For my semester one project I analyzed and researched the question: What role(s) do one’s thoughts play in influencing one’s physiological responses? While conducting my research, I focused on one of three subtopics and read articles and documents on the topic, gathering knowledge and data to be used in my blog posts.
a. Throughout this project I really noticed the sheer quantity of knowledge there is on the internet. It was a bit intimidating to sift through this data and posed a challenge for me during my process in deciding which pieces of information were the most important and therefore should be included in my blog post. Since I didn’t want to throw a huge chunk of text at my readers it was important for me convey my message and research in the most clear and concise way. I did so by reading through multiple different articles and documents and finding quotes/facts that caught my attention or were helpful in building on the ideas I was writing about. This helped me decide which information was the most relevant and allowed me to take sections from different documents, giving my posts a more diverse range of facts.
Another challenge I was faced with was including an equal amount of data found from other sources and my own opinions. I knew from the beginning that this inquiry process would include a lot of my own opinions as my question is one that greatly relates to my personal experiences. My challenge was to ensure I wasn’t talking to much about the data I found, but also including personal anecdotes and opinions to engage my readers. I did so by getting others to read my posts and give me feedback on the balance of facts and opinions. I also used the comments from my peers and tried to implement their feedback into my next post(s).
b. When creating this inquiry question I tried to base it on a topic that interests me and one that I relate to. I did this so that I would not only feel inclined to research and gain more knowledge but also so that I could connect with my readers through my own experiences. By reading my comments and researching data, I realized just how similar my challenges are to those around me. It surprised me to see how many people experience the same, or similar, issues as me and struggle with dealing with them as well. I think this inquiry opened my eyes to the similarities and ways everyone is connected and grew my appreciation for out similar human experiences. It makes me feel better about myself and my peers to know that we all go through these mental and physical challenges. It also made me realize that we would all be far better off if we helped and supported each other through these similar issues, sharing our challenges and tactics to better ourselves as a whole.
c. Moving forward, I want to be more aware of those around me and recognize when they are going through issues I have gone through. By doing so I can offer them my knowledge on how to overcome these challenges or I can even just share my experiences, making them feel more comfortable with their struggles.
d. Hopefully my research helped others better understand the connection between their physical and mental wellbeing. The impact of realizing that your physical wellbeing is directly impacted by your thoughts and mental health will urge people to prioritize their mental processes. Mental health can be overlooked as it isn’t a physical concept rather an abstract one. Having said this, it can still materialize in physical ways, as I learned from my research, and is just as important as one’s appearance or physical factors.
To conclude my semester one inquiry project, I urge anyone reading to implement one new mental health tactic a week. Each week do one thing that betters and helps you focus on your mental wellbeing. Doing so will slowly improve your mental clarity and will overall help your physical health and reactions. Just as our bodies change slowly, our mental health takes time to improve so implementing easy, accessible tactics such as taking a long walk or spending five minutes stretching can help ensure long term wellbeing and implementation.
Sarah, I really like reading about your research on how ideas affect our bodies. I respect your commitment to learning more about this intricate subject. think about perhaps referencing particular sources to support your points in subsequent entries. you could however try to use of a variety of sources, like books or maybe websites cause they can normally indicate a more careful approach to your study like less oppinion and more facts not to discredit what youve already done but for now, just continue the fantastic effort and remember to add those links the next time!