surrender to auto-pilot. I don’t know about you, but living on auto-pilot day after day can make me feel… restless.
Why I’m Planning a Monthly Social Media Detox - #besomebody | Advice.
After many years using social media, I patted myself on the back for not falling into the common traps associated with it… the comparison game, measuring worth by likes and comments, and unrealistic expectations… That is until I realized quite recently that I had succumbed to them. Sneaky little buggers. It seemed like the perfect time to reduce my social media usage. As someone who runs a business page, this always seems like a scary proposition.
How to Build Momentum When You Don’t Feel Like Doing It - #besomebody | Advice.
In the world of health and fitness, I hear talk of motivation all the time. “I’m just not motivated to workout.” “If I could just get motivated, I would be able to improve my health.” Well, you’re in luck! You don’t need motivation. And if you’re sitting around waiting for it, you’re wasting precious time. This goes for any area of life. It’s not motivation that creates momentum, but habits. They carry you when the motivation is lacking. Think about brushing your teeth.
Don’t Tell Me “It Could Be Worse� - #besomebody | Advice.
How many times has someone said this to you? How many times have you said it to yourself? I know I’ve certainly gotten my share of use from it. There is so much packed into this tiny phrase. And I get the good intention behind it. We use this phrase to inspire gratitude in ourselves and others. This reminder helps us put things in perspective and recognize that despite the hardships we are experiencing, there are still positives to acknowledge.
Why We Should All Try to Let Go of Judgements - #besomebody | Advice.
This quote has stuck with me for years ever since I first heard it on a Dani Johnson audio CD. I’ve never been a religious person, and I have to admit, right around the time she said this, I was already wondering how much she was going to be talking about her faith. When she took a moment to make this request of her listeners, I sheepishly hung my head because I had done just that — judge her. I had immediately thought that she wasn’t the right person for me to learn from.
Give What You Lack - #besomebody | Advice.
It’s easy in today’s world to feel that you’re lacking. Everything around us is moving so fast and we are struggling to keep up. Eventually, you get tired of the chase, sit down to rest a minute, and everything you haven’t had time for starts piling up around you. That’s when you start to realize that the chase has left you little time to take care of your basic needs. That’s when the rut happens. We get stuck in this overwhelming pile with no fuel in our tank to pull ourselves out of it.
Why We Feel Paralyzed by Big Goals and What to Do About It - #besomebody | Advice.
We’re trained to do that. “Keep your eyes on the prize.” Sound familiar? So we stand at the bottom of the mountain and look skyward to the summit. From where we’re standing, that climb can look terrifying. And that’s why we freeze. We can’t possibly see ourselves at the top from where we currently are. All we see is the enormous amount of time it will take, the skills we don’t yet have, and the inevitable setbacks that will block the way. No wonder we so often choose to find another, smaller mountain.
How a David Bowie Journal Helped Me Cope With Anxiety and Depression - #besomebody | Advice.
A simple black cover with white text proclaimed a famous Bowie quote: “I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.” Originally, I had thought it was just a cool item to pay homage to one of my favorite musicians. Little did I know, that journal would become instrumental in helping me through a low period. I’ve never been a consistent journaler, so I worried about figuring out how best to use it. Could I use it to gather various lists? Scribble meeting notes?
How Giving Away Money Helped Me Reach My Financial Goals - #besomebody | Advice.
I mean, I’ve always had a charitable heart, but wasn’t this ‘serious-get-down-to-business’ time with paying down debt and saving money? Surely I could hold off on the giving until my own house was in order, couldn’t I? It wasn’t until I learned the closed fist analogy that I truly understood why charitable giving was a key component to reaching our own goals. When we hold onto our own money so tightly within our closed fists, our hands are not open to receive any abundance in return.
How to Create Joy in Your Daily Routine - #besomebody | Advice.
There is a simple way to find joy on a smaller scale in our everyday lives, though — reframe the way we talk about things. A few years back, I was working my way through The Desire Map. As a former English teacher, the focus on the power of words resonated deeply with me. I meticulously studied words to find the ones that perfectly captured the feelings I wanted to feel.
The One Thing Wellness Experts Suggest to Transform Your Life - #besomebody | Advice.
A question that many podcast hosts are now asking their guests is: “What is one thing you do on a daily basis that makes the biggest difference in your life?� I love this question because it helps us narrow down some of the most important practices directly from the experts in the field. In this day and age of boundless information and advice, we can’t do everything, but we can do something. And we want that something to give us the most bang for our buck.
Yes, I’m an Adult, and I Love to Play - #besomebody | Advice.
As we go through our days as adults, it can be easy to forget about one of our most basic human needs: play. We get so wrapped up in work, bills and responsibilities, that play seems irrelevant and unimportant. But play is the stuff of memories. Ask me what I did at work two weeks ago, and I’ll struggle to remember.
Change the Story, Change Your Life - #besomebody | Advice.
trudging through life with our heads down, clinging to our false beliefs like lifeboats full of doo-doo, that we prevent ourselves from seeing the literally infinite sea of possibilities and opportunities surrounding us at every single moment.” – Jen Sincero, You Are a Badass When I first read this, it hit me square in the face. She goes on to say that these limiting beliefs and stories actually serve a purpose for us, and that’s why we cling to them.
My Accidental Year of Yoga - #besomebody | Advice.
I was one of those people who would always skip yoga day in my home workout programs. On the few occasions I actually did yoga, I had a hard time sitting still during each pose. But we all know the benefits of yoga are immense. So how could I become a yogi? The answer: bite-sized small steps. I was in a tough place at the end of 2014. I typically go through a period of sadness in every new year.
Maybe We Should Stop Chasing Happiness - #besomebody | Advice.
You’ve probably seen quotes galore about “just choose happiness,” or “you’re as happy as you make up your mind to be.” But what happens when you’re trying so hard to “choose happiness” and you fail? Especially when you struggle with mental health like I do. Some days I can easily switch my mindset to a happier one. Other days I can’t. And when I can’t, a subtle guilt creeps in.
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