People are naturally decisive, we take one look at something or someone and we have made up our mind about whether we like them or not.

Hygiene is one factor in a first impression.

1. Maintaining daily routines such as: showering, bathing, brushing our teeth, washing our hands and washing our clothes is good hygiene.

2. Bad hygiene is the opposite of good, however, that can change with some easy steps:

   1. Wash your clothes on a regular basis;
   2. Change your toothbrush regularly;
   3. Stay away of heavy perfumed soaps, since most of them don't provide with the necessary cleaning;
   4. Choose a good deodorant;
   5. Do not wear soiled clothing over an over again.

The old saying, "killing two birds with one stone".   People often describe an action using this saying, for example, when you take a trip to the store and buy food for dinner and buy supplies for a DIY (Do It Yourself) project - one trip and get two things done.  Wouldn't everything be so easy if everything could be done like that, "in a quickness?" 

If you put your mind into achieving a goal, there are no obstacles you can't surpass.  Through achievement of goals, it can lead to opportunities.

Join a sport or a club while you're at school, it builds social capital (people you meet) and it is an opportunity to develop skills.  Studies show that teenagers who are involved in school clubs or school sports are less likely to be in gangs, violent, abuse drug or alcohol and teenage pregnancies.

Low self-esteem can lead to depression, drug or alcohol abuse, violent behavior, abusive relationships, pregnancy and giving into peer pressure. 

Teenagers often want to fit in with their peers and in most cases low self-esteem can make them feel less important, little ability to stand up for themselves and succeed.  Low self-esteem can lead to development of body image and appearance issues or eating disorders.

A good way to start building up a person's self-esteem is by accepting who they are, just by acting like yourself no matter what other people say, think or do.  Love yourself for the way you look, talk, act, think and feel.  In addition, join a club or activity that you enjoy and create friendships that will be your network for support.

School is supposed to be one of the best years of our lives.

However, when you find that special person you want to be with, he or she may be someone completely different.  Abusive relationships happen in every ethic group, class and education level.

You or someone you know might be in a relationship that is abusive - tell someone - it is not your fault, your friends fault or anyone's fault.  However, it is you, your friend or anyone's point to get themselves out of an abusive relationship by seeking help or assistance.  Abusive relationships can lead to gruesome outcomes, including: lowered self-esteem on the victim or even worst, death.  Some of the attributes that can point to a relationship possibly being abuse or potentially becoming abusive are:

• Jealousy
• Physical and Mental Violence
• Humiliation
• Drug Abuse
• Sexual Pressure

The United States has the highest rate of individuals living with eating disorders and it is most common among teens.

Eating disorders can developed early on.  Most likely eating disorders are developed from fear of becoming overweight, wanting to be accepted by others or wanting to mimic the body type of the girls they've seen in magazines and on TV.  There is a fine line between staying healthy and becoming obsessive over weight. 

What they don't realize is anorexia or bulimia can lead to early onset of health problems, it can affect the esophagus, metabolism and overall bodily functions.  Surprisingly anorexia or bulimia are also affecting teenage boys.

Most girls who have an eating disorder think that they're over weight, when in reality, they're underweight, this is a problem affecting many teens nation wide.  However they're not alone, there are various organizations established to provide support and help to teens and individuals who suffer from eating disorders, body dismorphic disorder, etc.

http://helpguide.org/mental/eating_disorder_treatment.htm

http://www.something-fishy.org/

Your probably tired of hearing the same lectures about not using drugs, staying drug-free and not drinking alcohol until you are twenty-one (21).  However, you'd be surprised to know that many teens under the legal drinking and smoking age are using drugs and alcohol. 

Cigarettes and alcohol are known as gateway drugs, meaning that these drugs and their use creates a greater likelihood of the use of  illicit (illegal) drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and LSD. 

The D.A.R.E program teaches K-5 students about staying drug free through activities such as sports, clubs and support like family,  friends or spouse helps in providing methods of stress release that takes away the need for the use of drugs or alcohol.  Teens and teenagers in urban areas are most vulnerable to drugs, lack of extracurricular activities and parental guidance can negatively affect the ability to make the right choices.
Teens that also consume drugs and alcohol at this young age tend to slack more in school and are at risk of becoming dependent, which means they would require drugs or alcohol daily to function.