Category Archives: Tips

How To Get Your Relationship Back On Track

04/13/2021 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

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Every single relationship has its problems. Nothing is ever plain sailing, but that’s okay. It shouldn’t have to be. People have bad habits that will annoy you. You’ll disagree on things. And you may even go through sad, dark, and scary times. But if you love one another and you want things to work out, you can always get things back on track. Here are some ways that you can go about doing that.

Talk To Each Other

First of all, you have to make sure that you’re actually talking to each other. Communication is just so important in relationships, so you’ll find that it’s much easier for you to talk things out when you’re open and honest with each other. If you have children, consider Family Counselling so everyone can share what’s on their mind. This can often be all it takes.

Make Time For Each Other

But then also, you have to be able to make time for each other. You should be a priority to each other and not just fall to the bottom of the pile. Spending quality time together is so essential and it can help you to make sure that you are building your connection and strengthening your bond.

Stick Together

When you have children, it can complicate matters even further. Not only are there the two of you and your needs to consider, but your children too. And you may have different opinions about raising your children too. But this doesn’t mean you have to throw in the towel and rush to find an emergency family lawyer at all. Instead, it just means that you should stick together and put on a united front. Remember that you’re partners first and parents second.

Speak To Someone

It might even be the case that speaking to someone is going to be a good thing for you. In a lot of cases, marriage counselling can be so beneficial for your relationship. It doesn’t even have to mean that anything is wrong or that you’ve failed. It can often allow you both to open up more and make sure that you’re growing closer together. So bear this in mind if you want to rekindle your love or strengthen your bond.

Keep Your Commitment

Finally, you’re then going to want to make sure that you keep the original commitment you made together. When you got married, you made the commitment to stick by each other through thick and thin. And yes, we all face hardships and sometimes it seems like it’ll be easier to give up and walk away then to fight. But if you want to see this through to the end and you really do love each other, then you need to keep your commitment to each other.

After all, you just need to remember why you got together in the first place. Think about your memories and all of the little things that you love about each other. This will often make you smile and keep you going even when times are tough.

Life, Tips

What to Expect When Students Sue?

04/02/2021 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

People the world over have heard of the woman who sued McDonald’s when she spilled hot coffee and burned her legs. She won and went home with a $460,000 settlement. Other people laughed when they heard a judge in Washington, D.C. sued a dry cleaner for losing his pants. He requested $67 million in damages, lost the case, and ended up being suspended. He spent over 15 years litigating the case before that happened. Today, several students are choosing to sue their universities for a variety of reasons. What should a school expect when a student sues?

Notable Cases

The University of Winnipeg in Canada faced a lawsuit when a professor gave a student a B+ as opposed to an A. The B.C. The Ministry of Advanced Education ended up in court when a student sued after the university stopped payment on his student loan. He sued for $1.5 million when he dropped out of Dalhousie University and failed to let anyone know he had done so. People might assume the lawsuits are rare, but nothing remains further from the truth.

The University of British Columbia came out on top when a woman pursuing her master’s degree in English sued for religious discrimination. She requested $18 million only to have a Supreme Court of B.C. judge dismiss the case, saying there was no evidence to support her claim. The judge also awarded costs to the university. Students may wonder if they should pursue a claim with so many coming out on the losing end. Schools lose regardless of whether they win or lose the suit. It’s best to speak to an attorney at feldman.law to determine the best course of action when a school finds they are being sued.

Legitimate Claims

Many students sue their school and win. The problem lies in knowing which cases have merit and which are frivolous. Men and women who read the headlines need to dig deeper, as the newspaper cannot show the complexity of the case in a few words. Certain cases need to go to court, as when the student was a victim of discrimination or wrongdoing. This doesn’t consider intellectual property ownership cases that often end up being decided in the student’s favor. Nevertheless, schools often find they are being sued without a valid basis for the legal action.

Speaking to an attorney serves as the best option, as many schools choose to settle when a case has substance. Furthermore, a successful lawsuit often leads to changes in the school’s policies and procedures. This ensures the school doesn’t face similar challenges in the future. The reason it seems so many frivolous cases make it to court lies in the fact schools refuse to settle when they realize the student is trying to get money with no basis. These cases make it into the newspaper, where they draw a great deal of attention. Nevertheless, schools don’t find these cases amusing.

The Problem Behind These Lawsuits

Attorneys representing schools today rarely want to speak to the press, as they worry about being sued for slander, breaching the confidentiality of their clients, or encouraging others to file similar suits. The United States has a reputation for being a litigious society, and other nations continue to see an increase in lawsuits. People in those countries watch what happens in America and want to see if they get similar results.

Schools dread lawsuits, as do their attorneys. These legal cases take time and disrupt operations for the legal team and the academic staff. The school spends large amounts of money to fight the suit, which may take years before reaching a conclusion. This wastes resources. However, certain suits have merit and need to be heard in a court of law. For this reason, people must take every claim seriously until authorities finish an investigation. This ensures schools and courts address legitimate suits, as they bring to light necessary reforms.

A Place to Turn

Lawyers in Canada recognized this was a problem decades ago. They opted to come together as a group to share information. This group, known as CAUS, often looks to case law coming from the United States, as they recognize many trends start south of their border. What they have noticed over the years is some claims have merit, but the plaintiff requests an outrageous sum of money. This leads to the case being deemed frivolous when the facts call for legal action.

The problem lies in the costs associated with fighting a charge, even one that has no merit. A school has no choice but to fight the claim, even when doing so can take years before the matter is settled. The Maughan case serves as a good example of the damage that occurs when a frivolous lawsuit makes its way into the legal system.

The Maughan Case

In November of 2000, a student sent out an email to graduate students in the English department. This email joked about how he recalled with fondness a time when the stoning of Christians was acceptable. He followed this statement with a smiley emoticon, but not everyone took it as a joke. Cynthia Maughan, an Anglican Christian graduate student, became offended and shared her opinion with those who received the email.

Months later, the student held a meeting at his home for students in a graduate-level seminar. Ms. Maughan refused to attend, although she was in the class. She didn’t bring up religion in relation to her reason for not attending the meeting. Time passed and the professor gave Ms. Maughan unsatisfactory marks on some coursework. The bad marks, along with the e-mail and meeting, led her to conclude atheism was being encouraged and that the school denied her academic and religious freedom.

Ms. Maughan complained to the university. This complaint went through the internal appeal process to the Senate Appeal Committee and Ms. Maughan lost. Besides complaining to the university, she did the same under the Human Rights Code. Finally, Ms. Maughan took her case before the Supreme Court of British Columbia, naming the university and four English professors in the suit. Three of these professors did nothing more than write letters of support for Dr. Weir during the internal investigation.

UBC claimed the lawsuit was frivolous when it reached the Supreme Court in March 2003. Attorneys for the school argued it was without merit and offered to pay Ms. Maughan $1 to end the case. She rejected the offer, and it was another four years before the case ended. By then, Ms. Maughan was representing herself and even gave six weeks of personal testimony in 2007 in the courtroom.

The court ordered Ms. Maughan to pay legal costs, but the attorney for UBC states she will only end up paying approximately 60 percent of what the school spent defending itself. In the past, students wouldn’t question the judgment of a professor, and lawsuits were unheard of. Today, students contradict their instructors, but this serves as only one reason schools have seen an increase in legal suits.

Additional Factors Contributing to Lawsuits Against Schools

Students believe schools have large amounts of money, due in part to the rising cost of tuition. Furthermore, liberal values continue to be promoted, ones that emphasize individual rights and personal freedom. Men and women see these schools as soft targets and choose to sue. This doesn’t consider how students feel about their school records and how it will impact their future.

Students worry bad grades will prevent them from getting into their school of choice or their desired job. They have a sense of entitlement and blame others when they don’t get the grade they feel they desire, for example. This doesn’t mean a student should sit quietly when treated unfairly. Lawsuits have a role in society, as a lawsuit provides individuals with a place to turn when they receive unfair treatment. For this reason, each case needs to be examined independently. Additionally, schools need to put measures in place that allow students to be part of the decision-making process in school matters. Internal reviews and investigations provide students with a means to have their voices heard.

The reviews and investigations become of great help when there is a complaint, a dispute, or a student is disciplined. A clear and fair process helps to prevent lawsuits. Students may present their case, much as they would in a legal setting. Until every school has this type of system, however, students need to learn from Ms. Maughan’s case. She is looking at years to pay off the legal costs incurred by the school. This may be enough to deter other students from filing lawsuits that have no merit. When these cases stop, everyone wins.

Any school facing a lawsuit from a student needs to seek legal advice immediately. This ensures the rights of the educational institute remain protected at all times. Nobody wants to learn when a student is suing, as schools are there to help people grow and learn. Sadly, this does happen, and every school needs to be prepared. A good attorney handles these cases regularly and knows how best to proceed to get the matter resolved. Get help right away to allow the school to move past the suit and continue with its purpose of educating students for a better future.

Health, Life, Lifestyle, Tips

Why Many Coping Mechanisms Backfire

03/26/2021 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Psychologists describe coping mechanisms as strategies that everybody develops to manage high stress levels, trauma, or heightened emotional states. Without coping strategies, we wouldn’t be able to handle difficult situations and carry on with our day-to-day lives.

However, it is fair to say that coping mechanisms come in a variety of shapes. A young woman who wears her good luck necklace for a job interview is showing one type of emotional strategy to manage stress. The overworked employee who buys a doughnut and a cup of creamy cappuccino as a reward at the end of a tough day is another example of coping strategies. Perhaps you’ve seen teenagers go to the gym after an argument with their friends. This is also a coping approach. We all cope with stress in different ways. Even events that are positive, such as getting married or having a baby, can bring a lot of stress into your life. Without a strategy to manage your emotional well-being, you wouldn’t be able to interact with everything that happens in your day-to-day life.

But, while coping mechanisms serve a health purpose, they could also get out of control and damage your health. Here we want to take a look at some of the most popular coping mechanisms and why they could backfire if you are not cautious.

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The happy hour dilemma

There is something about having a drink from time to time that can play a hugely positive role in someone’s life. A social drink between friends, for instance, or with dinner, is perceived as a sophisticated and gourmet hobby. The truth is that while alcohol can be damaging to your body, even in small quantities, it also can have an anxiety-relieving impact. Ultimately, alcohol produces a sense of euphoria and reduces your inhibition. A drink can be enough to help sedate your central nervous system. That one drink can be all a person needs to temporarily forget about stress and be able to relax. It’s important to understand that alcohol doesn’t eliminate stress. But in a social situation when you’re meeting new people, for instance, a small quantity can be helpful to talk to others.

Unfortunately, a lot of people fall into the trap of believing that alcohol can be used to regulate anxiety disorders. It has an adverse effect. Once the alcohol wears off, your anxiety comes back. The belief one needs to drink to cope is the first step that contributes to unhealthy addiction. That’s precisely what makes an alcohol abuse intervention so delicate. It’s important to note that there are places like Overland Park ready and prepared to help those in need. Indeed, you need to first convince the substance user that they can cope without alcohol. Only then can they agree to the further rehab steps.

CBD and anxiety

Cannabidiol, or CBD for short, is recognized by the medical board as a pharmaceutical ingredient that can belong to a coping mechanism strategy for stress, pain, or emotional distress. Indeed, CBD is highly effective at breaking your body’s response to stress. Stress creates a hormonal response. The body releases stress hormones that travel through the bloodstream to the different organs. Cannabidiol receptors can alter the secretion and synthesis of your hormones. When it comes to stress, CBD acts as a braking system, encouraging the body to reduce the production of cortisol, the stress hormone. Therefore, CBD oil, drops, or even gummies offer a fantastic coping mechanism for anxiety. They are also a safe alternative to pharmaceutical medications.

Is CBD addictive? The answer is no. CBD does not have the same hallucinogenic properties as cannabis. Yet, individuals can develop a psychological addiction in the sense that they believe they would not be able to cope without it. It is important to keep your consumption under control so that you don’t trick the brain into responding to any type of stress with CBD. Try using a CBD dosage calculator to find out how much CBD oil you should take.

The sweet reward

We have a complex relationship with food. Indeed, food is fuel for the body, but also mental health. A healthy diet supports your emotional response to stress or trauma. However, it’s not uncommon to seek gratification through food, which could become a harmful behavior. We’ve all been in a situation where we thought to ourselves: I deserve something sweet. This could be because you’ve worked hard or because you need a pick-me-up after a tough meeting. There is a sugar rush sensation that occurs when you eat a treat. This temporarily reduces your perception of stress. But, the sugar rush doesn’t last. Emotional eating can increase your anxiety levels dramatically. If you convince yourself that you need a sweet treat to handle stress, you could develop an addictive behavior and create a vicious circle. Stress needs sugar which, in turn, creates additional stress.

Is sugar the only culprit when it comes to addictive coping mechanisms? No, it is one of the most popular fake friends. But processed carbs, alcohol, large quantities of caffeine, and sweeteners are also putting your mental health at risk. They do not resolve your issue, and the addiction can aggravate the problem in the long-term.

The surprising shopping addiction

According to studies, approximately 6% of the American population is believed to have some form of shopping addiction. A shopping addiction dramatically affects your financial health, your relationship, and your mental health. But impulsive or excessive shoppers respond to a stress stimulus. They utilize shopping as a coping mechanism, creating a “high” sensation that can mute their stress, anxiety, or depressive issues. This begs one important question: Can shopping be a true coping strategy?

The answer is yes. We all experience excitement and a mood boost when we buy something new. So, there’s a lot to be said about bringing a beautiful and exciting item into your life.

I don’t care what happens today. I am wearing a new tee.

As superficial as it sounds, shopping can work to some extent to release stress. However, when shopping becomes an everyday habit, the excitement drops. You need to buy more to experience the same high as before, which is where the addiction comes from.

Distractions are a coping trick

Playing video games is not only an effective coping mechanism but is also an enjoyable hobby. While the media often describe gaming as an addictive activity, it’s important to get to the bottom of this assumption. Playing games not only keeps the brain alert but also encourages the production of happiness hormones. Indeed, a game is rewarding, therefore the brain reacts to the gratification phenomenon. Additionally, it’s also a great way of taking your mind off things.

Yet, there is an addictive side to playing games. Indeed, video games offer an escape from everyday anxiety and stress. Someone who is emotionally vulnerable could prefer to spend more time playing than interacting with their peers. The addiction is emotional, but it can be a real risk.

Sport and stress relief

Doctors and fitness enthusiasts are the first to mention sports as a coping strategy. Physical activities drive the production of endorphins, which are the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters. As a result, working out reduces stress levels and significantly improves your mood. Unlike other coping mechanisms, it is also identified as an essential element that’s part of a healthy lifestyle.

However, it’s important to mention that individuals can also develop sports addiction when they get hooked to the feel-good effect. Indeed, in excess, sports can lead to physical injuries and put your health at risk. The brain builds up a tolerance to the sports high, and therefore you’ll need more extreme workouts to feel the same benefits.

In conclusion, most coping strategies are effective in bringing a positive response to stress or anxiety. However, relying on a single strategy puts individuals at high risk of developing a dependent behavior. It is crucial to create multi-layered and varied coping mechanisms that combine different responses. The variety will reduce the danger of addiction and keep your mental health in check.