SOVA Blog

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Feeling SAD?

With seasonal affective disorder rearing its ugly, depressing head this time of year, we’ve gathered a few resources for you to check out (outside the blog posts blogging ambassadors have written about their experiences, of course!).

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Mental Health and Dream Jobs

Relationships with celebrities and public figures on social media can be complicated, to say the least. They’re glamorous, rich, and doing their dream careers, but are also relatable and remind us that even the most extravagant of people are human. It’s a combination of helping us realize what we can achieve and what we can do with our lives, but makes it very easy to compare ourselves to those with makeup and stylist teams, not to mention making us vulnerable to developing parasocial relationships with them.

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Time and Anxiety

Recently, it feels like time has perpetually changed its speed. At one point, it seems like time is passing faster than the speed of light. Then there are other points where it seems like time couldn’t possibly drag any slower. I can’t seem to ever notice it actually change speed, but when I see that it’s 4:30PM on a Monday but I can’t even recall waking up on Saturday, my mind is so confused that I lose the ability to focus on anything else.

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The Spirit of the Holidays

I’m not sure if it is just me, but NOTHING can ruin my mood around the holidays; in particular Christmas, and really the entire month of December, if I can be honest. I am very into keeping traditions, having a lot on my calendar during the holiday season that I do year-to-year: dinner with family, Christmas caroling with neighbors, Christmas card photos, decorate and make cookies to gift out, the whole nine yards. 

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Transportation Barrier Resources

Transportation to and from appointments can be a big challenge to overcome while getting treatment. Availability, cost, and convenience can be major factors, and finding resources is not always easy. Fortunately, we have put together a list of possible solutions to help ease the burden of transportation.

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Avoiding Aimless Scrolling

With the weather finally turning to colder, shorter days, I find myself more often scrolling on my phone aimlessly for hours. While social media can be a good outlet, I turn into a zombie after being on it for a while. I will sometimes then be in a funk the rest of the day, feeling very out of it and not wanting to do anything else that I wanted to originally get done that day.

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Overcoming Holiday Eating Anxiety

I was recently swiping mindlessly through my friends’ Snapchat stories when I came across one who had storied a flyer from her gym titled, “Maintain, Don’t Gain!” that quoted the “statistic” that, “the average American will gain 5-10 lbs this holiday season.” The point of their flyer was to encourage users to sign up for more fitness classes this season.

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Understanding Insurance for Mental Health

Affordable health care, including mental health care, should be available to everyone. Unfortunately, understanding insurance is no easy task and navigating through state-funded insurance can be even trickier. We have put together a short guide to try to make the process easier.

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Is Therapy a “Waste of Time?”

When you are asked to carve out part of your day to talk to your therapist, it can make therapy appear like a time-consuming endeavor. However, the benefits of therapy do not occur immediately. So, when considering if treatment is a waste of time, it is important to think about its long-term effects.