Sofia Duran Writ340

Soul Bridge: Breaking Barriers to Mental Health Today I want to introduce Soul Bridge, an organization that dares to imagine a world where therapy and mental health are priorities for everyone. This organization envisions a world in which all individuals have access to the resources they need to care for their mental well-being. Therefore, Soul Bridge actively takes steps to address the issues of inaccessibility and stigma surrounding mental health.     Why?   Therapy can be a safe space where individuals can express themselves, process their emotions, and be listened to without judgment. We all need this kind of support at times. By taking care of our emotional and mental health, we can become better at managing unexpected challenges and approach life with empathy, patience, and compassion. Taking care of a mental health is something extremely beneficial not only for ourselves, but for the people around us. We impact our environment.      How to make a dif...

Sofia Duran I struggled trying to define an idea. The main challenge was balancing creativity and reality. I felt stuck because if I let myself dream without limits, I would start thinking of unrealistic possibilities. For this first post, I decided to ignore all the inner critic voices that were killing my ideas and let my imagination fly.   I dare to imagine a world in which we all have access to therapy. I dare to imagine a world in which there are no taboos around going to therapy, but rather, it is as normal as going to the station to fill up your car with gas. I see therapy as a safe space of release. More than anything, a place where individuals can be and feel unapologetically, without being judged, but rather listened to. I imagine a world in which we don’t try to fix or numb ourselves.     It is human nature to feel emotions, all of them. There are no good or bad emotions.  However, today we are ruled by social norms and cultural dynamics that influence our...

  Five Surprising Moments in Vaccine History – The Washington Post For the extra credit assignment on critical thinking, I chose the article “Five Surprising Moments in Vaccine History” published in The Washington Post in 2019 by Anna Rothschild. Anna Rothschild is a former on-air journalist for The Post covering science and health. She is an award-winning journalist, presenter, and multimedia producer. Most recently, she was the senior video producer at ABC’s FiveThirtyEight, and the host of Podcast-19: FiveThirtyEight on the Novel Coronavirus. She is also the creator, host, and animator of the popular YouTube channel Gross Science for NOVA and PBS Digital Studios, which is shown in educative classrooms and museums worldwide.   This article is composed of a short text and 3 videos. It talks about the importance of vaccines, how they are made, and what are its history. The purpose is to help the reader understand the context and science and answer big questions that currently ...

Yesterday, I went to Santa Monica Pier with two of my closest friends. We had said we wanted to go running together. Saturday seemed like the perfect day. It was sunny and warm. I woke up and met them at the metro station. I normally don’t use the metro because there aren’t many lines, but the one that goes directly to Santa Monica is perfect and very convenient. It was noon when we got there. The pier was full of people, and it felt good to be there. A lot of people exercise as well. Some were runners, others riding bicycles, others were in scooters or skating, and some were walking. Even though I have already spent two whole years living in LA I always surprise myself thinking about it again. I feel extremely lucky to be here and to have the beach so close to my reach. The landscape is simply beautiful, with mountains next to the sea, and a warm sun.      I haven’t been able to run at all in the last couple of months. After doing my first race I gave myself a rest that ...