Shadow Pulse 9

School Happiness and Digital Games: A Look at Primary School Students In today's digital world, video games are a popular pastime for children. However, concerns exist about the potential negative impacts of excessive gaming, particularly on aspects like school performance and overall well-being. This blog post explores a recent study that investigated the relationship between school happiness and digital game addiction among primary school students. Key Findings:  A recent study by Çayak, & Özge (2024) found the following with their research: School Happiness: Students reported moderate happiness levels on average, suggesting room for improvement in fostering positive school environments. Digital Game Addiction: A surprisingly high prevalence of digital game addiction was found, highlighting a potential concern for this age group. Gender and Digital Games: Contrary to some existing research, no significant difference in addiction levels between boys and girls was observed. Mor...

Welcome to Tarot Tuesday, a weekly exploration into the depths of the human psyche through the lens of tarot. Every day, I'll be randomly drawing a card from my homemade tarot deck and delving into its psychological significance. Let's start with today's card: The Four of Swords. The Four of Swords: Rest and Renewal Today's card, the Four of Swords, invites us to pause, reflect, and restore. Depicted as a knight resting within a church, surrounded by swords, this card symbolizes a period of necessary rest and recuperation. Psychologically, the Four of Swords represents a time for introspection and healing. It's as if our minds are telling us to hit the pause button on the relentless pace of life. This card encourages us to: Prioritize Self-Care: Just as the knight finds solace in the church, we need to create sacred spaces for ourselves to unwind and recharge. Embrace Solitude: Spending time alone can be incredibly beneficial for mental health. It allows us to conne...

 Do you find yourself waking up in a cold sweat, heart pounding, after a particularly terrifying dream? These “fire drill” dreams can be incredibly disruptive and leave you feeling anxious and on edge. But what if these dreams aren't just random nightmares, but rather your mind's way of processing and preparing for potential challenges? Understanding Your Dream’s Message The first step to conquering these fiery dreams is to understand their message. This is where dream journaling comes in handy. Keeping a dream journal by your bedside can help you identify recurring themes, emotions, and symbols. Detailed Record: Write down as much detail as you can remember about your dream immediately upon waking. Include sensory details, emotions, and any thoughts or feelings that arise. Symbolism: Pay attention to the symbols in your dream. What do they represent to you? How do they make you feel? Emotional Connection: Explore the emotions you experienced during the dream and upon waking....

 Dreams as Fire Drills: When the Mind Practices Safety Have you ever woken up from a dream feeling startled, heart pounding, and drenched in sweat? It's as if your mind just completed a rigorous fire drill. These intense, often anxiety-inducing dreams can be unsettling, but they might serve a crucial purpose in our psychological well-being. The Mind's Emergency Response System Just like a fire drill prepares us for a real emergency, these dreams might be our mind's way of practicing how to handle stressful situations. They could manifest our subconscious working through anxieties, fears, or unresolved issues. Identifying Threats : Dreams often present us with exaggerated or symbolic versions of real-life challenges. Our mind is scanning for potential threats and exploring different coping mechanisms. Rehearsing Responses: By experiencing these stressful scenarios in a dream, we might subconsciously prepare ourselves for similar situations in waking life. Emotional Release:...

Have you ever been swept away by a tsunami in your dreams, scorched by a wildfire, or shaken to your core by an earthquake? These dramatic natural elements often appear in our dreams, leaving us feeling bewildered and unsettled. But what might these dreams truly mean? The Hidden Language of Our Dreams Fábik, (2022) tells us that research suggests that dreams featuring natural elements could be our subconscious mind's way of processing and communicating intense emotions, and these powerful images may symbolize the overwhelming forces at play within our psyche: Unleashed Emotions: These dreams might represent bottled-up feelings like anger, fear, or a sense of powerlessness. Perhaps you've been suppressing strong emotions, and your dream is a way for your subconscious to bring them to the surface. The Body's Wisdom: Our bodies might be trying to communicate deep-seated emotional experiences through these vivid dream images. When we're unable to fully process our emotions ...

Keep moving when you’re in hell, and the devil might not even notice you. This old adage, while dramatic, encapsulates a profound psychological truth about the power of action in overcoming adversity. Navigating the Depths of Hell What constitutes "hell" is subjective. It could be a daunting life circumstance - a toxic job, a troubled relationship, or a chronic illness. Perhaps it's a mental health battle, such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. Or maybe it's a personal crisis like losing a loved one, financial ruin, or betrayal. These experiences often feel overwhelming, inescapable, and utterly hellish. The Momentum of Movement The adage suggests that taking action, no matter how small, can be a potent antidote to despair. It's about generating forward momentum, even in the face of immense challenges. Distraction and Focus: Engaging in a task, however mundane, can provide a temporary escape from overwhelming thoughts. Accomplishment and Self-Efficacy: ...

The Magician, often the first card in a tarot deck, is a potent symbol of creation, power, and manifestation (The Magician Meaning - Major Arcana Tarot Card Meanings, n.d.). This enigmatic figure has captivated the human imagination for centuries, inspiring artists, writers, and mystics alike. But what does the Magician truly represent from a psychological perspective? Let's delve into the depths of this iconic archetype. The Magician as the Conscious Mind At its core, the Magician symbolizes the conscious mind. This is the part of us that is aware, focused, and capable of making choices. Like the Magician in the tarot, our conscious mind is a powerful tool that can be used to shape our reality. Manifestation: The Magician's ability to conjure objects out of thin air represents our power to create our own experiences. Our thoughts and beliefs have a profound impact on our reality, and the Magician reminds us of this. Focus and Intention : The Magician's directed gaze and o...