There are people all around me yet I can’t help but feel alone. It’s funny how l feel lonely within four walls and within the public blending with the crowd.
I have been trying to find myself again and again but seem to have lost myself in time. Empty thoughts inside my head, My brain is all in one blur, My heart is empty, filled with nothing but venom and hatred for nothing to be specific.
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My eyes are wide open, but I refuse to let them see just how broken I truly am. Simply the soft tears streaming down my cheeks makes me not see the love around me.
Day by day, l slowly die away, I can’t just go on because I have lost count of time. I feel there is something missing but can’t find out what and who?
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Behind all my smiles are tears, tears that are hot and burn in first degree. Behind my comfort are fears, fears of the future, fears of the past and the present. l wallow in sorrow with little hope of a better tomorrow. A void that doesn’t want to be covered with love, care or soft touch. I feel no one just understands, Everything you think you see is just a mask that I wear to hide my pain and my flaws, My trials and travails.
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Alone, Alone, Alone.
I keep searching for what I know not; I search for the one thing that will stop my crying. For someone who will erase my fears, The one person who will wipe my tears, That awesome friend who will lead the way, Who will say I am here darling just follow.
Saying that I am fine but ain’t, My soul rips at my gut and my skin is on fire. I burn from within, Loneliness consumes me, it eats me away. Time for discovery and adventure is lost, Until my life is swallowed by unending fears. Hoping someday, Somewhere, Somehow, I will be found at the same time I am lost in.
Till then I’ll be here waiting for time to heal the process, the wounds and the Anxiety.
The bluestar insider
Lisamona Ajiambo studies communication and Journalism at Rongo University.
It’s now six months to the general election and politicians have started their campaigns with different manifestos. At this time, you will find them not only in the streets but also in churches. For decades, churches have been used by our aspiring leaders as one of the places where robust campaigns take place.
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With the escalation of competition from different politicians eyeing different positions, they are now paying abrupt visits to churches to lure the congregation to vote for them. Sadly, these churches have also become an arena for them to cause divisions by speaking ill of their colleagues.
Whether you are a Christian or a Muslim, we all gather as a community consisting of different tribes to worship in unity and peace.
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During these sessions, and when given opportunities, politicians hardly respect the pulpit. They cause mayhem and ignore the church guidelines. This they do by indirectly insulting communities that are against them or those siding with other leaders other than them.
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Others will shamelessly look down upon their colleagues and accuse them of being unable to develop their constituencies. This then starts causing divisions among people who were once good friends.
If politicians intend to give out money to these churches, let them do it equally for everyone to benefit or rather channel it to the church projects to avoid divisions and blame games. Those that seem to cause chaos should be banned from attending church services.
As much as people nowadays are advocating for the empowerment of the girl child, I believe we should also advocate similarly for the boy child. Gender equity is paramount. No gender is more superior than the other. Both women and men should acquire equal chances in the current society, be it workplaces or rank in positions. A lady can still work in a firm or organization where it is perceived that only men accomplish the tasks. This is listed among the women rights and freedoms act.
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The existence of these rights have placed women a higher notch in society and their effort is now recognizable. This was after the still ongoing campaign for the empowerment of women. Gender equality involves advocacy and amplification to gain the full participation from all members of society. Since society has all-eyes on the girl child due to many reported cases of neglect, the boy child is slowly getting forgotten. Forgotten in that, no one is getting concerned on why most gents are indulging in drug and substance abuse. Statistical data also shows that most depression and mental health issues are mainly affecting the male gender. The bigger question becomes, why?
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Ladies are acquiring high ranks in the offices while men are being left out due to low qualifications. It is the high time we advocate for equal gender rights. None is more superior than the other. Having empowered the girl child to levels considered equal or even higher to that of the boy child, it is time now that the society promotes both genders for them to join the same lead of empowerment. Gender equality is achieved when women, men, girls and boys have equal rights, conditions and opportunities, and the power to shape their own lives and contribute to the development of society. It is a matter of equitable distribution of power, influence and resources in society.
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Society plays a great role in this. Having promoted both genders, the society will get revived and everything will run smoothly without fear that any of the genders is neglected. Gender equality advocates for impartiality and fairness contrary to gender inequality where everyone is affected be it women, men, trans and gender diverse people, children and families. It impacts people of all ages and backgrounds.
Menstrual stigmatization has become so prevalent in Kenya that girls and women have become subjects to period shaming. Sadly, Kenya is hardly the only country home to period shaming commonly referred to as menstrual stigmatization. Normally, menstruation is a healthy and natural part of the female reproduction cycle. Devastatingly, many girls during their developmental stages in the country still experience period stigma. Ending the global stigma which surrounds female menstruation and making sanitary products widely available is all important to increase women’s health, education, employment, empowerment and livelihood.
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According to UN experts, ” The stigma and shame generated by stereotypes around menstruation have severe impacts on all aspects of women and girls’ human rights’.” On any given normal day, more than 800 million girls between 15-49 years are menstruating yet the stigma still persists.
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According to research done by Menstrual Health Day, a global advocacy platform for non-profit organizations and agencies to promote menstrual health shows that 65 percent of Kenyan girls and women are unable to afford basic sanitary pads. The situation is so burning that in a 2015 study 3000 women, Dr Penelope Phillips-Howard found one in 10-15 year-old girls were having sex to get money to pay for sanitary wear. Furthermore, a 2020 study done by the population council in fire informal slum settlements in Nairobi Kenya, for example, found that the pandemic affected the ability of women and girls to buy sanitary products. One third of the women in the study said that they weren’t able to buy sanitary pads. At the same time, a research conducted by the Ministry of Education showed that girls in Kenya usually miss about four days of school each month on an average of 20 percent of the school terms which translates to two years of learning each term because they are on their periods.
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In spite of recent robust campaigns by Kenyan women in challenging menstruation taboos and increasing attention to the issue of menstruation stigmatization in Kenya, the country still experiences a myriad of period shaming cases. Due to this stigmatization and at times lack of sexual education—both from the community and school, menstruation knowledge remain limited leaving many girls with negative and unsure feelings and experiencing psycho-social stress, which impacts their stability to learn. Therefore, period stigma and taboos persist, and can undermine adolescent girl’s confidence at a key stage of development. For instance, in September 2019 a kenyan school girl died by suicide after experience too much period shaming. The 14-year-old adolescent had experienced an excessive humiliation from the teacher after being called “dirty” for staining her uniform. So menstrual stigmatization has a significant impact on the social and family life, education, work and general well-being of women and girls.
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Few years ago, the Kenyan government took steps in countering this problem. It became the first country in the world to drop taxes on imports of sanitary products for women and girls. Additionally, the government committed $3M to help distribute sanitary pads to low income communities. In April 2016, the government launched a similar funded programme to help distribute over 140 million free sanitary pads to 4.2 million girls across the country. Unfortunately, it collapsed out as supplies ran out and girls started missing classes again despite it running for four months.
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Three years ago, the head of state assented to the Basic Education Amendment Act that would have seen girls who have reached puberty across the country be provided with free, quality sanitary towels in sufficient quantities, all funded by the state. But so far little has happened on the ground. There have also been growing concerns about embezzlement of funds mend for sanitary pads. A report published by the Nairobi News showed that a supply of 300,000 sanitary napkins intended for schools had been stolen and repackaged with the intention of reselling them.
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In rural areas of Kenya, only 32 per cent of schools have a private place for girls to change and dispose of their sanitary products and those that have, are poorly maintained and unsuitable for menstrual health hygiene. Many teachers are also uncomfortable talking about or teaching menstruation. To improve on that matter, gender-separated facilities with door locks, lighting, disposal bins and washing stations with soap and water need to be constructed. Also, behavior changes and hygiene promotion campaigns incorporating menstrual health hygiene need to be undertaken, targeting teachers, parents and the larger communities.
The government should invest more funds in monitoring and surveillance to ensure that sanitary towels reach those who need them the most. In conclusion, there is also a need to further exploration of barriers that lead to period shaming and address it urgently.
Since time immemorial, possessing the virtue of self discipline has been greatly spurred on. The virtue has been instilled by motivational talks to the young at their early age.
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Discipline is an enforced compliance or control. It aims at the removal of bad habits and the substitution of good ones, especially those of order and obedience.
The scripture also strongly recommends one to be disciplined, (NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION), Hebrews 12.7- ” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His children. Why are children not disciplined by their father?”
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Mental discipline entwines intellectual processes relating to the mind with a state of order based on submission to authority.
Quoting the greatly renowned Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba “No matter how educated and rich you are, if you do not have the gift of discipline; you’re a danger to society.” The Kenyan lawyer impels on having good mental discipline in order to fit in the society as a good citizen. Mental discipline refers to how disciplined you are to consistently engage in the kind of mental practices that get you to where you want.
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” Mental discipline is not about motivating yourself excitedly once a month about what you are optimistic to do. It is about making daily committed decisions as to what you are going to pay attention to and how you are going to think.”
Author Joe Mwangi
Aspects of mental discipline
There are two aspects of mental discipline: what we put in and what we do or think. If you crave for being more mentally strong, it is a good idea to open yourself to a mixture of information. Mental discipline is not about motivating yourself excitedly once a month about what you are optimistic to do.
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It is about making daily committed decisions as to what you are going to pay attention to and how you are going to think. It’s a committed effort to keep using what you learn, to maintain a healthy attitude and build the kind of emotions that serve you well.
Ways to improve your mental discipline
Countdown, then take action. This helps you shift into the right mental space you get motivated.
Put your goal where you can see them everyday.
Remind yourself why you started and keep the end- goal in mind.
set small goals first. Try not to overwhelm yourself by setting the bar too high.
Practice prioritizing the tasks that are worth dedicating more effort.
Know your weaknesses then proactively combat them.
Get friends to hold you accountable. You are less likely to cheat on your goals if someone you admire is watching.
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” The ability to discipline yourself to delay gratification in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in the long term is the indispensable prerequisite for success.” Brian Tracy.
Recalling any type of information when needed urgently can sometimes be a tough challenge to some of us, our friends or any other person. It depends on some of the physiological limits of how each of our memories works. Some may find it difficult to remember either names of people, places they had earlier visited, instructions given or key concepts presented in class if they were students. Even within seconds, we are likely to disremember everything we have been listening to.
We human beings possess large sensory storage in terms of capacity but we are limited in terms of length of storage. One can hold a large amount of visually unsorted information but due to that shortcoming, it later becomes difficult to recall the information again when you want to apply it somewhere.
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You now need to be prudent if you want to batten your recalling abilities. The following helpful techniques can be adopted and put into practice:
Write it down
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Most people would prefer writing it down while listening, recording or learning some concepts since it is more effective as compared to typing. Since it takes longer to write by hand, you are forced to be more selective with what you write and focus on the key information. This technique is more effective while listening to a speech or concepts being taught in class.
Use Visual cues
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With the aid of effective visual tools such as photos of people, places, maps, graphs and charts, it makes it easier to conceptualize information you visually see. They work miraculously!
Mnemonics devices
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If you want to remember a series of information, you can also consider using this technique. Mnemonic devices such as rhymes, acronyms and acrostics are helpful. For example if a student wants to easily recall the public relation process, he or she might come up with a creative rhyme. Recalling those five vital steps won’t be a hard thing for the student.
Say it aloud!
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The dual action of speaking and hearing ourselves talk helps get words and phrases into long-term memory. Our memory benefits from active involvement.
Make associations
Creating association by drawing on existing knowledge is another helpful way to recall information. You can create mental images and make connections with sounds, smell and tests to help encode memories.
If you want to make your recalling experience fantabulous, why don’t you give those five techniques a try? You won’t regret it anymore.
Dating is not a means through which you get that which matters to you in terms of luxury, it’s about giving and getting mutual support. Venture into that relationship not because you are needy but because you genuinely love and value your partner. Independent women have more opportunities and similarly can make any decision for themselves. When a woman chooses to be independent both financiallv and otherwise this directly impacts the way people perceive her.
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It’s time that women see the importance of financing themselves and stop the preoccupation of getting a man to pay their bills!! You don’t need a man to cater for your basics or rather the fancy things you dream of. You already got this !! What they need actually is to work smart towards their goals, see their worth, and mold their life.
An independent woman is powerful, confident and doesn’t need a man to feel beautiful, happy or loved. She’s not Contingent and can stand on their feet without necessarily having someone to approve them. Yes! It takes courage and strength but it is worthwhile. Until you empower yourself on becoming the best there could be, you might never really know the true potential that lies within you.
Should I say human beings are becoming too careless? Yes! fear is anyone’s greatest enemy. We’ve let loose the ‘doors’ leading into the ‘chambers’ of our minds. In the process, a favourable temp’ and PH has been created for fear to sprout. ‘Fear’ will always be exuberant. It’s guaranteed stability everyday and on the other hand, it has switched you to darkmode. No stability on your side.
Like discarded pages From the book of autumn, the leaves Come trembling down in red and umber, Each poem or story, an unread letter. Think of the fires in ancient Nairobi, The voluminous smoke of parchment burning. Open your arms to the dying colours, to the fragile beauties of December. Deep in the heart of buried acorns, nothing is lost.
Consistency at work involves producing the same standard of work throughout a long period of time. Consistency affects the quality of work that you develop, the speed at which you produce work, your attendance and your communication with others in your workplace.
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Being consistent at work involves maintaining the same standards and behaviors that lead to producing a high quality of work. Employees may improve their consistency by practicing time management, setting production goals and identifying areas of improvement within their work ethic. Learning how to practice consistency at work may boost your productivity and help you receive positive feedback from management. In this article, we discuss what it means to be consistent at work and provide ways to improve your workplace consistency.
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Why is consistency at work important?
It’s important to remain consistent at work in order to:
Produce high-quality work:
By maintaining consistency in the workplace, you can ensure that you produce high-quality work. Consistency minimizes the chance of your work quality decreasing.
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Provide order in the workplace:
If a workplace has several employees that provide consistency, it allows that workplace to maintain proper order, which can help management better determine performance measurements and analyze accurate project estimations.
Meet client expectations:
Create sustainable habits:
Clients may have a better understanding of the standard of work they may receive from an organization if staff produces consistent work. For example, a client may see the same massage therapist that provides consistent work, since they have a better idea of the massage therapist’s standard techniques and massage processes.
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Consistent work may help staff at a company to create long-term habits, which can lower the chance of burnout. For example, employees may use positive time-management habits that help them produce the same amount of work each day, rather than increasing their workload, which may help them avoid feeling burnout.
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After learning and measuring the importance of consistency, it’s now time to tighten all the loose ends. Make consistency a habit in everything you do; it doesn’t matter who you are. The most successful people in life produce prolific results because that’s their own invented culture.
THE BLUESTAR INSIDER 