SOVA Blog

by Beauty_in_between

Staying Active

April 13, 2021 in Educate Yourself

The weather in Pittsburgh is getting warmer again and it’s been a good reminder for me to get outside more and try to stay active. I have seen the huge positive impact exercise has on my personal mental health and it can also help me control the weight gain side effects of my current medications. I often neglect physical activity because I feel like I don’t have time in my busy schedule or I’m too afraid of “gymtimidation.” I’m working to care less about what other people think of me or my body, but in the meantime, I’m finding ways to stay active outside of the gym.

Whether it’s taking walks, doing high-intensity interval training workouts in my room, or renting a HealthyRide bike with a friend, I’m trying to switch up the type of exercise I do each week so I don’t get bored. I have a smartwatch that holds me accountable for exercise minutes and lets me enter competitions with friends to hit our calorie-burning goals. I would definitely recommend a fitness watch to anyone trying to keep track of their activity. I don’t have a car so I walk almost everywhere and I track every walk, even if it’s only 10 minutes, as a workout on my watch. I also bought a pair of rollerblades last week and although I fell a few times on my first ride, I hope to try them out again on some smoother terrain soon.

As an extrovert, my greatest piece of advice is to find a friend to exercise with! You would be surprised by how many people say yes to a quick walk, bike ride, or trip to a skating park if you just reach out and ask.

Do you experience “gymtimidation?” How do you stay active? Have you seen physical activity improve your mental health?

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by Beauty_in_between

Mood Tracking

March 10, 2021 in Educate Yourself

The past month has been difficult for me with new mental health symptoms, diagnoses, and medications. Because of my new symptom of fluctuating between having very little energy or motivation and then feeling very motivated and over-confident, my health care team has assigned me the task of completing a daily mood tracker.

Every day, I write down how much sleep I got, my mood, and any avoidance or impulsive behaviors I experienced. I try to add to my entries at 12PM and 10PM each day to hold myself to a schedule and gather data I can share with my therapist at the beginning of each week. I’m currently a college student and my days typically consist of remote classes, meetings, time for studying, and sleeping. I also try to see friends and have some breaks for watching a show or doing a page of calligraphy.

I suggest everyone tries this type of structured journaling, no matter what you may be struggling with because it has helped me to reflect on my good and bad days and see more of a grey area in my current quality of life. Another small nod to my username, finding the beauty in between the good and the bad seasons of life. The more we write down our feelings and behaviors, the more we can see them in hindsight and identify any proactive or reactive steps we took to prevent or deal with the consequences of our actions.

Although it wasn’t required, I’ve also included a section for gratitude at the end of my mood tracking entries because this is something that keeps me grounded in what I have to be thankful for despite ever-changing circumstances.

So try it out! I’ve seen some people color-code their moods, use one-word descriptions, or write a whole narrative of their day. Do whatever works best for you and your schedule to help you reflect at the end of each day and week.

Do you have a journal or diary that you use regularly? How has it helped you? Do you have a routine associated with it?

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by Beauty_in_between

Silencing Your Inner Critic – My Personal Experience

February 3, 2021 in Educate Yourself

Hi there, I’m @beauty_in_between and I’m a college student in the Pittsburgh area. This is my first blog post on SOVA, so I thought I’d share a little about myself and my recent progress in striving for my professional goals while still struggling with fragile mental health.

I love to be outside, try new food, and go on road trips. I also have anxiety and depression which tend to peek their heads through this time of year when the days get shorter and the school work gets harder. Last week, I had a job application due and I had to write several essays on my leadership skills to show I was qualified for the position. I had been putting it off for weeks, telling myself I had plenty of time until one day I didn’t. Even when I got the motivation to start it, my inner critic flooded my mind with remarks like:

“Why did you wait until the last minute again?” “No one wants to hire you” “Every other applicant is better than you” “You’re a bad writer” “You’re a lazy leader”

These thoughts made the writing go slower, and took me into a familiar spiral of self-loathing I hadn’t experienced in a while. I felt defeated, but I was too afraid of the alternative, failure to finish this application. With the deadline fast approaching, I tried to push aside these beliefs and at least get a few paragraphs started.

Just taking action and beginning to type got me out of that darker place just sitting with my thoughts, but it wasn’t enough. I had to confront my inner critic and tackle some of these lies in order to keep going. I started with the repetitive thought “You’re a bad writer” and gathered evidence in my memory of times when my teachers, family, or friends had positive feedback about my writing. The harder thoughts to confront were centered around the belief that I’m not good enough. I had evidence to push back against these too, I had been hired for the position in the past, I had good evaluations of my leadership skills, and I was a competitive applicant. Finally, I had to acknowledge that the rest of it was out of my control, and this was hard. I could write a good application, make a lasting impression during the interview, even email the hiring committee to tell them how much I wanted the job, but the hiring decision wasn’t up to me.

Letting go of that turned the volume down on my inner critic and I finished the essays an hour before the deadline. I wish I could have managed my time better or had a friend read over it before I submitted it, but it was progress for me to at least get it done. I took action to complete what was in my court and let go of the rest. I won’t hear back about the job for a few more weeks, but in the meantime, it’s out of my hands and I’m getting better at accepting the many parts of my life outside of my control.

Do you have an inner critic? When does it most often come out? Have you ever tried to fight back against the negative thoughts that it tries to tell you?

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