SOVA Blog

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How to Use Empathy

This video was based on a TED talk by Dr. Brené Brown. She is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent more than a decade studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame.

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When Should You Block Someone?

We all want to have the best experience that we can on social media. Even if it seems that there’s a lot going at once online, from the 24/7 news cycle to the millions of accounts that we can encounter, we still have the ability to control our experience. We can choose who we want to follow, what topics and tags to track, and can go private so we can limit who we want to engage with.

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Emotional Independence

Like many people, I struggled with my mental health through quarantine. I was very unproductive and was constantly distracting myself with my phone. I developed bad physical and mental habits. I felt angry over quarantine at myself and the people around me. I was afraid to express this anger and my feeling of anxiety and stress because I knew my family members and friends were dealing with their own problems.

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Using Weighted Blankets to Stay Calm

It feels that there are a ton of products available recently to help your mental health, particularly with calming anxiety. Some use essential oils, or you may have heard of light lamps, and of course, the classic stress relief ball.

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Stay Hydrated!

Staying hydrated is not just important for your physical health, but can have substantial benefits for your mental health and your mood too.

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Using Social Media at Night

It may be hard for some to remember the last time that they got a proper, full night’s sleep as we talk about naps and sleep this week. Schoolwork, jobs, and extracurricular activities are just a few things that can contribute to an adolescent’s hectic and busy schedule. Simply put, there aren’t enough hours in the day for people to do everything that they want, and they often sacrifice the time they should be using sleeping to get everything else done.

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Lessons Learned

Have you ever been told the same thing multiple times but when you really need to remember that information you suddenly have amnesia? Some people experience this during test-taking if they get stressed out at the thought of taking a test.

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Walk-and-Talk Therapy

Given the benefits of walking outside on mental health, it seems like the natural next step (no pun intended) to take the self-care practice to a more professional level. Walk-and-talk therapy has professionals literally take their sessions outside, where they have the same conversations with their patients as they would regularly, but with the added benefit of (ideally) fresh air, movement, and a more relaxed environment.

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Clear and Refreshed

It is crazy to me just how much the weather can affect my mood. I have been curled up in my room–not even my house just my room–for the better part of this week. The weather decided to dive back into the 30s and 40s, which is so rude considering it was 70 before that. However, I am looking outside my window as I write this and even with the chill the sun is still shining. I have been putting off taking a package to the post office for a few days now because I do not want to leave the house, but change is coming! Tomorrow it is supposed to be warm and each day after it is supposed to heat up.