SOVA Blog

woman crying in a shop

It’s OK to cry!

As a new school year begins, things are already hectic. Where are my classes? Will my books be expensive? Are my teachers understanding? The questions race by faster than I can handle, and just because the school year is starting doesn’t mean that my other problems just go away. So I sat down and cried.

stepping up stairs of subway

Stepping Away

Have you ever felt anxious or overwhelmed when standing in a crowd of people? If so, how do you handle these types of situations? Do you continue to stand around and feel anxious? Do...

bullet journal spread of month of september

Bullet Journaling Beyond Organization

In the past few years, using a bullet journal in lieu of a planner has boomed in popularity, particularly among adolescents. This is partly due to social media sites such as Instagram, TikTok, and...

man relaxing with arms crossed behind head

A Reminder to Rest

We live in a go go go society. We always feel like we should be doing something, whether it’s completing the next project on our to-do list, doing some sort of self-improvement, or keeping our social battery...

white background with a yellow umbrella over text with rain in the background. The text reads Take Care of Yourself.

What is self-care?

NOTE: Post originally written in January 2018 by contributor moonblue You may have heard the term “self-care” being used on social media or in interactions with other people. It’s an idea that has only recently...

logo of Mental Health First Aid. There is a blue circle with a white cross inside it. USA is written on the cross. To the right the logo has 3 lines over top of the next, Mental, Health, and First Aid

Becoming a Mental Health First-Responder

NOTE: Post originally published in January 2018 by contributor Panther14 When we hear the term “first-responders,” we usually think of the workers in an ambulance, ready to help people with physical health emergencies. But...

a woman wearing a pink headscarf sitting against a wall with her face down.

Do I blame myself?

A common mindset among those who are diagnosed with mental illnesses is wondering if it’s something that they brought onto themselves. There may be guilt associated with it, like the person thinking they did...