Katrina Hicks

What Is the Infamous Cancel Culture and Does It Hold People Accountable?

“Cancel culture” is a modern form of being socially ostracized when someone is thrust out of social or professional circles — whether it be online, on social media, or in person. How cancel culture began The idea of canceling began as a tool for marginalized communities to assert their values against public figures who retained ...

Katrina Hicks

A red pencil erasing one of many icons of a person, aligned in towns on a on a white paper symbolising cancel culture.

Breakups Create Stress, but Positively Reshape Your Life

A breakup can be defined as a disruption, dissolution of connection, or separation of a mass into parts. Although breakups are often associated with relationship breakdowns, other examples include friendship breakups and the loss of a job. Breakups can have a dramatic impact on our bodies as well as our emotional state. Broken heart syndrome ...

Katrina Hicks

Young couple with relationship problems, standing on a beach with arms crossed facing away from each other.

5 Stages of Grief

By December 2020, it was reported that there were approximately 1,813,188 deaths from the global pandemic worldwide. This has led to a tremendous amount of grief. As the end of 2021 draws closer by the day, we have yet to receive the official statistics on this year’s global death toll, but the figures are expected ...

Katrina Hicks

Woman with little buy at the graveyard looking at a gravestone.

Lockdown Lessons

Wikipedia describes a lockdown as “a restriction policy for people or community to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks to themselves or to others if they can interact and move freely.”  In November 2020, “lockdown” was declared word of the year by Collins Dictionary — hardly surprising given how many global lockdowns ...

Katrina Hicks

A padlock with a map of the world engraved on it along with the word 'lockdown', sitting on a disposable blue mask.

Sticks and Stones Break Bones, but Negative Words Still Haunt Me

The majority of us may be familiar with the following saying: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, negative words embed themselves in young minds. Am I right? Do you resonate?   What does this saying mean for you?  Previous studies have found increased anxiety levels in children associated with ...

Katrina Hicks

Sticks and stones laying together on a white background.

Are Intrusive Thoughts Normal?

Intrusive thoughts are thoughts that seem to become stuck in your mind. The nature of some thoughts can be upsetting, causing distress once experienced.  Even if you are of sound mind, it is still possible to be struck by intrusive thoughts out of nowhere. However, it is entirely normal if you have recurring intrusive thoughts ...

Katrina Hicks

Emotional Asian woman covering ears with hands.

Sleep: Why It’s So Essential to Maintain Life

Sleep is a condition of the body and mind that typically occurs for several hours every night. While at rest, the nervous system is relatively inactive.  In March 2021, The Sleep Foundation published the article How Much Sleep Do We Really Need? Scientific research has shown that resting is essential to us all, regardless of ...

Katrina Hicks

Sleepy young woman stretching hand to ringing alarm.

Practicing Mindfulness: It’s Not as Hard as You Think

When you practice mindfulness, you are practicing the art of creating space for yourself: freedom to think, room to breathe, and distance between yourself and your reactions. It is a state that can be developed through practice. It’s not static, nor are some people “born more mindful” than others. It involves awareness and impartiality about ...

Katrina Hicks

Young smiling attractive woman making the Namaste gesture, practicing yoga.

Why Parents Are Right to Question Vaccinating Their Children Against COVID-19

The Global Vaccine Action Plan 2011-2020 (GVAP) was developed to realize the ambitions of the Decade of Vaccines — that all individuals and communities enjoy lives free from vaccine-preventable illnesses.  Following the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to cause illness, death, and economic havoc worldwide, vaccines were developed, and a mass vaccination program started in December ...

Katrina Hicks

Six vials of COVID-19 vaccine from different manufacturers.