May Rampage - Campuses - Katy ISD

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RAMPAGE In-Depth May 2012 Mayde Creek High School
THE ROAD TO
Finding True Happiness
Through Small Changes In
Emily Grizzell
Editor in Chief
You can either sit around and
wait for great things to happen to
you or you can take a pro-active role
in opening your life up to possibility.
Th ink of it this way: there is no such
thing as luck, but rather you create
your own luck. You can do that
by being as prepared as you can for
opportunities when they come. Th e
wider you open the door into your
life, the more likely you will be able
to take advantage of those opportunities
that present themselves in your
life.
If you fi nd yourself unfulfi lled,
it is likely the cause of something in
your life like your job, relationships,
friends or the place you live and the
fact that it is not fully meeting your
needs. You need to go out there and
fi nd fulfi llment in other things. If
you are unhappy or depressed, it is
not easy and it is not fun, but you are
responsible for going out and getting
your needs met. You are responsible
for changing your own life; you cannot
depend on other people to ensure
your happiness.
It is always hard to give up the
time and energy you have put into
something you care so much about,
but if a job or relationship does not
completely meet your needs, you
will have to risk the comfort and
Your Own Life
the eff ort you put into something in
exchange for a chance of becoming
truly happy and fulfi lled in life.
“I’ve had to quit a previous job
because it was stressing me out way
too much. It wasn’t a very hard job,
but the hours were long and I wasn’t
having any fun. I was so much happier
when I quit and found a new job
that I enjoy,” said senior Jamie Burch.
A simple way to be happier more
frequently is to stop and smell the
roses. It might be the oldest cliché in
the book, but it is also the truest. According
to neuro-psychologist Rick
Hanson, Ph.D, when you slow down
your busy day and take some time
to appreciate the little things in life,
your brain is actually making a memory
of the moment. In the future, you
will have an easier time dealing with
random stress.
“One time I was driving to
school and I was just in a horrible
mood for no reason. Suddenly I
noticed the sunrise and it totally
changed my mood and outlook of my
day to come. It was so beautiful, so
heavenly, it made me smile and feel
good inside ,” said Journalism teacher
Shetye Cypher.
If you fi nd yourself feeling different
with certain people, change
who you hang out with. According
to Marco Iacobini, M.D., emotions
are contagious so people catch
moods like they catch colds. If you
hang out with upbeat people, you
will fi nd yourself being happy more
oft en. When you watch a person doing
something, the mirror neurons in
your brain are activated, even if you
are not doing anything. Because of
this, when you see someone smile,
your mirror neurons for smiling will
become active, whether or not you
are in a good mood.
According to a number of doctors
and psychologists, there are four
of the most popular scientifi c ways to
be happy is smiling, singing, sweating
and soothing. Smiling can lift
your mood through a phenomenon
known as the facial feedback hypothesis.
Th ere is evidence that a primitive
sensory organ in the inner ear,
the sacculus, could maybe react to
music. It triggers response in the hypothalamus
that creates a pleasurable
sensation. Sweating and exercising
buff ers the brain from stressful situations
and new studies suggest that it
promotes the growth of new neurons
that are less reactive to stress. To distress
aft er a long day, soothe yourself;
replay a good memory that evokes
feelings of comfort.
Even if your goal of newly selfinduced
happiness does not pan out
as planned, you will still experience
personal growth and that is the most
valuable goal. If it is good, it is great;
if it is bad, it is experience. Everything
happens for a reason and it will
all work out in the end; if it does not
work out, it is not the end.
Photo by Fatima Abdullah
Kyle Pierce
Staff Reporer
Th e road to happiness is not
supposed to be easy. We think that
happiness should come with little
or no work involved. Our natural
tendency says life is about us. If we
get this and that, we will be happy,
because aft er all that is what the
world teaches us. Something we
were not told though is that serving
others, actually makes us happier
than serving ourselves all of
the time.
“I think the reason why it is so
hard to put others before ourselves
is because we are always thinking
about us, and what we want. When
we are thinking about ourselves
there is no room to think about
others,” said sophomore Jackie
Flores.
It is obvious in the world today
something is missing. Either we as
people are doing something wrong,
or we have missed the whole point
of life. Happiness is like a myth
these days because it is so hard to
fi nd, and being selfi sh does not
help at all, in fact it creates misery.
Serving others is very hard. It
is easy to do it when it is conve-
In-Depth
HHAPPINESS A P P I N E S S
An in-depth look into how you
can make sure you stay happy
“To know
that I helped
someone out
just makes
me happy.”
-Jackie Flores
Serving Others
nient, but to truly go out of the way
to help someone takes guts, and a
huge heart.
“Being a true servant is when
your needs are no longer your top
priority, and the needs of others is
your top focus,” said Teen Leadership
teacher John Jones.
How we change is up to us but,
in order to be a happier person, old
ways have to go. Volunteering to
help others is something that will
defi nitely make us happier. It does
not matter if it is direct, anonymous,
spontaneous or planned.
Just seeing someone else’s day
made not only changes something
inside us, but makes our world a
better place. Th e most important
thing to remember is that helping
others and practicing loving kindness
towards others takes us out
of our daily ‘me’ zone and gets us
thinking about other people.
“It’s hard to serve others with
love, but that’s why transformation
is the key to it all. Once you
get to the point in life where serving
others is your top priority, you
will then begin to see why it is truly
better to give then to receive,” said
Jones.
Helping others does not necessarily
have to consist of something
big; it can be little things such as
opening a door for a stranger, to
buying someone lunch. Helping is
helping, and for all we know, one
little thing could change the world
20 years from now because of a
chain reaction started just simply
from lending a hand to someone in
need.
“Whenever I help someone
out I feel accomplished. Not only
does it build up my character, it
also gives me confi dence I never
knew I had. To know that I helped
someone out just makes me happy,
and the amazing part about it is
that I didn’t have to serve myself to
fi nd that happiness ,” said Flores.
Helen Keller once said, ‘Happiness
cannot come from without.
It must come from within. It
is not what we see and touch or
that which others do for us which
makes us happy; it is that which we
think and feel and do, fi rst for the
other fellow and then for ourselves.’
Th e road to happiness does not always
come easy, and it is not always
going to be convenient, but it will
always be worth it in the end. How
we get to the end of the road is up
to us, but one tip of advice is to get
out of the way, and let the journey
begin.
Sarah Castillo
Co-managing Editor
Stress is something every student
will experience during their high school
career. Not only does it aff ect school
work, but it can also aff ect the way a person
acts around other people. It can be
frustrating and students will fi nd themselves
feeling overwhelmed with diff erent
emotions causing them to become
upset very easily. However, sometimes
stress can be helpful. It can be motivation
for a person to do their best and
perform well under pressure. It is something
that helps keep the brain alert and
aware of what is going on around them.
“Th e stress response is critical during
emergency situations, like when a
driver has to slam on the brakes to avoid
an accident. It can be activated in milder
form like getting ready for a big date
or before taking an exam. A little of this
type of stress keeps us on our toes and
gets us ready to rise to the challenge. So
in cases like these stress can be a good
thing,” said Mayde Creeks Nurse Rosalinda
Hobbs.
No matter what, in a student’s every
day there will be something that causes
them to become frustrated or upset. Obviously
this is what causes stress. Many
Dealing with Stress
wish there were more hours in a day to
complete errands or family responsibilities.
Maybe there is not enough time to
relax and sit down for a little while. But
all that can easily be solved. Stress is
something that takes over the brain and
tells the body to keep going even if there
is no energy left . Managing this feeling
is all about taking charge. Taking charge
means balancing out the goals in a person’s
life. Having time for school work,
relationships and family is extremely
important in all students’ lives.
“No one is immune to stress. We
see it daily in adults and oft en teenagers.
I see it here at MCHS a lot. People can
cope with their stress by building resilience
and thinking of setbacks or problems
as a temporary thing that can be
solved. It is important to build a strong
relationship with family and friends and
when you are stressed, ask for help,” said
Hobbs.
Healthy ways to cope with stress are
not rare at all. Writing down thoughts
and emotions about what is going on
throughout the day is an easy way for
one to express feelings that they have
been bottling up inside. Going on walks
with a friend or even a pet can take a
person’s mind off of a stressful situation.
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RAMPAGE
Th ere are a lot of unhealthy ways that
many people tend to choose, but in the
long run those can damage their lives
for good. Th ings like smoking, drinking,
overeating and under eating or
withdrawal from activities with friends
and family can just add more stress on a
person instead of taking it away.
“Doing things like overscheduling
yourself is what causes stress. Nobody
is perfect and don’t expect perfection
from others. If you need help on something
like school work ask for it. It is important
to get a good night’s sleep and
to relax. Put activities in your schedule
that are calming and pleasurable. Reading
a good book, spending time with
your pet or taking a relaxing bath are
all things that can help with stress,” said
Hobbs.
Bottled up stress oft en comes out
in explosions. It is important to make
alone time and to fi nd a hobby that is
enjoyable. Stress is a natural thing that
humans witness every day. Even an infant
crying can feel stress because they
are trying to verbalize discomfort. All
changes require adaptation, whether
they are good or bad. Th e way a person
copes with stress determines how confi
dent, mature and wise they really are.
Photo by Fatima Abdullah