Every issue we highlight 1 sensational Jeddahwy person, 1 Jeddahwy life aspect, and 1 Jeddahwy hot topic…

Tasneem AlSultan: Jeddah-Based Photographer

Through her lens, Jeddah-based photographer Tasneem Alsultan worked hard on justly portraying Saudi women as the strong role-models they are…

Tasneem Alsultan, a Saudi-American photographer/photojournalist based in Jeddah and Canon brand ambassador, started her journey in photography when she documented her move from America to Saudi Arabia. Friends were interested in her photos and asked her to take pictures of their kids. It wasn’t until she was asked to shoot a wedding that she actually felt like a professional photographer. She went on to use her talent to break the biases against Saudi women who are usually portrayed as oppressed victims.

When she exhibited a photo in the Nepal Photo Festival of a single mom divorcee, a man commented on how he relates to the subject regardless of the gender and ethnic difference. Tasneem describes this by saying, “Emotionally we are all very similar – we grieve and celebrate in the same way, but a lot of the differences we see are portrayed by the media.”

For her part in the media portrayal, Tasneem undertook a project titled Saudi Tales of Love in 2015 that highlighted the plight of women in marriage, divorce, and widowhood from their perspective. The project was so successful and was exhibited worldwide in Paris Photo, PhotoKathmandu and at the prestigious Visa Pour L’Image, Perpignan in 2016, and on Time’s LightBox online photography section.  

Find out more about Tasneem on TasneemAlsultan.com and on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

MiKS Bakeries

A delicious Levant bakery taking Jeddah by storm…

MiKS Bakeries, a play on words of the mixture of their offerings which are mannish, kaak, and saj, expertly serves up freshly-baked dough in these three forms covered with a variety of top-notch and creative toppings.

Find them in Hamra Dist. in Musadiyya Center after Starbucks and on Insta @MiKSBakeries.

4 Tips for Stress Management

We lead super busy lives and despite our efforts, we still find it hard to manage stress, and that’s because there are things that we do that hurt our stress management efforts…

1. Location
Where you exercise, meditate, and spend your time plays a huge role in your stress management. This is even more important here in Jeddah where we’re surrounded by buildings and concrete. Scientists at the University of Oregon discovered that being in nature can reduce stress by as much as 60%. So, exercise in nature like in a park or by the beach as much as you can and increase the greenery in your home and gyms. Even if it’s artificial greenery like a green wall, it helps.

2. Planning
Jeddah people love to buy stuff, only to be faced with buyer’s remorse straight after that temporary happiness they get from the purchase. This is because with the world being turned upside down by the pandemic, a lot feel financially strapped. This then makes you think that you could’ve, or should’ve, spent your money elsewhere. The researchers at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business say that you should plan and manage the money, that way you won’t feel guilty when you indulge in a purchase.

3. Regularity
Although more and more people are exercising, many don’t do it regularly or frequently enough. This, in turn, causes a physical reaction that makes it harder for you to exercise and increases your stress levels. Researchers at the University of Leeds found that regular exercise keeps a protein called Piezo1 levels up, making it easier to stick to your fitness routine and do it better. So, exercising regularly and at regular intervals gets easier and is guaranteed to make you fitter, healthier, and happier.

4. Timing
In Jeddah, we love flexibility: flexible work hours, flexible plans, and flexible timing. But, this actually harms us, especially working at all odd hours when it’s supposed to be time off. Research from Cornell University shows that this flexibility reduces work satisfaction and motivation making you more stressed overall. The researchers suggest that managers create weekend shifts, for example, so that workers feel like they’re in it together. Also, opt for working during the day when everyone else is working to feel more satisfied and less stressed.