Living As Latinas

Welcome to our podcast. This week we look back on how the pandemic has effected so many people in the past year. We discussed the long term affects, studies that have been done, and ways to continue to reduce some of the negative effects of this.   

 What can we do right now to help reduce the negative effects: 

 Engage in relaxing activities. 

 Exercise and stretching, reading, listening to music, meditation and prayer, journaling, and hobbies can help relieve stress that can be associated with isolation. 

Follow a routine.  Daily routines promote a sense of purpose and normalcy. Maintain healthy habits.  Eating well, getting enough sleep, and engaging in physical activity can promote better mental health. 

Stay connected.  If conditions limit in-person contact, phone calls, email, texting, social media platforms, and videoconferencing can be used to stay in touch. Stay informed.  Keeping in the loop can be particularly important for those isolated due to a dangerous threat, such as a disease outbreak. Learning the facts about their risk can help people avoid feeling panicky. That said, controlling media consumption is also helpful –– too much exposure to negative news can feed anxiety.  

This week we will be  discussing what it means to manifest things. How does this relate to positive psychology and what is that? What are some other viewpoints? We discuss four steps on how to manifest things and make a change in your life!   

 Four steps to manifest things: 

1)Clear space

 2)Make clear of what you want. 

3)Think it, feel it, and believe it 

4)Take it easy

On this week's episode we are discussing common stereotypes of what being a Latino means. Some of the stereotypes discussed in this episode are:  

Latinas are spicy and Latinos are Latin lovers 

 We don't know how to control our temper 

We all have huge families 

Latinos are mainly janitors, maids, and gardeners 

All Latinos look the same Latino intelligence is judged on our competency in English 

All Latinos are machos All Latinos are "illegal" 

All Latinos come from poverty 

We are either hard workers or lazy 

We hope you laugh a little and learn with us about some of the common stereotypes for Latinos.

Hi welcome to Living as Latinas, I am Yakira and I have my co-host Aury. This week will be discussing every LGBTQ within the Latino culture. I am so excited to have two fellow Latinx podcasters from Lawrence, MA Nina and Rue from SofritoSpeaks joining us!   

 Some questions answered are: 

1)When was the first time you heard a term gay or lesbian and what was your reaction to it? 

2)How have our family members and others influenced our viewpoint of the LGBTQ community? 

3)Why is there so much controversy with being a part of the LGBTQ community?

 4)What are some ways that perhaps things could change in this area? How can Latinos do better with educating each other? 

 5)If you know someone that is questioning or has come out and what are the best ways to support them? 

 6)What advice or words of encouragement would you give to anyone in general who are afraid to be who they really are?    

On this week’s episode we will be continuing our discussion on self love. Last week we went over what self love is and what it is not. This week we will continue the discussion and go over how we embody it. Stay tuned as we discuss our own experiences with self-love and misconceptions we have had and how we have been able to find it in ourselves.

 What does self-love look like? 

The following are examples of what self-love can look like in action.

 Saying positive things to yourself 

Forgiving yourself when you mess up 

Meeting your own needs 

Being assertive 

Not letting others take advantage of or abuse you

 Prioritizing your health and wellbeing 

Spending time around people who support you and build you up (and avoiding people who don't) 

Asking for help Letting go of grudges or anger that holds you back 

Recognizing your strengths 

Valuing your feelings 

Making healthy choices most of the time

 Living in accordance with your values 

Pursuing your interests and goals 

Challenging yourself 

Holding yourself accountable 

Giving yourself healthy treats

 Accepting your imperfections 

Setting realistic expectations 

Noticing your progress and effort   

On this week's episode we will be discussing identity and how important it is. Without knowing who we are, are we not being authentic? Do you find yourself going with the crowd and what others do but then question your actions later when you are home and by yourself?  Are we made to fit in or stand apart? Alone?   Listen and enjoy and learn about something new that you may not have heard before on our episode on Identity and finding you!   

On this week's episode we will be discussing everything and in between about the difference or similarities between raising all boys vs all girls. Who decides colors for each gender, toys, and the ways that we are "supposed" to raise them. Listen to us discuss all of these difference and the different constructs society has imposed on how we raise each gender. Do you agree or disagree or do things differently? Comment on our pages and let us know! 

Mommy guilt is the uncomfortable feeling that pretty much every mom has experienced at some point or another, where she feels like she’s not living up to the standards of being a good mom. We have all been there at some point although we may hate to admit it. I feel like this is such a taboo subject and it shouldn’t be this week's episode will normalize this feeling and help you find ways to be okay with it. Listen and learn as we discuss this week’s topic on “mom guilts”

With everything going on around us it can be difficult sometimes to be in the moment and appreciate the good things in life. This week’s episode we will discuss little ways to change your life to help you appreciate it more. Some ways we will discuss are :

1. Getting to know your neighbors
2. Spend time with people in the same season of life or completely different
3. Work on a hobby with someone
4. Entertain
5. Keep a gratitude journal
6. Worked on a strained relationships
7. Reach out to those in need
8. Be adventurous
9. Find meaning
10. Be a child again
11. Figure out what important to you

Value is a key that opens many doors.

Set some time aside to reflect and ask yourself: How do you add value into the lives of others? Then ask: How much value do others add into my life?

Discussing  mental health in the Latinx community. The misconceptions and lies regarding mental health that are spread and passed down through generations. Some questions we will answer are: 

Why is mental health so important?

Latinos and accessing health care?

Struggles with getting the proper care?

Myth, misconceptions, and lies?

If you are someone that may be experiencing mental health issues, please make sure to reach out to someone. You can start by making an appointment with your PCP and letting them know, starting to see your own therapist,  or reaching out to friends and family. 

If you feel suicidal or you're in a crisis situation and need immediate assistance, people at these suicide hotlines in the U.S. are there to help.

• 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK) - National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
• 1-800-784-2433 (1-800-SUICIDE) - National Hopeline Network
• 1-866-488-7386 (1-866-4.U.TREVOR aimed at gay and questioning youth)

We will be discussing the complexities of dating and relationships in 2020. We have our special gust Stephanie speaking about some of her experiences and elaborating on how she navigates dating through this pandemic. Some topics discussed are:

• How do you  go about finding someone in this era?
  
• What are the differences now in knowing if someone is really interested in you?
  
• Are there any unspoken rules when it comes to finding love online?
  
• What are some funny dating stories you have?
  
• What about safety? What safety precautions should be taken when online dating?
  
• How different is dating now then it was like 5 years ago? 15 years ago?
  
• How has online dating helped/not helped with dating?
  
• How has social media helped/not helped with dating?
  
• Sex? Hooking up? Tell me more?
  
• Has the definition of what is acceptable now and perhaps in the past changed?
  
• What advice would you give someone just entering the dating scene right now.

Our first episode regarding the challenges we face dealing with Covid19. Kids will be going back to school and we have the tough decision of deciding what's best.

Some questions answered this week are:

• What were some of the concerns/worries we had when deciding whether to send kids to school or not?
  
• Mom guilt in relation to everything that is going on
  
• Stress and how it has affected family life/ any self care activities/things that have helped?
  
• How are we feeling now that we have a month down of school in relation to how we felt before school started?
  
• How did we deal with friends/family opinions about our decision?
  
• What were some misconceptions we had before school started?
  
• What advice would we give others. What has worked for us?