Justine Crowley
Bio
Freelance Internet Moderator/UX Writer/UX Consulting Designer/Graphic Designer
http://smashwords.com/profile/view/JustineCrowley
linkedin.com/in/justinecrowley
Lives in Sydney, Australia. Loves life.
Stories (111/0)
A Better Birthday Than Expected In Lockdown
I never ever thought I would say (or think) this on the day I turn 41. A negative COVID-19 test result. Let me explain. I live in a city (Sydney, Australia) with a strict lockdown in place, all on the back of the delta COVID-19 strain getting out of control back in June 2021. All of Sydney (including the Central Coast, South Coast and Blue Mountains) has been in lockdown since the end of June, and lockdown will not be lifted until at least six million residents in New South Wales receive at least the first shot of the vaccine. That means 2.1 million people need to roll up their sleeves and get the first shot, considering that supplies are low; and the city I live in is begging for vaccines from other states in Australia. That is not a Birthday present in itself, even though the above was announced on the news on my Birthday yesterday, as at the time of writing this. I will be receiving the first AstraZeneca shot (finally) on Sunday week, all going well.
By Justine Crowley3 years ago in Humans
Cool Ways to Give Back to your Community During Tough Times & Lockdowns
Giving definitely releases those happy endorphins, and most of all, no money is necessarily involved in many of these suggestions brainstormed herein. Give without expecting anything in return, and your mental health improves, together with the quality of your life full stop.
By Justine Crowley3 years ago in Motivation
Mental Health Matters 100%
Hats off to Simone Biles, an Olympic gymnast from the USA who decided to pull out of the Olympic race, not due to physical fatigue, but rather the mental and emotional toll the pandemic and abuse had put on her life; and good on her for taking a stand. This awesome article highlights in further detail all that Simone has been through, in order to make that all important decision. On the flip side, she gained much love, respect, and admiration from people who know her direct, and conversely from others who do not know her from a bar of soap.
By Justine Crowley3 years ago in Psyche
Still in Lockdown in Sydney, Australia. Sadly.
Not lions, but close enough. The Lion is known to be the king of the jungle, yet in this current COVID-19 lockdown in Sydney, Australia (on the 21st of July 2021, as at the time of writing this) this lioness (as in me, yours truly, my sun sign is Leo) is feeling quite the opposite. I am normally a strong, tough, and resilient person; yet I still am, however the current Sydney Lockdown (announced for five Local Government Areas (LGA's) in response to the COVID-19 delta strain is like putting the toughest masking tape (maybe a face mask will do, not to be political) on to silence the mighty lion's roar. It is like COVID-19 is a strong hose that has put out all of my pleasant fires (being a fire sign, after all.) To be honest, COVID-19 has been like this for the last 18 months thus far. As seen in the image above, it feels like a fight with the people in charge, and/or with COVID-19. Who knows for sure?
By Justine Crowley3 years ago in Psyche
Vocal Media: You Are Incredibly Clever
I will also give you some tips on how one of my articles was recently awarded Top Story from one of Vocal Media's Moderators, for that same story/feature article to be shared on Vocal Media's social media accounts: Facebook and Twitter.
By Justine Crowley3 years ago in Journal
How To Live The "La Dolce Vita" Lifestyle
The sweet life. Life is sweet, when you get a chance to look around. Case in point...I am extremely grateful to live near the water. Upon catching the train home from the city one day, the guard reminded us all to stop and appreciate the beautiful harbour to our left. It goes to show that life is sweet, and that we need to stop and smell the roses. This is what living life La Dolce Vita is all about, and it is accessible to us all, even in the tough times. If you stop and look, life is pretty amazing.
By Justine Crowley3 years ago in Motivation
Two Weeks of Isolation in Lockdown in Sydney, Australia in Winter 2021.
I don't own any pets, yet I chose the first image, because this unexpected COVID-19 Lockdown on a remote island (in Sydney, Australia) separated from the rest of the world enabled me to hibernate, and to pause for a little bit; even though I still had plenty of work on in my business. There was a day early on in lockdown where I could not leave the home and exercise, as I worked 11 hours straight.
By Justine Crowley3 years ago in Psyche
Why We Need to Self Advocate
I am so happy and grateful that I was invited to attend a coaching session with Girl Geek Sydney; yet entry into this special event was not automatic. Those of us ladies in STEM (I work in UX Design, so that qualifies me) we're asked to write down in 25 words or less, what would we do if we were unstoppable in our tech careers. From this intimate workshop; the need to self advocate was ingrained into my psyche, where more information on this inspiring movement for women in STEM can be found by clicking on this LinkedIn post.
By Justine Crowley3 years ago in Motivation
How I Improved My Mental Health During a Lockdown
When your city is in a place where (say) cases of COVID-19 community transmissions are exploding; it can take a toll on everyone's mental health - irrespective as to whether or not you have your s**t together. Even if daily case numbers of this novel disease are on the low end; the restrictions enforced upon our freedoms in a global pandemic can affect anyone's mental health; from having to wear face masks, to not being able to travel as freely as you would have during pre-COVID. If you are an individual who rarely if ever gets sick, and all of a sudden you are coming down with something physically wrong; then chances are that physical ailment all began through your mental health being a bit off kilter.
By Justine Crowley3 years ago in Psyche
How I Quickly Recovered from Atypical (Walking) Pneumonia
I did take some natural supplementation as part of my recovery plan; yet that was at the pointy end of my recovery, once my GP declared me medication free, but to just "Rest, and drink up with some healthy fluids." It is rare for any Atypical (Walking) Pneumonia sufferer to land in hospital; yet the lung foundations worldwide say that this happens in exceptional and serious circumstances. It really makes you wonder if a pandemic is classed as an exceptional circumstance, while a more serious respiratory infection is transmitting in the community? Case in point, it really makes you stop and think.
By Justine Crowley3 years ago in Lifehack
Attending a Mindfulness & Goal Setting Workshop. What It's Really Like.
The option to attend a mindfulness and goal setting workshop combined, all started with following my intuition. In other words, listening to my heart when the opportunity presented itself in my inbox from one of my local shopping malls, only weeks before the delta strain of COVID-19 was spreading in the community. One of my clients gave me a $50 prepaid visa card to spend on online purchases only (due to only being a digital card); and therefore it was a no brainer to secure my place, and at the price of $10, it was so worth it, despite being immersed in a busy shopping centre.
By Justine Crowley3 years ago in Motivation
How I Healed My Burnt Out Body, Mind & Soul.
I am blessed to have worked at many wonderful workplaces over the years, since I entered the workforce at age 20, right back in 2001, and receiving my ABN to be self employed back in 2006. I was (in a way) lucky to not know what career burnout actually meant until early to mid-2019, even though the joy of my work began to suck up like a Dyson vacuum cleaner back in 2017, when some key industry legislation had naturally sucked up 50% of all sales revenue from my employers business, as quickly as soap removes dirt; and in turn I also had to work 50% harder in order to achieve the same results. That sucks.
By Justine Crowley3 years ago in Lifehack