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STAFF LETTERS PUBLISHER Thomas La Vecchia EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Scivoli ASSISTANT EDITOR Abby Montanez SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Christine Lisi JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Emma Hite PHOTOGRAPHER Peter Bonacci CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kaitlyn De Leonardis Michelle Garay Tom Garback Ariana Lena Christian Milcos Moneika Okawa Jack Oliver Madison Schramm
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My first post-lockdown trip to the supermarket in March felt like a tasteless Stephen King spin-off. The automatic doors slid open like before. But this time, there was no music playing. No voices guided me from above on the PA system. In fact, no one said a word. Bakery and deli corners were dark. Shelves were barren; produce was non-existent. Customers wore bandanas over their faces and hoods on their heads. Like post-apocalyptic scavengers, they weaved through each empty aisle avoiding eye contact as if sight itself carried the plague. When we started tossing around ideas for our Health & Wellness Issue, the process was overwhelming, because none of us were well. How do you talk about health after returning home from that? Our clients’ businesses were struggling. Our community was suffering. We were in survival mode. And so, we took a print hiatus. In the months that followed, we turned our attention to our digital platform (which, if I’m being honest, has always been the weak link in our chain). What started out as escapism, turned into a brand new website. And ultimately, we kept our entire staff. So, here we are. During this time of great disease, loss, injustice and an overabundance of touchscreens, we have launched a new print edition of our magazine. No, we’re not here to discuss vaccines or face masks. But we’re here to talk about our internal health. Not just the food we put into our bodies, but the ideas we feed our minds.
MICHAEL SCIVOLI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @scivolski
True story: I used to wake up every Saturday morning and run four miles. This was when I played soccer, and that’s in addition to a grueling practice schedule and weekend games. Fast forward about a decade, and I could barely make it around the block. While under lockdown, I picked up a few quarantine hobbies. I made my own sourdough. I brewed kombucha. I tie-dyed my socks. I also started running again. I needed to give my eyes a break from the screen. To clear my head of the noise. To unfurl my body from the creases of my couch. To test my fitness. Making this issue, we turned most of our focus inward. We discovered what many of us feel like we’re going through alone, actually unites us. No one is immune to the effects of social isolation or Zoom fatigue. We could all benefit from a lesson in empathy. And apparently, more people are running than ever before. Like my own journey, this issue about getting to know yourself again. Challenging the way your brain works. Being mindful about what goes into your body. Transformation isn’t just something you can see, but that we can all feel.
ABBY MONTANEZ ASSISTANT EDITOR @abbymontanez
I don’t know about you, but I feel like I entered a time vortex somewhere in midMarch and just recently shot out the other side. I don’t remember much, but the undertone of just about every aspect of life is now somehow different than it was a mere six months ago. When tasked with writing a letter for this issue, I knew it wouldn’t be easy. How could I gather my thoughts about the current state of the world and form them into a few short sentences? But then I thought about the theme of this issue, and realized we couldn’t be publishing it at a better time. No matter what’s going on around you, having a grasp on your personal health and wellness is one of the few things you have control over. So check-in with yourself. Be honest. Ask the tough questions. And do all the things that keep you happy. That may be easier said than done, but this issue certainly made me tap into that mindset, and I know it will for you, too. Though we are not in the clear yet, right now seems like a natural time to reflect on the cluster%&#* that has been 2020 and give yourself a serious, muchneeded health and wellness check.
CHRISTINE LISI SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER @c_chimento September | October 2020
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Mediterranean Diet & Wine BY NEIL SHRODO OF SUPER BUY-RITE JERSEY CITY
The Mediterranean diet rose to prominence in the 1960s. Researchers noticed substantially lower amounts of heart disease and cardiovascular deaths in the regions along the Mediterranean Sea, notably Greece, Italy and along the southern coast of France. One thing unified all three cultures: a diet high in vegetables and legumes. And where fish and poultry were eaten in moderation, red meat consumption was rare. The kicker? A glass or two of red wine was served with every meal!
Red wine, when consumed in moderation, is one of the key components to the diet. One to two glasses with dinner, depending on your body mass, is packed with heart-healthy compounds called flavonoids and other antioxidants. These compounds are found in the skins of the grapes which impart much of the flavor and color to red wines. One key flavonoid in red wines called resveratrol is widely believed to prevent damage to blood vessels, prevent blood clots, and reduce “bad� LDL cholesterol.
Don’t like red wine? Don’t worry!
What wines are a good fit for this diet? Chateau Cornut Costieres de Nimes Rouge 2016 This southern French red is a perfect fit for this diet! A ruby red color with flavors of black currants and blueberries and a finish that is all red fruits and spices. $9.99 Montefusco Montepulciano D’Abruzzo A stunning value, this Italian red is medium to light in body, but is packed with flavor! Ripe cherry and red plum flavors abound, with just a hint of sweet spice on the finish. A great everyday red. $8.99 Querciabella Mongrana Toscana 2016 A little more serious, this super Tuscan from Querciabella got 95 points from acclaimed wine critic James Suckling who said, “Love the aromas of plums, cherries and currants with hints of flowers and undertones of dried flowers. Full body, round and silky tannins and fresh and bright finish.“ $19.99 on sale (normally $25.99)
Many studies have shown that moderate amounts of alcohol imbibed responsibly have similar benefits to your “good” HDL cholesterol level, as well as helping against blood clot formation, and preventing damage to your arteries! Here are some alternatives to check out if you are not into red wines: Domaine de la Sangliere Rose “Juliette” A 70/30 Grenache and Syrah blend made in the Provençal style, this rosé is fruit-forward with flavors of raspberry and wild berries, and finishes in a dry style with red fruits lingering. $9.99 on sale, normally $12.99 Canaletto Pinot Grigio A great summer sipper, excellent with lighter fish and chicken dishes. Zesty, with green apple, fresh melon and tropical fruit flavors. $7.99 on sale Boen Chardonnay Looking for something a bit more modern? Try this great chardonnay from California! Opulent flavors with a silky, alluring texture, flavors of apricot, lemon-cream tart and vanilla. This tri-appellation Chardonnay is elegant and lingering on the palate. $17.99 on sale (normally $29.99)
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YOU MIGH NEWBIE.” I T CALL ME “THE
first starte d really hitting the gym right before New Jersey clos ed and, ac cordingly, Jersey City shut down all its gym Granted, I’v s. e been tryi ng some virtual wor kouts, but there’s something tiresome ab out lifting watermelon s on a back scratcher and climbi ng up and down my single fligh t of stairs until I’m to dizzy to ev o en stand. If you think that sounds rough, try a night of Zoom Zu mba with 17 sweaty strangers. Or waking up one da realize that y to your best gym budd your aunt. y is It’s tempti ng to just it a day an call d take out a book.
One of my favorites is Expectation “Weight s” by M. E. Carter, an I’ve wonde d red how th at speaks my stance to as “The New bie.” One day when I was doin g some bice curls with p two bags of rice, an idea started grow ing on me. With no da te in sight for New Jersey’s re opening, I spent som time reflecti e ng on all th e types of people I encounte red at the gym before it closed. Fo r better or worse, I went and assigned each one a moniker an d imagined which popu lar novels they might feel closes t to. The re semblance between bo ok and pe rsonality is occasional ly startling .
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They may only have 600 followers, but they’re committed to making Instagram love them in the form of a blue checkmark. Whether they’re snapping a quick selfie before hitting the showers or hogging the power rack mirrors, you can guarantee they’re not worried about what you’re up to, at least. These self-named influencers are great for some romantic advice, too, but just make sure you don’t overshare because you never know where your secrets might end up.
“TO ALL THE CHIPS AHOY!’S I’VE LOVED BEFORE” BY JENNY HAN
“THE REPS OF WRATH” BY JOHN STEINBECK They take it to the max. You can rest when you’re dead, they say. Their morning routine allows for 300 pages of reading and zero minutes of self-reflection. They claim that for every mile their grandparents trekked through the woods to school, they’ll jog two. The Tryhard tells us there is no excuse not to grind 24/7 and asks you if you even know what it felt like to live during the Depression, and instead of answering, “Do you?” you say, “I do,” because you’ve had to listen to them all day.
They’re the ones who only go for a run alone in the woods in the middle of the night because, honestly, exercising is just more peaceful without any phonies around. When they do stop by the gym, they’re mostly here to brood at the smoothie bar in a shadowy, back corner no one knew we had. In their spare time (they’ve got plenty), they’re also reading “One Hundred Years of Low-Cal Food.”
THE TRYHARD:
You didn’t hire them. No one did. They’re not actually a professional trainer of any kind. They like to think they’re freelancing to build up some experience. You might have heard them say one time that every gym-goer needs an alternative persona, if they’re to make the most out of their workout. Some people with their fake identities, you know?
“THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SLIMMEST” BY OSCAR WILDE
THE IN-YOUR-PERSONALSPACE TRAINER:
“THE CATCHER IN THE WHEY” BY J. D. SALINGER
THE LONE WOLF:
Their Gymshark outfit’s got enough names all over to be a book of its own. It’s amazing how they can make the entire ensemble sweat-resistant. You’ll want to stay connected with them, though, because rumor has it their dad was the guy who founded this gym in the first place. Heck, you may just fall in love with them altogether, and what could go wrong with romanticizing your way into this mega-rich family?
Don’t let them near the dumbbells. You can spot the Cutthroat instantly by the way they’ve already spotted you. They’re out for the win in a place that isn’t playing any games. Deadlifts at 6 a.m. on a Saturday? The Cutthroat volunteers as tribute.
THE AMATUER INFLUENCER:
“CRAZY RICH ENDORPHINS” BY KEVIN KWAN
THE BRAND AMBASSADOR:
“THE HUNGER GAINS” BY SUZANNE COLLINS
THE CUTTHROAT:
They’re really burning up the mats with song and dance and good intentions. We’ll tell you right now, your earbuds don’t stand a chance. The performer won’t listen to reason; they think they know what’s best. But we’re pretty sure no one’s supposed to be standing on the machines like that, and we wouldn’t want the gym going up in smoke over some lawsuit.
“LITTLE CHOIRS EVERYWHERE” BY CELESTE NG
THE PERFORMER:
They’ve done marathons in cardio and complaining. Most of us come to the gym to let off some steam and… they certainly do, metaphorically. Don’t feel guilty if you need to remind them that no one’s imprisoning them here. They can utilize their free will to leave whenever they want. After enough time with them, though, you’ll start going mad wondering what you did to deserve their rants.
THE COMPLAINER: “WHINE AND PUNISHMENT” BY FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY
THE SCIENCE of Listening BY MONEIKA OKAWA It’s another humid day in June. The kind of humid that feels like you’re getting slapped in the face with a damp washcloth the moment you step outside your door. However, I’m not outside. I’m inside, quarantined for the 56th consecutive day, 30 comments deep in a heated debate over a friend’s Facebook post concerning her political stance on wearing a face mask to the grocery store. In the age of social media, much has been written and speculated about the extinction of empathy in an increasingly digital landscape. Nearly two decades ago, social media was developed for the purpose of connecting people and communities through various platforms of communication. It has since evolved into a Pandora’s box of information, ideas and feelings that constantly shift our brains into a state of sensory overload conversely leaving us feeling more disconnected than AOL dial-up. Back to present day, facing a global health crisis and a second civil rights movement, our social channels are now bombarded with a surplus of performative activists, aunts that share far too much and algorithmically curated content to nourish our one-sided views. Without hesitation, our programmed impulse stirs us to argue or “clap back” against anything or anyone that remotely challenges our seasonal opinions.
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A couple of days after a relentless debate on Facebook, my friend relayed to me that she no longer wanted to continue our relationship. What seemed to me like a standard petty argument on social media led to the termination of a 17-year-long friendship and I was genuinely at a loss of overused comebacks. My mind transported back to one of the fundamental exercises we were taught to practice in elementary school when we struggled to see eye to eye with a classmate.
Try putting yourself in their shoes. One of our first lessons on empathy.
the cognitive center tries to understand why they feel that way and how we can be helpful to them.” Empathy involves a curiosity for the perspectives of individuals not only within our own secure social circles, but more importantly of those who exist outside of them. Perhaps this includes coworkers who have fallen victim to a history of systematic racism, small business owners who have lost their hard-earned jobs due to the economic crash, nurses who don’t have the luxury to stay home with their families, and yes, even that friend on Facebook we’ve invested hours of unproductive arguing against because he or she just refuses to wear a face mask while shopping for oat milk.
Empathy, at its simplest, is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. According to a recent New York Times article, titled, “How to Be More Empathetic” neuroscientists state that empathy occurs when both sides of the brain work together. “The emotional center perceives the feelings of others and
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Empathy is our most effective and influential communicative skill that has been wired into our brains since we learned how to tie our shoes, and yet we find it increasingly harder to put that elementary principle into effect as we scroll through our social media feeds. So how can we improve our ability to empathize in an increasingly divisive culture? A 2017 study at Yale explored how empathic accuracy can be enhanced through voice-only communication.
Simply put, through listening. In this study, five experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that voice-only communication would elicit higher rates of empathic accuracy in comparison to vision-only and multisensory communication. Two of these experiments involving digital recordings revealed that voice-only communication is particularly likely to enhance empathic accuracy through increased focused attention on the linguistic and paralinguistic vocal cues that accompany speech. These findings did not necessarily discredit the value of visual and nonverbal cues, generally perceived as our
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primary forms of conveying emotion; they revealed that through isolated attention on the tone, pitch and fluctuations of the voice alone, subjects were able to detect an even deeper and more intimate sense of emotion. While most of us have experienced the emotional repercussions of reading aggressive words through a text or seeing a somber facial expression on a loved one, we cannot underestimate the power found through hearing the emotionallyheightened tones of the voices behind those text messages and faces. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I actually heard my friend’s voice or conversed with her outside of a text, DM or comment. Maybe if either of us had taken a moment to use our phone for its primitive function, we would have been able to hear the similarities in our underlying emotions and look beyond our differences of opinion. While the internet has reinvented our modes of communication, it has not redefined the basic principles of how we were taught to communicate with one another. If we really want to treat our empathy deficit disorders, we need to bring that elementary idiom back to light and try on each other’s shoes—even if they are a bit uncomfortable, or painful to squeeze into. Perhaps, instead of tapping the send button on that cleverly drafted clap back, we should open our phones, hit the call button and open our ears to the human voice behind the receiving end of that punchline. We may actually make a friend, or better yet, keep the ones we have.
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BY MADISON SCHRAMM
O
ver the last decade, society has made major strides in understanding mental health. Thanks in large part to the normalization of solution-based outlets like therapy, meditation and selfwellness practices, awareness for illnesses such as depression and anxiety disorders are undoubtedly at an all-time high. But if we’re being honest, mental health still doesn’t get the attention it deserves, particularly as it pertains to loneliness. In fact, roughly just half of New Jersey’s office visits for behavioral health are covered by insurance networks—that is, those who actually sought help in the first place. According to a January 2020 survey conducted by NPR, three out of five Americans are lonely and reported feeling left out, poorly understood or in need of
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companionship. When you factor in the novel coronavirus pandemic, the effects of loneliness and social isolation become exacerbated ever further. COVID-19 aside, loneliness is an epidemic in its own right—albeit a silent one. Loneliness and social isolation have also been shown to increase mortality rates in adults by as much as 30 percent. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, co-author of “Perspectives on Psychological Science,” says that social isolation and loneliness is “twice as harmful to physical and mental health as obesity.” Loneliness does not discriminate with age. In fact, it was recently discovered that Gen Z (aged 18 to 22) has tested for the highest average score in loneliness compared to older generations, according to a recent study led by Dr. Melissa Hunt at the University of Pennsylvania. No
doubt this increase can be attributed to our increasing connectivity—especially our smartphones. The Internet, as well as social media platforms, have been proven to heighten feelings of loneliness. Generation Z was brought up in an age steeped in technology. And it only continues to increase. But connectedness can be misleading as it pertains to loneliness. FOMO, or the “fear of missing out,” can be a direct link to loneliness via social media—but not always. “Those who are substituting online relationships for real relationships, unsurprisingly, don’t see a reduction in loneliness and in fact may actually see a deterioration relative to people who use online interactions to supplement their face-to-face relationships,” Dr. Hunt notes in her findings. “For older adults who use Skype to talk with their grandkids who live across the country from them, technology really can improve their sense of connectedness.” So it seems, in some cases, the technology’s effect on our mental health is situational. Overall, though, anxiety and depression are also closely related to loneliness and are associated with people who experience such feelings. People who suffer from anxiety can sometimes exhibit more reclusive behavior from the fear of
socializing with others. This means they tend to remain by themselves rather than in the company of a few friends, which can onset feelings of loneliness. Loneliness can also lead to depression that can be triggered through thoughts of self-blame or low self-worth. This negative self-evaluation can make one believe that they are the cause of their own loneliness. In other words, they think they are unworthy of companionship or any type of positive social interaction. Loneliness and social isolation have become a growing mental health issue in the United States for the past year—especially amid the coronavirus pandemic. Until the last century or so, almost no one lived alone. How did our society become so lonely? What can we do? Perhaps it’s time we dedicate a portion of our days practicing selfaffirmation rather than picking apart our flaws. Take steps toward building selfconfidence, which results in feeling more comfortable interacting with others and combating loneliness. And remember, social distancing doesn’t mean social isolation. The statistics mentioned provide a background into the effects of loneliness and social isolation and the risks that come with this mentality.
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Redefining Healthcare Through Artificial Intelligence BY CHRISTIAN MILCOS Joaquin Phoenix’s performance in 2013’s “Her” is commendable. “Time” described it as “showing us what it’s like when a mourning heart comes alive.” Despite its brilliance, the film portrays a grossly off-putting future for the artificial intelligence industry. 2020 has demonstrated this in the way healthcare is currently delivered to the consumer. Perhaps no industry has had a need for adaptation and technological innovation more than healthcare. Some may ponder, What does the relationship between artificial intelligence and medicine entail? The scientific definition is; the use of computer algorithms to emulate human cognition. In layman’s terms, a large amount of medical data and knowledge accumulated over time is being streamlined to supplement or replicate practitioners’ thoughts on a variety of medical decisions. There has been no shortage of successful examples of artificial intelligence use in 2020. Dr. Alicia Mohr, Division Chief of Acute Care Surgery at the University of Florida’s College of Medicine, illustrated its application to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Dozens of hospitals across the country are using machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence (AI), to predict which COVID-19 patients will require the intensive care unit or a long-term ventilator.” Evidently, this trend’s
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commonality nowadays is unprecedented; an MIT report stated 85 percent of Americans utilize artificial intelligence in their daily life. This technology is the basis of large data information processing, and can be found in something as common as the Apple Watch. Whether the world is ready for it or not, artificial intelligence is omnipresent in society. Though artificial intelligence sparked concerns (and even outrage) when it was first implemented in healthcare during the 1960s, it has slowly become more accepted of late. Drugs are now being entirely researched, designed and brought to market via this new wave. Most impressively, the first human trials for a drug created entirely by this technology treats Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and was produced in less than 12 months. This astounding accomplishment bests the average time of four and a half years for drug research and creation. This new frontier in medicine shows potential in presenting world-changing opportunities for healthcare. Expectedly, many corporations have invested in artificial intelligence. American healthcare companies, who are often several steps ahead of the latest scientific trends, spent over $2 billion on this technology in 2019. What’s more, the pool of data that patients contribute to this science has increased exponentially. The information base of artificial
intelligence is projected to double every two months throughout 2020. CULTIVATING CLARITY Artificial intelligence. It’s reasonable to associate this term with dark premonitions. The wording itself includes a term that is defined as a copy of something natural. However, the phrase’s relation to the healthcare industry couldn’t contradict this school of thought more. The movement has unified practitioners and patients through deducing the most informed decisions, in addition to connecting these groups
where previously impossible. To be clear, many predict that your future doctor’s appointments will not involve full interactions with a menacing, robotic presence. Rather, this evolution thus far has been most prominent in acting as a supplemental tool for physicians. What is known as “augmented intelligence” is most applicable to this philosophy. This acknowledges that artificial intelligence should be a tool to enhance, not replace, the decision-making process. It may surprise some that this trend has connected people throughout the
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COVID-19 pandemic. During a time when consumers have physically grown apart, artificial intelligence has acted as a conduit. The healthcare industry in particular has reaped the benefits of this. Telehealth has undoubtedly been one of the most crucial adaptations throughout this trying time. Artificial intelligence has been at the forefront of this shift. It’s played the role of facilitator effectively through new communication tools such as tele-radiology and tele-dermatology. Even in the midst of lockdown orders, artificial intelligence has connected patients to doctors who are best suited to treat specific, pertinent symptoms. Through instances like these, physicians and patients appear to be matched at a more efficient and accurate rate than ever. PRIVACY PROBLEMS While healthcare workers have valiantly served in hospitals during COVID-19, a cyber-war rages on. It is no secret that hackers have been a pesky threat
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to patient information and the artificial intelligence revolution. However, there is hope that indicates cybersecurity professionals will prevail. During a time when many healthcare professionals have gone above and beyond, the cybersecurity industry has touted similar feel-good stories. Cyber Volunteers 19, for instance, has made many feel more secure already. This organization has called upon cybersecurity professionals to volunteer in helping healthcare companies protect patients’ personal information. Marc Rogers, an esteemed cybersecurity professional who holds titles such as Vice President and Head of SEC Ops, had many thoughts about organizations like these. In an interview with CSO Online when strict stay-at-home orders were in place, he said, “There is a really strong appetite for doing good in the community. If we can’t go out and have a beer, the next best thing is opening our laptop.” However, beyond volunteer aid, protective technologies from other arenas continue to evolve. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, for instance, has developed security to protect against potential attacks on medical imaging devices. Johns Hopkins University has also taken successful steps in developing software to prevent such attacks. Supplementing cybersecurity professionals with semiautomation appears to be the trend that fosters the most protection. All things considered, providing one’s personal information to healthcare companies is and always will be a risk. There’s a clear reason why many respected doctors consistently bring up such concerns on this subject. Putting one’s trust in not only healthcare companies, but the cybersecurity industry at large, to formulate new protection is understandably difficult. Weighing the risks and rewards is something one
must do in many facets of healthcare. Ultimately, it has to be accepted and respected that not all will buy into this industry change. THE BIG PICTURE Despite the difficulty in imagining this trend becoming a mainstay, the effect artificial intelligence has had on the country is undeniable. The unfortunate circumstances that COVID-19 brought upon American citizens were in fact slightly mitigated by the use of artificial intelligence. The greater New York City area quickly became the epicenter of the pandemic in late-March. With imminent fears of an overrun hospital system, predictive technologies became crucial. The Mount Sinai Health System relied upon artificial intelligence to generate models that predict when patients would be discharged from the hospital. Dr. Mohr has also been at the heart of pandemic preparations, saying that “these are unprecedented times and you need to incorporate the data and then do the best you can, remembering that each patient is unique.” In the long run, this medical advancement allowed proper preparations to be made throughout the onset of the virus, thus removing significant strain from ICUs. In what is perhaps the most wellknown recent use of such technology, artificial intelligence has become an ambassador for the advent of telehealth.
Aside from bringing people together, one may be surprised to read about the extent to which doctors can assess a patient’s health remotely. For instance, an attachment to the iPhone has been found to be capable of performing ultrasounds. Therapies classified by the FDA have also been utilized via telehealth. Prescription-necessary, computerized behavioral therapies have conveniently helped patients who are diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. While some may believe the pandemic halted all non-essential doctor visits, artificial intelligence has now made them more convenient and practicable. This trend can also allow the world to better prepare for future disease outbreaks. BlueDot and Boston Children’s Hospital, for example, alerted professionals about an odd uptick in pneumonia cases near the end of 2019. Of course, the world would become very familiar with the lung leveling coronavirus soon after. These predictive technologies have proven successful and will logically become only more accurate and relied upon. It’s clear throughout many of these examples that collaboration between the machine and the medical profession is necessary. This theme perfectly sums up what the world should ask for from artificial intelligence in the healthcare industry. Hardly a replacement, but rather, a tool that will broaden the capabilities of the human decision-making process.
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BY ARIANA LENA
H
owever you may feel about it, social media looks to be staying for good as it continues to play a big role in our day-to-day lives, especially with new platforms starting to emerge. (Yes, I’m looking at you Tiktok.) Personally, I believe it connects us with family, friends and even potential significant others. Professionally, it links us to colleagues, upper management and potential employers—and for those who are business owners, it bridges the gap between the customer and the company right away. Conversely, going overboard with social media can lead to a disconnect from the real world. These apps play a huge role in blocking self-awareness, which results in less face time and true connections among friends and family. In a worst-case scenario, it could also put a strain on someone’s mental health. According to Dr. Konstantin Lukin, P.h.D., co-founder of The Lukin Center for Psychotherapy in Hoboken, NJ, it’s not uncommon for people to obsess over what is on their feed. He says conversations about how social media affects mood and emotions are a common occurrence in his practice. In some cases, it can certainly trigger feelings of anxiety and depression in many individuals, especially the younger demographic since they utilize social media for longer periods of time. “It is important to realize that, on social media, individuals are portraying their best selves which can lead to one having thoughts of, ‘I wish my life were like that’ or ‘I wish I looked like that. It is very
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easy for thoughts of inadequacy and low self-esteem to be triggered by what we see. Younger individuals can leave social media with the implicit message that they are not good enough, not attractive enough, not successful enough, etc.,” he explains. On the other hand, since everyone seems to be on their phones, exposure opportunities are endless when it comes to social platforms. If you’re an aspiring model, your account is somewhat of a portfolio. As a financial planner, you can discuss research with potential clients to entice them. For businesses, it attracts customers and spreads information quickly. For local Hudson County favorite, O’Bagel, they rely on visual platforms like Instagram and Facebook because people eat with their eyes. Therefore, O’Bagel aims to make them drool before people even step foot through the door. No matter how big or small, restaurants should put money towards creative and marketing assets, says O’Bagel’s Marketing Manager Kendall Dickieson. Especially with COVID-19, marketing has become as crucial as ever to stay relevant and communicative with their customers about new hours, specials and systems. O’Bagel’s co-owner and chef, Stephen El-Hassan, believes in connecting with customers which he’s been able to do through social media and even considers them family. Growing an account with a big following is great, but creating connections that last is O’Bagel’s purpose, “Relationships beat everything at the end of the day. We always make it a goal to not only produce content that puts a smile on your face or that makes you want to engage, but we aim to go deeper than wider,” says El-Hassan and Dickieson. Social media has even helped people flourish in their professional life and leave a job they hated. Jarry Lee, a local model, actress and influencer, credits social media for allowing her the freedom to be her own boss and has never felt happier or more fulfilled after leaving a job where she felt burnt out.
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Despite social media’s reputation, local Hoboken food influencer Krista Stucchio, the creator of the Instagram account @hashtagfoodpic, actually uses social media to connect with a community that isn’t outside her front door; she’s even made close friends and countless connections just from her account. “Yes, I love the feeling of having an audience that ‘likes’ what I do, say and post but I also love to help people. It’s been so fun to collaborate with others and hype people up for their creativity and hard work. It’s even better when it’s reciprocated as well,” says Stucchio.
Stucchio agrees that social media fatigue, however, is very real. As a creator, she feels the need to constantly put in effort into her page and stay active every day. When she feels exhausted or like she’s forcing herself to post, she tries to remind herself that she’s allowed to take a break and recharge; there’s no need to share details or interact with people every day, you are human! When social media overload does start to take place, Dr. Lukin believes it’s time to evaluate if you really need it or not. He suggests asking yourself this question: will the amount of time, mental energy,
According to The World Health Organization, the average person will spend a total of
3,462,390 minutes using social media over their whole lifetime, based on the global lifespan of 72 years old.
Individuals in North America spend an average of
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minutes or roughly two hours on social media each day.
stress and effort that I am putting into social media be worth it in three years? Five years? “Social media should be used for enjoyment and pleasure. If social media becomes more of a ‘need’ than a ‘want’ it is probably time to unplug. If we begin to have negative thoughts from social media (i.e. “I didn’t get enough likes on this picture!”), that needs to be a signal that this app on my phone is causing me distress, rather than enjoyment.” As someone who is a young professional, it’s important to now use social media as a way to network yourself and your passions. From my own experience, potential
3.5 45%
There are billion users on social media as of 2019. That equates to of the world’s population.
The breakdown of social media by generation:
90.4% 77.5% 48.2%
employers and colleagues love to hear your voice on platforms such as LinkedIn and see work you’ve accomplished. Socially, these platforms allow you to share content with friends and family. Below is a list of statistics and numbers that speak volumes only if you allow it too. For example, if you’re someone who is always on their phone browsing on social media, maybe it’s time to use it for good like for a passion or to help your profession. Let’s not forget as well that when it’s time to have a conversation with someone important in front of you, then disconnecting is needed.
73%
of marketers believe that social media marketing has been somewhat effective or very effective for their business.
are millennials, are Gen X and are baby boomers. September | October 2020
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Create a Home You Love Living In Full Home Renovations Design & Build Services Historic Brownstone Remodeling
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FALL By Kaitlyn De Leonardis
Virgo
(Aug 23 - Sep 22) Happy Birthday! September brings you the gift of love. With a full moon in your opposite sign of Pieces on September 2 and your ruler Mercury in a beautiful aspect to Venus the first week of September, all eyes are on you. With Mars going retrograde on September 9, you’ll be reworking how you approach intimacy. As your season ends on September 22, you’ll be glad the attention is off you, throw yourself into that creative endeavor. October will be challenging when it comes to communications. Mercury opposes Uranus, goes retrograde on October 14, and clashes energies with Uranus again the following week. You’ll feel that no one understands you, and that’s okay as long as you understand yourself.
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Libra
(Sep 23 - Oct 22) Fill up your social calendar this fall. The invitations will start flooding in on September 6, Mercury moves into your sign and your ruler Venus bursts into Leo. Around September 15, Venus is in a harsh alignment with Uranus, and you might find that someone has been spreading rumors about you. Don’t pay any mind, you don’t need to bring any that energy into your season, starting September 22. Single or taken, Mars’ current retrograde and the full moon in Aries on October 1 will prompt a change in your relationship status. With Mercury retrograde on October 14, mind your spending. Don’t buy any big-ticket items. Venus comes home to your sign on October 28, and nothing can stop you from living your best life, not even Mercury retrograde.
Scorpio
(Oct 23 - Nov 21) With the full moon in Pisces on September 2, you could find yourself swept away in a whirlwind romance. But with Mars retrograde starting September 9, you might find that conflicting schedules won’t allow this to go any further. On September 27, Mercury moves into your sign, granting you the gift of gab. Use this to your advantage before Mercury goes retrograde on October 14. The new moon in Libra on October 16 signifies a new beginning. This calls for a celebration. Hit the town with friends around October 21. Venus is in a wonderful alignment with your ruler Pluto, and it’s bound to be a howling good time.
Sagittarius
Capricorn
Aquarius
(Nov 22 - Dec 21)
(Dec 22 - Jan 19)
(Jan 20 - Feb 19)
If you’ve been caught up in revelry, Mars retrograde starting September 9 will put an end to that. Around the new moon in Virgo on September 17 lookout for an exciting career opportunity. If you continue to spend frivolously, the first week of October will bring a rude awakening, with Mars and Saturn at odds. Starting October 2, your ruler Jupiter is in a long and supported aspect with Neptune, you can find all the entertainment you need at home. When Mercury goes retrograde on October 14, be wary about sharing personal information with strangers and friends alike. With Mars enticing Jupiter around October 17, don’t give into pressure to join the party, your bank account will thank you later.
For you, Virgo season is about establishing your standards. Do your work and home life live up to them? You have until September 22 to sort that out, and on September 9, Mars will retrograde in Aries. This will bring up everything that isn’t working for you at home. Start taking action on September 26, when Mars challenges your ruler Saturn, which goes direct a few days later on September 29. The next big event is Mercury retrograde, beginning October 14, you’ll find it difficult to connect with your social circles. When the Sun aligns with Saturn on October 18, work demands your attention. A few days before Venus enters Libra on October 28, she links up with Saturn blessing you with some much-needed help from a friend.
Jackpot! A new moon in Pisces on September 2 will have the money flowing and it’s possible that a side project you started six months ago will bring a substantial payday. On October 15, Venus makes a jarring alignment to your ruler Uranus. Single or taken, it’s clear your emotional needs aren’t being met. Focus on solidifying them for the rest of September and you’ll see progress around October 10. Mercury goes retrograde on October 14, and this spells trouble for your reputation. Your communication is way off and you’re not being perceived the way you would like to be. Be extra careful when choosing your words for the rest of the month. Watch out on October 19, when Mercury opposes Uranus there could be a major meltdown.
Pisces
(Feb 20 - Mar 20) The full moon in your sign on September 2 will have you chasing whatever makes you feel whole. With Mars retrograde in Aries starting September 9, your income could take a hit. On September 11 the Sun will oppose your planet Neptune, currently in your sign, and everyone is getting on your last nerve. Things get better in October because Jupiter will be in a stellar aspect to your ruler for the majority of the month. With Jupiter now direct, this is the stuff dreams are made of. However, Mercury will go retrograde on October 14, putting blocks in your personal relationships. When Venus opposes Neptune on October 18, it could be time for a difficult heart to heart with someone close to you.
Aries
Taurus
(Mar 21 - Apr 20)
(Apr 21 - May 20)
Throughout September and October, your ruler Mars is about to shake up your career, starting September 9 with his retrograde. This will help you find new ways to truly align yourself with your goals. Mars starts with Saturn on September 26 and this is all about restructuring your work ethic. The full moon in your sign on October 1 will have you feeling confident in your abilities. When Mercury goes retrograde in Scorpio on October 14, you’ll have #nofilter when it comes to sharing deeply personal thoughts. Be careful about what you share and with whom, because it could cost you on October 19 when Mercury opposes Uranus.
Home is your sanctuary this September when your ruler Venus moves into Leo. This is a fabulous time to jazz up your living quarters. Around September 15, you might be feeling a bit down on yourself, with Mars in retrograde and Venus making an unrelenting aspect to Uranus. For the rest of September, spend time in solitude and make self care a top priority. By the time October rolls around, your social life takes off thanks to Jupiter and Neptune. Mercury does go retrograde on October 14, and it might feel like you and your partner or love interest are not on the same page. With Venus in a helpful alignment to Pluto, just focus on having fun.
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Gemini
(May 21 - Jun 20) With the full moon in Pisces on September 2, you’ll be recognized at work and it smells like a raise. When Mars goes retrograde on September 9, you might just lose your faith in humanity. This could prevent you from truly enjoying yourself in the second half of September, as your ruler Mercury finds itself in tense alignments with multiple planets. The good news is the start of October looks great for your reputation, thanks to abundant Jupiter and dreamy Neptune. Do take note of October 14, when Mercury goes retrograde. You’ll experience what feels like a never-ending supply of annoyances at your day job. Laugh them off if you can, and if you commute to work, leave extra early because delays are likely.
Cancer
(Jun 21 - Jul 22) The first weekend of September your words can light up the world. Mercury’s aspect to Venus at the last degree of your sign is egging you to preach your powerful message. On September 6 Mercury moves into Libra, and Venus on to Leo, so keep communicating your emotions but focus on your finances, too. When Mars goes retrograde on September 9, you’ll be approaching your career goals with a new strategy. You’ll even see some progress in this area with the full moon in Aries on October 1. Have you forgotten how to enjoy life? When Mercury goes retrograde on October 14, it might leave you feeling stifled in the pleasure department. This transit can help you find new ways to achieve gratification.
Leo
(Jul 23 - Aug 22) Hey, hot stuff! Venus moves into your sign on September 6 and you are feeling yourself, along with everybody else. Plus, Mercury moves into Libra the same day and your natural charisma becomes your superpower. All September long your ruler the Sun makes some lovely aspects to the outer planets, you’ll flow through September with ease. October will have you questioning if your job is truly aligned with your values, as the Sun and Mars (currently in retrograde) conflicts with Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn all month long. To top it off, Mercury goes retrograde in Scorpio on October 14, making your home environment uncomfortable. Think before you speak, because something you say to a roommate or relative can start some serious drama.
When a planet is “in retrograde” its orbit appears to slow down and move backwards from our view on Earth. It’s believed this throws the planet’s energy a bit off-kilter. Mercury retrogrades the most frequently of all the planets, at three times a year. It’s a big deal because Mercury rules our minds and influences our thoughts, intelligence, communications and decision making. When Mercury is in retrograde we are not thinking clearly and make poor choices that lead to the typical Mercury Retrograde mishaps, like faux pas in conversations or unwise/faulty purchases. Mercury also rules media and transportation, which is why its retrograde is blamed for car troubles or problems with technology. It’s advised to slow down, pay attention to details. Use logic and reason during this three-week period.
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If there was ever a time to make conscious choices when it comes to health, 2020 would be it. This increased focus on wellness comes off the heels of the coronavirus, which is known to target those with underlying conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. All of these disorders have direct links to poor diet and have left people not only nutritionally compromised, but especially vulnerable. The shift in concern when it comes to healthfulness has had an effect on the eating habits and overall attitude of American consumers, forcing many of us to think more deeply about every part of the food system including our own accessibility, how our produce is being grown, processed, handled, distributed and even prepared. In the wake of a global health and economic crisis, there’s arguably never been more of a need to close food inequity gaps and bring awareness to the very things we’re putting inside our bodies. Jersey City’s own Mayor Steven Fulop expressed concern regarding the Hudson County area’s susceptibility to the virus, considering it was one of the hardest-hit regions of New Jersey—its disadvantaged members bearing the brunt of it. After working through the city’s budget, he announced in June an initiative that would bring 19,000 pounds of fresh produce to Jersey City residents every year, free of charge. Mayor Fulop explained, “It is clear that the virus has had a disproportionate impact on people with pre-existing heart conditions, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes which is directly linked to a person’s diet, and as a result, we feel it is more important than ever to focus on food access and education.”
His plan to reshape the diets of residents includes the installation of 10 vertical farming sites scattered across the city in locations such as schools, senior centers and other municipal buildings. Working closely with the World Economic Forum and Newark-based AeroFarms, the city has signed a three-year contract aimed at hopefully addressing poverty and food inequality. In comparison to conventional agriculture, vertical farming provides a solution that’s both economically and ecologically sensible. As its name suggests, vertical farming stacks crops upwards (instead of horizontally) in order to minimize the amount of space occupied. That said space, however, is typically a warehouse or multi-story building devoid of things like sun and soil. AeroFarms, for example, uses its 70,000-square-foot headquarters (a former steel mill) in Newark’s Ironbound district to harvest up to two million pounds of food each year. And they’re doing it in half the amount of time it takes a commercial field farm.
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ertical farming is not just about increasing yield. By taking the process indoors, variables such as temperature, light, humidity, nutrients and gases are able to be controlled making year-round farming possible independent of the season and weather. Through careful engineering, AeroFarms is able to simulate the ideal environment for each individual crop while lowering emissions and reducing environmental impact—including using 95 percent less water and zero pesticides. The algorithm results in produce that’s reached optimal levels of taste, texture, color and most importantly, nutrition. Newark is just one example of a community close to home that’s reaped the benefits when it comes to advancements in sustainable urban agriculture. Philip’s Academy Charter School is currently the only school in the country to own and operate an AeroFarms System—and Jersey
Did You Know? Irrigation for agriculture accounts for 70% of water use worldwide? By 2050, the world will need 70% more food to feed the global population? According to scientists, Earth has lost 33% of its arable land in the last 40 years? 46
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City is on track to be the first municipal vertical farming program in the United States. The School Farm, as it’s called, is located in the dining hall and grants students consistent access to fresh, healthy food that can sometimes be hard to find in parts of the city. It also gives them the tools to better understand where their food is coming from and why innovations like this matter. As promising as this Jersey City initiative sounds, it’s been met with some hesitancy. The program itself does in fact provide access to free food, but not without strings attached. It’s been said residents will have to participate in quarterly health screenings and healthy eating seminars, however, there’s been some confusion surrounding whether or not these will be mandatory or just encouraged. The data gathered from these tests will then be shared back with the city, which brings up concerns regarding confidentiality.
Residents have also expressed apprehension in relation to how accessible the food will actually be when hurdles are being put in front of the program. Whether that means they’ll have to upend their schedules to adhere to scheduled appointments, or add to their daily travel time by commuting to pick-up points. Given these guidelines, it’s understandable to worry that the program could become more of a nuisance than a solution. Despite its obvious and attractive benefits, the jury is still out on vertical farming itself. The system requires massive amounts of energy, which can make it extremely costly in the long run. Many of Jersey City’s buildings are outdated and can’t support solar panels or other energysaving technologies, which limits the ways they’re able to offset energy costs. There’s also limitations as to what vertical farms can grow. Ideally, anything could be
harvested under the correct controlled environment, but companies such as AeroFarms have so far only produced herbs and leafy greens such as kale and arugula. Which begs the question, is that all we’re supposed to eat? Despite the drawbacks, there’s still a great amount of enthusiasm and hope for what the future of farming and this new Jersey City program can achieve. Months of panic-buying, empty supermarket shelves and limited access to fresh, affordable food have admittedly given us all a bit of perspective—and even caused a spike in demand for vertical farms across the country. In that sense, vertical farming can only be a step in the right direction if not to shine a light on a different kind of agricultural approach, and to paint a picture of how a city could one day become self-sustaining if there were ever to be an unforeseen halt in the supply chain.
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Understanding The Power of Healing Stones By Michelle Garay They’re sculpted into jewelry, incorporated into living room decor, and even infused into wellness products— healing crystals continue to establish their place in alternative medicine through their versatile adornments and historic healing capabilities. With deep roots in ancient cultures, healing crystals of varying shapes and color tones have been tapped into for increased emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing. As a common additive to Reiki sessions— best described as non-invasive techniques to restore the body’s natural healing abilities— many individuals feel wholly supported by integrating crystal energy into their everyday lives. “Healing stones operate similarly to magnets, where they have the ability to transform what is happening energetically in your body at the cellular level,” says Danielle Marie, Jersey Citybased Reiki Master who practices with crystals through her business entity, Danielle Marie Reiki. “When crystals are placed over certain parts of the body, the signature of the crystal causes shifts and changes in vibration within the body’s energetic fields, or chakra system.”
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Danielle has been working with crystals as a healing modality for over six years, even before she began her Reiki training through Reiki Traveler. She’s incorporated crystals into her own life to feel their effects, using simple practices such as clenching stones to fall asleep at night, keeping them under pillows and tucking them into clothing. Understanding these effects is very specific to each stone, and since there are almost an infinite amount of outcomes including strengthened intuition, induced calmness and serenity, creativity, and manifestation, it may lead to a difficult decision in determining which stone is right to personally practice with. “For people just beginning to work with stones, there’s an old saying that ‘you don’t choose your crystals, your crystals choose you,’” Danielle advises. She suggests when you find yourself looking at an array of crystals, take a moment to see what catches the eye, interact with the various stones and decide which ones feel best from there. “The fact that you are attracted to how a particular crystal looks or feels is a good indication that you’ll probably benefit from it in some way.” So, what exactly can healing crystals bring to your lifestyle? From clearing a clouded mind to combating feelings of anxiousness, we’ve highlighted a few stones to consider (and what they focus on healing) for your journey towards growth and enlightenment.
Amethyst
Amethyst is considered one of the most protective stones. Well-recognized as February’s birthstone, amethyst keeps bad energy away from the body to allow for the spirit to expand during meditation. The stone reconnects the inner self with the powers of creativity and thinking, refining both qualities to be used as tools for reaching a higher energy level.
Best Uses
Amethyst is known to promote relaxation and heal digestive imbalances. The stone also has historical roots of encouraging a sober mind in terms of both addiction and thoughts, placing emphasis on the importance of having a clear mind to make better decisions.
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Clear Quartz
This traditionally six-sided crystal is a master healer that stands on pillars of clarity, activation and all forms of energy escalation. Because clear quartz supercharges intentions, it’s often used to remain focused when it comes to achieving personal manifestations.
Clear quartz is acknowledged as one of the most versatile crystals for meditation given that it can amplify the abilities of other stones.
Best Uses
Clear quartz’s personal healing capabilities make it a popular crystal to wear as jewelry for a consistent reminder of the greater intentions one possesses. It’s also a remedy for physical imbalances including vertigo, nausea and exhaustion.
Citrine
Citrine is an encouraging and joyful stone, commonly used to treat anxiety and depression. Representing abundance, citrine crystals speak to prosperity not only concerning money, but also in offering generosity to others. It’s said to be an ideal stone to keep close to piggy banks, or even place in wallets to attract wealth in all its positive forms.
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Best Uses
Similar to amethyst, citrine is helpful in alleviating digestive problems. It’s turned to for speeding up metabolism, regulating blood flow and supporting life changes relating to diabetes.
Rose Quartz
Rose quartz is one of the most identifiable and highly sought-after crystals by way of its pink shade. As a stone that represents love in all forms, it’s used during meditation to enhance relationships with significant others, friends and the self. When holding rose quartz, a sense of calmness is invited in to support emotional healing and battle grief.
Best Uses
Rose quartz is a great stone for those beginning their journey with crystal healing because of how intertwined it’s become with physical wellbeing, specifically skincare. Its properties have allowed it to be transformed into beneficial tools such as face rollers and hydration products which help calm and rejuvenate the skin.
Malachite
Malachite has a deep connection to nature and traveling. Those who find themselves attracted to this stone are reminded that it may be time for a change of direction in life. In tune with this, malachite fosters new growth while protecting against negative energies that threaten a clear thought process and balanced emotions.
Best Uses
Malachite is a stone that not only guides emotional travels, but physical ones as well. It’s a crystal that eases stress related to long flights or car trips, so it’s worth it to consider packing this stone for physical journeys.
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Black Tourmaline Black tourmaline is an all-around energy cleanser, absorbing personal, internal struggles and transmuting them into positive energy. Referred to as a soul disinfectant, black tourmaline’s dark color can be read as a metaphor for the personal growth that sits on the other side of confronting fears.
Best Uses
Black tourmaline is used to help increase concentration, awake the mind and settle panic attacks, making it a noteworthy stone to keep in stressful environments or even near a work desk. It’s also used in healing practices for muscle aches and soreness, and to treat motion sickness.
Carnelian
Carnelian’s glossy orange shade inspires motivation and taking action in life. It’s a stone used in meditation to stimulate concentration when faced with a new challenge and increase the determination needed to accomplish projects. Carnelian improves direction and aids its users in trusting their own instincts.
Best Uses
Moonstone
Moonstone’s shimmery and glowing tone strongly resembles the moon, nodding to its healing associations with guidance, self-reflection and acknowledging the cycle of life. Moonstone brings about intense relations with femininity, often being used to balance menstrual cycles and male-female energies—specifically for males that may want to gain a more feminine perspective.
Best Uses
Moonstone guides users in finding serene energy and clarity, placing a divide between needs and wants. It also has a soothing effect that results in better sleep patterns, making the crystal a useful addition to bedsides for both adults and children.
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Carnelian is the right stone to incorporate into a daily routine if physical activity is something often neglected, as it revitalizes energy in a positive direction. It also helps with blood flow to various organs throughout the body, so keeping this stone within the personal aura as jewelry will best exhibit its true power.
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This is your brain on
ZOOM BY MICHAEL SCIVOLI
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Friday, April 10, 2020. 6 p.m. I closed the Zoom app on my laptop. I took a deep breath and strode to the open window above the fire escape. It was a crisp 50 degrees, the trees were bare and passersby wore surgical masks. Something was wrong—and it wasn’t the pandemic looming outside my second-floor walkup. I was staring down the barrel of my third espresso and like the cup, I was drained—empty. Half-awake. Devoid of motivation. My brain was an egg, cracked and frying crispy brown on a cast-iron skillet. Why do I feel this way? I’ve had long weeks before, but this was different. I couldn’t even muster the strength to order a gyro on GrubHub. It wasn’t that my publisher was on his twelfth virtual background of the week. Or even the sounds of my neighbor coughing in the hallway. It was something else. There were more days like April 10. Sure, running a local publication like The Digest that relies on resources from the community during a global pandemic is grounds for feeling exhausted. But I have always loved my work; completing projects made me feel alive. A weekly conquest. Now, it was a pyrrhic victory. In the weeks that followed, my entire life became April 10. A barrage of virtual meetings replaced my social life. Birthday parties. Happy hours. Dates. Everything. Everyone. In little boxes like the fucking Brady Bunch. Are my introverted habits finally being put to the test? Or is this simply the new normal? It all took a toll. I felt as used up as one of those blue masks kicked to the sidewalk. What’s worse, I felt less creative in our team meetings. These were previously done in person or over the phone, where I could drive everyone crazy by pacing around the room. Now, I was chained to my laptop and, consequently, my desk. Like many of you, I started reading up on all the “Zoom Fatigue” clickbait. Despite my expectations, I wasn’t
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“
Teleconferencing is the new trial drug
alone. Friends, family and coworkers— they were experiencing the same thing. And Zoom wasn’t the only culprit. There was FaceTime, Google Hangouts, Skype. The list goes on. It was as if our minds were literally being fried by technology, zapped even.
Virtual Interactions Are Hard on the Brain If you were fortunate enough not to get fired à la “Back to the Future II,” your entire life now revolves around your screen—even more so than it ever has. Though unlike Marty, we don’t have hoverboards. What we do have is an unofficial, worldwide social experiment. One where teleconferencing is the new trial drug and, you guessed it, the lab rats are us. The results showed at a global level what’s always been true: an overdependence on screen time has repercussions on our brains. In a recent Facebook Live interview, behavioral analyst Laura Dudley of Northeastern University called these virtual interactions “mental gymnastics.” Looking back, her words made perfect sense. I found myself talking over people during video chats. Asking myself worthless questions: Should I be looking at my camera, the speaker, or the dark circles under my own eyes? This was very different from inperson interactions. There was no joint eye contact. I checked my email during virtual meetings. And it wasn’t just me, we were all committing the same teleconferencing crimes.
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Why Non-Verbal Cues Matter When you get to the root of our virtual troubles, we find that the two-dimensional cut-outs of our family and coworkers on the screen before us are devoid of all those subtle, non-verbal cues we used to take for granted. The ones we all used to communicate how we feel. “That non-verbal signal is missing,” Dudley explained, “If you were in a faceto-face meeting, and there was someone in the meeting who’s about to speak, you might notice that they lean forward in their seat. They might open their mouths sort of preemptively. They might raise their hand a bit. But in a virtual meeting, you can’t read the room like that… Just because it’s hard to pick up on those non-verbal cues, it doesn’t mean we stop trying. So we’re still putting forth that effort. We’re still trying to read people non-verbally and it can be a little exhausting.” Using video impairs these cues. Our software causes distractions, making it virtually impossible (pun intended) to maintain eye contact. What’s worse, we’re hyper-focused on our screen. In a normal conversation, we might be free to move around and pick up on said nonverbal cues. “Think about how odd and distracting it would be if in every face-to-face meeting there were a giant mirror right in front of you. That would be strange. You start to allocate some of your efforts towards not only looking at the other person but also into sort of monitoring
and, you guessed it, the lab rats are us.
how you look,” Dudley added. Multi-person meetings magnify this. The more people who join, the harder it is—ultimately forcing us to multitask. And like it or not, multi-tasking (which we already did before all this) drops productivity. Now it’s exacerbated. We’re focusing on so much, but not doing any one thing particularly well.
5 Tips For How to Manage “Zoom Fatigue” While it’s certainly easy to demonize technology for this touch-screen dilemma, we might’ve otherwise gone through all of 2020 (and beyond) without seeing the people we care about. What’s more, we here at The Digest are able to still see our teammates and even conduct meaningful interviews. It’s also helped repress some of the isolation anxiety some of us feel when we’ve been cut off from contact with people. Despite all the positives and negatives of using video to communicate amid a global pandemic, it’s still something most of us have to navigate—whether we like it or not. Whether you’re picking up a (virtual) job, keeping in touch with family, or looking ahead to the upcoming school year. For tips managing this teleconferencing dilemma, I enlisted the help of local career coach and Harvard grad, Carla Isabel Carstens, for some navigation advice. Though Carstens has historically devoted much of her time to helping young professionals attain their dream careers, she has specifically
addressed our more recent concerns with video chat and Zoom fatigue. Here’s what she has to say. 1. Take breaks in between calls. “Empathy goes a long way. Companies should encourage their leaders to individually check-in with their team members,” Carstens said. “Remote work can lead to being on for much longer hours than usual, so having their team leads encourage breaks, as well as lead by example, is incredibly impactful. If you’re a few minutes late to a meeting because you needed to set up your child on Zoom, share that with your team!”
2. Smart scheduling. “If you’re feeling a bit of Zoom fatigue, and have started scheduling one meetingfree day each week to help combat this sentiment, share that with your team. Let them know that you’ll get a deliverable to them right after you pop out to walk your dog around the block. This level of
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candidness and vulnerability is sure to inspire your team.” 3. Be open-minded. “Remind employees about their vacation days. It’s easy to forget that just because you can’t travel, it doesn’t mean you can’t take a well-deserved day off and lounge around at home. Alternatively, implement summer Fridays, even if your company historically hasn’t participated. Allowing your associates to get a jump start on the weekend can lead to heightened productivity the following week.” 4. Turn off your camera (and your brain). “There’s been an uptick on video conferencing, however, there is no need to have the camera on for every meeting,” Carstens explained. “Setting protocol on what meetings should implement video— such as daily team stand-ups, calls with new clients, and one-on-ones—versus which you can handle sans video—quick check in’s, calls you’re primarily listening in on, etc., will diminish the potential of Zoom fatigue.”
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5. Emote so others know you’re listening. Nod. Smile. Shoot some looks of confirmation. Sometimes it helps the speaker when listeners can fill that nonverbal gap, even if it’s only in the form of a few subtle emotes. Remember social cues and put them into practice whenever possible.
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Understanding the
Uprising RACISM IN 2020 BY JACK OLIVER
Racism is not a political issue, yet it seems
to be touted like one every day. Racism is a human issue. In our current year, the pleas from the Black Lives Matter movement for our country to end its systemic prejudice—and to treat others with the equality promised decades ago through the Civil Rights Act of 1964—aren’t falling on deaf ears. But while the pleas are being heard, they’re oftentimes not being understood. It’s hard to ignore the fact that many American citizens and lawmakers alike are disregarding, rejecting or even opposing the movement against racism. So let’s try to understand it together. Racism itself can be traced through evolutionary psychology.
In a 2020 article for “Psychology Today,” Leeds Beckett University’s Dr. Steve Taylor discusses how evolution “tries to account for present-day human traits in terms of the survival benefit they might have had to our ancestors.” He also adds that “if a trait has survived and become prevalent, then the genes associated with it must have been ‘selected’ by evolution.” This explains earlyhuman practices of depriving specific groups of resources to benefit their own, and the oppression of other groups to increase the intake of those resources. Taylor’s study offers a great understanding of racism’s lineage, but why does racism remain prevalent centuries later in our supposedly evolved society?
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The Terror Management Theory, explained in-depth by Taylor, gives us clarity into modern society’s grip on racism. This theory explores the motivations behind racism through five different defense mechanisms that humans commonly engage in: • Insecurity or lack of identity • Pursuit of a sense of belonging • Withdrawal of empathy to aid personal strength • Categorization of individuals based on lineage • Projection of psychological flaws onto another group Like many Americans, I take no comfort growing in a world where racism can be widely rationalized and even accepted in certain communities. An explanation behind a behavior does not serve as a rationalization, much less a justification. So make no mistake, there is nothing ethical about racism existing in our current world. A viewing of the Netflix documentary “13th” has further enlightened me as to why the aforementioned diagnosis is enabled in modern society. The answer has a large part to do with the 13th Amendment, which reads as follows:
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
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Did you catch that? It’s okay if you didn’t. I didn’t my first time either, mainly because it’s just six words. Six words that would go on to define centuries of racist enablement. “Except as a punishment for crime.” This began what we now understand as the Prison Industrial Complex, a loophole in the Constitution that birthed a number of alarming statistics. We now live in a country where one in three Black men will serve a prison sentence in their lifetime. In America, Black men make up 6.5 percent of the population, yet they make up 40.2 percent of the prison population in our country. Topics like these, ones that are uncomfortable to speak on, are often suppressed rather than highlighted. We default this difficult conversation as a debate. These subject discussions often feel like an exhaustive, tiring, and fruitless endeavor. So, what can we, as a country, do to help each other trend toward a solution? Perhaps it’s time to listen to each other. I had a conversation with my father about the recent deconstruction of statues across the country, where we assumed the stereotypical roles of young, energetic liberal versus collected and traditional centrist adult. He was genuinely confused by statues being taken down across the country of our forefathers, asking me why “my generation” believes there is a solution in “erasing” our country’s racist history. He spoke specifically about Thomas Jefferson, and how his influence can be traced through the Declaration of Independence and several other significant American documents. When my father told me this, I assured him that his confusion was valid, and something I’m glad he brought up. I then explained that our history is still important, but it belongs in a history
textbook to inform the public of the formation of independence in our country. A statue is less informative and functions as a public glorification of a historical figure, sometimes in spite of the less heroic and even heinous actions they committed. My father’s perspective is not one of ignorance, but of an idea he grew up with: the idolization of our forefathers. Regardless of our opinions, we are both better off having discussed this together. If America is going to leave racism behind as a relic of history, our country must first prompt its people to confront the ugly truths of our present world that divide us. We know the lineage of racism, and yet, this ideology has prevailed, and is likely here to stay unless action is taken. I’ll admit, I’ve shied away from discussions about systemic racism, about
race wage gaps, about police brutality, and maybe you have too at some point. We all shy away for different reasons. Some of us from a point of privilege, simply not wanting to participate in an uncomfortable discussion. Some of us from a point of danger, where speaking about the things we believe in compromise our livelihood. The fact of the matter is that cultures have not yet fully embraced each other; traces of cohesion are there, but the gaps between us are still ingrained in our country. But we can lessen the space between us the more we discuss and interact with each other. The more we do, the less threatened we might feel toward one another. The more we open up the discussion, the smaller those gaps become.
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H
ave the hard, exhaustive conversation with friends and family, because there’s no better time than the present. We are better than the society that doesn’t bat an eye at the hate happening right in front of it. The recent plight of American protestors, many of whom are young and Black, isn’t birthed from hate. It was formed as a bid for compassion, a bid for understanding and justice. Empathy, kindness; listening and believing: these are what make us human. Racism is a hierarchical enforcer embedded in our society, and it may seem impossible to escape at times. But, as Taylor remarked at the end of his aforementioned article, “there is no biological basis for dividing the human race into distinct ‘races.’ There are just groups of human beings—all of whom came from Africa originally—who developed slightly different physical characteristics over time as they traveled to, and adapted to, different climates and environments.” Amidst the chaos of the racial divide globally, we must remember that the differences between us are ones we have developed as a race, not something nature developed for us. “Fundamentally, there are no races—just one human race.” But to take it a step further, perhaps it’s time we start to embrace our differences too. The things that set us apart from each other do not need to make us inferior or superior, they simply make us who we are and who we aspire to be.
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