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Beauty inside and out
Talk to yourself
Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love. - photo by Junior Alves Junior
Wendy Jessen
Deseret News National
Updated: Jul 31, 2014, 9:00 AM
Published: Jul 30, 2014, 1:12 PM

Girls today have a lot of pressure from society to look, act, think and behave a certain way. Trying to measure up to photoshopped and airbrushed images will only leave girls, and women, feeling inadequate.

A video circulating on social media sites features Colbie Caillat and several other women sharing the message that we don't need to please everyone else. We just need to like ourselves. We shouldn't try so hard to match up with the world's ideals. Rather, we should embrace our unique beauty. We are good enough.

Make-up, hair extensions, plastic surgery and other ways to alter our appearance are not who we are inside.
While trying to live up to unrealistic expectations, girls and women are willing to go to great lengths to make themselves look "perfect." This is an unhealthy obsession. We need to teach ourselves and our daughters that we are beautiful just the way we are. Our beauty comes from within. Being beautiful inside — caring, generous, full of love and integrity — is what makes us who we are. We are enough just the way we are. Who we are is beautiful.

Live a healthy lifestyle
Exercise, the way we eat and how we take care of our bodies affect how we think, our mood and our health. It's OK to have desserts in moderation and to chill on the couch sometimes. Enjoy life, but also make sure you eat foods that give your body the nutrition it needs. Each person has a different body type and different needs. Exercises are adaptable for all body types. Exercise can elevate moods and help you feel good. Proper hygiene and sleep are also important. Taking care of your body helps it function the way it needs to. Don't compare your body to another. If you're healthy and feel good, you're respecting yourself and your body.

Dress for you
Some girls and women think that you have to dress a certain way to be accepted by others or to be attractive to males. Instead, seek to dress how you're comfortable. Make sure you show respect for yourself in your dress. Wearing clothes that are too revealing, too tight, don't fit properly or that make you feel uncomfortable or like you're compromising your standards are examples of dressing for others instead of yourself. Find clothing that makes you feel good, confident, comfortable and enhances your natural beauty.

Embrace your unique identity and attributes
People come in all shapes, sizes, abilities and physical appearances. Height, weight, hair length and color, complexion, athletic ability, talents, strengths, weaknesses and likes and dislikes make up who we are. We are meant to be unique and different from each other. That is what makes us beautiful as individuals. We should embrace these unique qualities in ourselves and in others. Learn to recognize your own skills and unique beauty. Avoid putting yourself, or others, down and remember the beauty of each individual and what they, and you, have to offer the world.

It's easy to become discouraged by seeing the looks or achievements of others and thinking you don't measure up. Each person has strengths and weaknesses, but we often tend to compare our weaknesses to another's strengths instead of recognizing our unique abilities or looks. Strive to look for the good regardless of what the world may try to tell you about your appearance or talents. Don't try to please the world. You are good enough. You are beautiful. You are unique. You are YOU.

Wendy Jessen is a regular contributor for familyshare.com and frequently does media reviews. Her email is wendyjessen26@gmail.com.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.