With social media, it's easy to emotionally drown in all the heart-wrenching stories that occur nationally and worldwide. Staying up to date with the news is necessary but so is keep up your personal well-being. One of the ways I like to release negative emotions from stories that are hard to digest is by reading positive ones. Whether you read funny stories, watch movie clips or listen to music, make sure you have emotional outlets for when months as draining this one come around.
1. FLOTUS served facts in her last DNC.
If Melania Trump stealing her speech from 2008 didn't prove how powerful Michelle Obama's words are, the DNC just did. She highlighted the importance of American unity, the mark on history that Hillary has made as the first female presidential nominee, and reminded the country of the mark her own family has made by being the first African American presidential family in a "house built by slaves." She's the most educated First Lady (holding two degrees from Ivy League schools), a lawyer, a feminist, an incredible orator, and I could go on. To say the least, she will be missed.
2. German Chancellor remains a friend to refugees.
After terrorist attacks throughout Germany, Angela Merkel remains unapologetic in welcoming refugees. There have been 5 terrorist attacks throughout Germany within a week's time of each other, including a shooting in Munich and a suicide bomb in Ansbach. She declared in her speech following the attacks, "The terrorists want us to lose sight of what is important to us, break down our cohesion, and sense of community as well as inhibiting our way of life, our openness, and our willingness to take in people who are in need." As she faces criticism both nationally and internationally, especially from the UK who recently voted to leave the EU, the German chancellor is admirably determined to maintain a safe haven for refugees.
3. ALS Ice Bucket Challenge provided long term benefits.
The money that was raised by the charity who started the challenge funded numerous research projects. On Monday, one the projects revealed to have found a gene associated with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). This disorder causes motor neurons that control muscle functions to slowly disintegrate. Currently, there is no cure, but the funny videos that we saw throughout the summer of 2014 will hopefully continue to aid in discovering one.
4. Donald Trump Jr. tried to be relevant, and failed.
5. Iranian men standing for women's rights.
In Iran, the penalty for not wearing a hijab can range from a fine to imprisonment. In response, the Iran based campaign, My Stealthy Freedom, has recently started the hashtag #MeninHijab. This hashtag challenges Iranian men to stand in solidarity with women and send in photos of themselves wearing the hijab. The founder of the campaign said in a video she posted on the campaign's page, "They [men] want to say that, "We don't think the hijab is an honor for men because we don't own the women." Wearing the hijab isn't oppressive, not having the choice to wear it is. It's amazing to be able to watch Iranian history through pictures of men breaking a strong cultural/religious norm and promote the right for women to have the choice in what they wear.
