SOVA Blog

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Happiness Set Point

There is an idea in psychology that we all have something called a happiness set point. A happiness set point is a term used to describe our general level of happiness, and it is...

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How Our Genes Are Not Set In Stone

One of the most interesting areas of mental health research is “epigenetics”—the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than changing the genetic code itself. In plain language, that means that...

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I think I can — I think I can — I think I can

Photo credit: SortOfNatural via: Flickr Positive self-talk can be an effective tool in boosting your mood.  You can also reduce stress by eliminating negative self-talk.  Learn more about the power of positive self-talk and stress management.  Start...

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100 Happy Days

Have you heard of 100 happy days? The idea is to take a picture every day of something that makes you happy. What’s the point?  When you try to find something each day that...

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Tips For Improving Your Journaling Practice

In a previous blog, one of our adolescent blogging ambassadors talked about some benefits of journaling. The practice of journaling regularly has physical benefits—for example, it really helps strengthen the immune system! Emotionally, it helps us organize our thoughts,...

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Balancing Work and Mental Health

A major part of adolescence and young adulthood is finding and keeping a job. When struggling with anxiety or depression, this can create obstacles to being successful in your work. Many questions can arise:...

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Self-care: Why exercise?

Self-care is all about improving ourselves, having more energy and being more satisfied with the events happening in and around us. Self-care involves a daily routine to achieve these goals by implementing the three core methods...