It is that time of the year again. No, not Christmas. It is Halloween. Halloween is a holiday popularized in the American culture and celebrated by wearing costumes, reading scary thrillers, and even watching horror films as part of the Halloween spirit. Teenagers like to throw parties and get dressed up for Halloween, while younger kids prefer to go knocking door to door to collect candy. Partly fun, partly family friendly, partly scary, Halloween is a day full of complicated fun and experiences. However, what is the celebration about?

It is also observed in several countries on the 31st of October. It is also known as All Hallows’ Eve and it traditionally begins with a three-day observance of the day, which is dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints, martyrs and other faithful departed; hence the scary costumes and movies which symbolize the dread that comes with the thoughts of the dead resurrecting, the fictional zombies and the likes.

There are several myths surrounding Halloween, among them is that it is a Gaelic holiday with pagan roots. While others believe that to cleanse the holiday, the early church Christianized it as Halloween and others say that it is actually a Christian holiday separate from other ancient festivals with pagan history attached to it.

On this day, in today’s popular culture it is not unusual to find a woman dressed in a nurse’s outfit. Tailored and fitted to look more promiscuous rather than a well dressed nursed. The outfit is sexualized and commands the attention of the woman who wears it. It is seen as an exciting and fun choice for many young women. The costume pokes fun at the ‘innocent nurse’ gesture and turns to become more sexualized and even having a dangerous character to an extent over Halloween.

The costume has been widely accepted in American culture to take on different roles, depending on the wearer. For some professional nurses, the costume can come off as demeaning to their practice, and they are unappreciative of the different vulgar costumes they come across. While others are not offended at all. They understand the context of the costume and where and when it applies, therefore not having a place in any professional setting. Due to that, it doesn’t bother them.

The nurse costume has not caused a public disturbance, but more of a public discomfort should a nurse or anyone else who may come across it being worn in an environment that is not suitable. Today, it has been fully accepted as a costume used to enhance relationships or make for an interesting costume over Halloween. More so, the nurse costume and the actual nurses’ uniform are not the same. The costume does not represent the actual uniform nurses wear, it is more of the character they embody when wearing the costume that spells out it is a nurse costume.

The costume itself should not be banned. In a democratic and liberal society such as the American one, it would be outrageous to ban the costume. It is a world where individuals are free to speak and do as they wish, hence the tag ‘the free world’. The costume should not be banned, but instead, the costume should have regulations to its tailoring to be distinct from the original nurse’s uniform, and refrain from replicating an authentic nurses’ uniform completely.

The regulations can also be applied in specific states, to avoid replication of uniforms that replicate the exact fashion of the real nurses’ uniforms for the states in question and those of the health facilities around. Additionally, if there are any institutions and nursing groups or unions that feel violated by the uniforms they should go ahead and act against it, instead of applying for a nation-wide ban on the nurse costume worn over Halloween and other holidays.

However, it is perfectly legal as t, is done in a light-hearted fashion, not meant to offend nurses themselves.

We all want our bodies to be in tip-top shape, but what about our minds? When it comes to wellness and fitness, people tend to focus more on their external appearance, forgetting that we feed the mind is what contributes to the beginning of a lasting wellness, journey. Body, mind, and soul. What you feed the mind is productive, or counter-productive. You either contribute to a conversation with knowledge, stay quiet or look foolish. Either way, it is important to make your contribution, even if it just to answer the questions of a curious child. It sounds easy but when you are asked: “where does the sun come from?” You start thinking too.

You must have heard the phrase, ‘we never stop learning’. It is a true quote. Every day, the human being learns, if they accept the lesson. IT can come from relationships, losses, new beginnings and the obvious academics. We learn from people we meet, those whom we choose to keep in our lives like mentors, and when we further our studies. However, to have and keep a healthy mind does not have to be expensive. You do not have to spend a costly sum for a further education, but you can.

Quiz it

Today, to keep learning all you need is a quizzical app and an open mind. There are several apps available via the Appstore for Android and iOS where users can access to do daily quizzes to give the mental stimulation. It is well known that higher education makes for better mental health. This is because of the challenge. The mind needs constant stimulation to work efficiently each time and do better than before. It is like sharpening a knife, and any tool after substantial dormancy becomes blunt.

Academia: Higher Education

This is why higher education is encouraged and celebrated. Education is considered to be an investment in oneself because of the rewards of making efforts towards achieving more mental efficiency. It translates into better opportunities for one who is better educated. The old school way of keeping your brain healthy lies in reading books. All kinds of books. It keeps you curious and interested.

Healthy body, Healthy Mind

Another way to have a healthy mind is by exercising. Regular exercise gets the blood flowing and allows oxygen to travel around the body reaching the brain. For mental efficiency, we all need oxygen or eventually, pass out. Eating well is also a significant factor. Too much alcohol or binge eating makes the body sick. As the saying goes, too much of anything is poisonous, and that lies in what we consume as well. A cup of coffee serves as a good pick me up, and the caffeine in the beverage enables us to become more alert and thus, work better.

Vary your activities, for many people a routine workout stops challenging the body. The same goes for your mental work as well. When you do the same set repetitively until it becomes easy, it stops becoming interesting because the challenge is lost. This is an indication that you need to progress. Make the challenge harder or try something new. This is one of the reasons online learning is so convenient. There are several free new courses available at the click of a button to challenge yourself.

Stop bad habits

As mentioned before, drinking and overindulgence limit brain functionality. This includes the intake of tobacco. This is especially through smoking cigarettes and the occasional or frequent use of marijuana. This also may lead to limited brain functionality, sometimes with long-term effects. These effects may lead to permanent brain damage and overall declined health, which affects brain function.

Garbage in, garbage out. What you feed your mind is what you reveal, therefore, if the mind is treated like a precious and limitless tool that has potential, it can be sharpened ever so frequently with what you feed it.

Early to bed and early to rising, makes a man healthy and wealthy and wise. These are the words to a children’s song to encourage them to sleep earlier for better health and a more productive day the next day. Sleep is important. It is important for rejuvenation of the body through rest. The body can repair itself after a long day, and your mind can settle into the unconscious for a while and get ready to conquer another day.

Stress Manager

There are so many advantages to sleeping well within the recommended hours and getting enough rest. The first one is that it reduces stress. When you get a nap and some well-deserved peace, on waking up you feel clearer and ready to manage your stress in a healthy way. For some people, sleep is the way they deal with stress. They take a timeout and wake up ready to handle the pressure in a good way. Whether it’s a work deadline or an unhealthy relationship. It could even be illness, sleep helps you to relax and go about your day more productively.

Better Health

In the same way, sleep helps deal with stress, it can also manage stress-related side effects. One example is high blood pressure. People with this condition are prone to have raised levels of blood pressure when they are stressed. During such times, it is better to close your eyes and rest to avoid any more health problems ensuing. Taking a break is better when things become overwhelming.

Good mood

Waking up angry and tired is not because you had a bad dream necessarily. It is mostly because you did not get enough sleep. When you wake up tired, you tend to be shorter tempered with people for speaking loudly or even demanding things from you in the office. If you have a high-stress job, or active family life sleep could be the one time and place to have solitude and complete rest. Lack of it results in feelings of frustrations and anger towards those who have no fault and no part to play in the fact that you are sleep-deprived.

Creativity

Sleep improves your creativity. Those dreams are proof of an incredible imagination. Sleep gives the physical body a break and mentally the unconscious can soar off and restructure and reorganize itself for creative work. It explains why after sleep, problems seem less complex and ideas flow freely. Researchers at Harvard and Boston College have found that after sleep emotional components are stronger which compliments the creative process.

Physical fitness

Longer hours of sleep have resulted in improved stamina, not just for your daily activities but also for physical activity. This includes exercise and sporting activities. For athletes, this translates into longer playing time with more stamina and less daytime fatigue. The secret to the repeated cramps or feelings of nausea due to overworking your body could just be sleep. Not another round of medication or supplements, instead just adopt an early to bed, early to rise schedule.

Improved academic performance

For children who did not perform well in school, they have problems paying attention and learning in the classroom. Research has shown that children who suffer from insomnia, sleep apnea and other types of interrupted breathing at night suffer in class. Further information indicates that sacrificing sleep to meet deadlines, as adults often do leads to a clear impairment for learning and ultimately performance. Therefore, if the children and adults could both sleep well through the night, they would do better in their respective areas.

Healthy weight

Often times people forget that sleep plays a role in maintaining a healthy weight. This is because sleep and weight are controlled by the same sectors of the brain, and when we feel sleepy the same hormones drive our appetite. Sleeping early means you spend less time thinking about your cravings and binge eating. In addition, dieters in a recent study said they felt more hungry when they got less sleep.

A miscarriage is one of the worst experiences an expectant mother can have. The joy of knowing you will be a mother is the stuff of dreams for many couples. Some couples struggle with infertility and opt for more technology-enhanced ways of getting pregnant or even adopting as a solution to have a family of their own. A miscarriage is an emotionally strenuous experience for any couple. There are feelings of loss and guilt. Sometimes the mother blames herself, thinking she could have done more to carry her pregnancy to full term. Sometimes, it is a biological issue that cannot be addressed head-on but can be managed to help the woman carry the pregnancy to full term. Either way, it is a stressful experience.

The cause of a miscarriage is often the result of a weak cervix. The weakness of the cervix is called an incompetent cervix, which cannot hold the pregnancy hence a miscarriage. A miscarriage that happens due to an incompetent cervix takes place in the second trimester. This is after or during the period of four to six months. In some cases, there are symptoms before a miscarriage happens which is caused by cervical insufficiency.

Some women do not experience any symptoms prior to a miscarriage, but bleeding is a cautionary sign that needs immediate attention. Mild to severe cramps is also a cause for medical attention as well as pain in your back and abdomen. Additionally, excessive vomiting can be linked to a miscarriage.

Unfortunately, miscarriages happen more often than not, with an average of one pregnancy out of five ending in a miscarriage. Miscarriages cannot be prevented. Other than having a weak cervix, it is also caused by a chromosomal abnormality in the development of the fetus which then results in a miscarriage. It is often heartbreaking and mothers need a lot of support, from friends, family and sometimes professionally. This is to prevent mothers or the couple from falling into depression or bearing feelings of guilt and blame.

To avoid a miscarriage altogether, it is best to maintain a healthy lifestyle throughout your pregnancy. Mothers who are breastfeeding should also consider adopting a healthy lifestyle after birth to ensure their children are safe and gain full nutritional value from the mother’s milk. To ensure that you are not in danger of having a miscarriage, pregnant women should visit a gynecologist to check the cervical area and uterus to ensure the pregnancy is going well. At this time, they will also advise on supplements to take and foods to avoid for a healthy pregnancy.

A woman who is planning for a pregnancy should visit the gynecologist to assess the strength of her uterus and cervix to be able to carry the baby to full term. Additionally, a well-balanced diet will go a long way to strengthen both mother and baby. Exercise should also be done in moderation, under the instructions of your doctor to avoid any unnecessary strain that could harm the pregnancy. As the pregnancy progresses, the strenuous movement should be kept to a minimum. This includes work long and late hours or frequent travel that could stress the body.

A stressful environment can also lead to a miscarriage. If a mother is working in an area that causes her to feel stressed frequently, or lives in such an environment; it could be detrimental to her health and that of the baby’s. If you have a regular habit of eating sugary foods and junk, your diet has to change to avoid acquiring diabetes during pregnancy. It is important to have your vitals checked for your blood sugar to make sure it is within the safe levels. Additionally, if you already have diabetes it is important to have it under control.

Poor habits like drinking too much alcohol, smoking and doing drugs can lead to a miscarriage and need to be stopped immediately. Therefore, it is safe to say that a poor lifestyle can be a contributing factor among other things when it comes to a miscarriage.