The complete list of all life-guiding messages for young people – click the titles for further information
Foods particularly susceptible to contamination if not handled, stored or cooked properly include: raw meat and poultry, raw eggs, raw shellfish, unpasteurised milk, and “ready-to-eat” foods such as cooked sliced meats, pâté, soft cheeses and pre-packed sandwiches.
Food can become contaminated by: not cooking it thoroughly (particularly meat), not correctly storing food that needs to be chilled at below 5°C, not sufficiently reheating previously cooked food, and eating food that has passed its “use by” date.
When you’re faced with a difficult situation, ask “What’s the best thing I can do to resolve this problem?” Work through the options one step at a time. Sometimes you may find yourself in a situation that you can’t change, no matter how much you would like things to be different.
Coping strategies might include: challenging your negative self-talk; talking to people who can support you; relaxing and reflecting; and distracting yourself from the problem by getting involved in other enjoyable activities.
When we feel like reacting negatively to someone, they are helping to bring out what we haven’t healed in ourselves. How can there be blame and anger towards those that bring up our shadows? Instead, we could replace our resentment with compassion for ourselves and those who hurt us.
We all have invisible wounds and we’ll do anything to avoid them being touched. If someone else accidentally touches our wounds, we act as if they caused them. But, they didn’t cause them, and they cannot heal them. They are our wounds and we have the power to heal them.
It takes strength and courage to take a step back and remind ourselves: Other people’s reactions are not about us, they are about them.
It’s important to express yourself clearly, and let your partner know how you feel about something, if it’s important to you. Understand that your partner is not the same person as you, and they will not always automatically understand how you feel without you telling them.
The key to a happy, healthy relationship is to have good communication. Learn to be open and say what you mean. Expecting your partner to read your mind all the time will cause unnecessary misunderstanding and confusion.
When you develop coping strategies, you’re able to build resilience. You’re able to see things in a better perspective and you’ll feel much better about how you handled a certain situation.