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Challenging Negative Thoughts

January 19, 2024 in Be Positive, Educate Yourself

Stop being so negative! Are these words familiar to you? Everyone has negative thoughts from time to time. Negative thinking is helpful when it protects us from dangerous situations or motivates us to complete tasks. However, when our negative thoughts become constant and unrealistic, they become what is known as a cognitive distortion. Cognitive distortions are sometimes called ‘thought errors’ and can quickly become a habit. Once you can identify automatic negative thoughts you can start to challenge them! 

What are some common thinking errors?

All-or-Nothing Thinking: Sometimes referred to as black-and-white thinking, these thoughts conclude that a situation is either good or bad, with nothing in between. Imagine you are a star student expecting to receive a good grade on a paper you worked hard on. You receive your grade and see that your teacher gave you a C on the paper. A black-and-white thought might be “I did not receive an A on this paper, I’m such a failure.” Challenge this thought: Ask yourself is it that bad, or am I seeing things in black and white? How else can I think about this situation? What would my friend say about this situation?

Overgeneralizing: Overgeneralizing is very similar to exaggerating, it is assuming that something is true in all cases because it was true in one case. For example, imagine yourself presenting in front of your class. After the presentation, you are feeling a little uncomfortable, and you label yourself as being ‘awkward.’ An overgeneralization would be “I was so awkward during my presentation. I am always so awkward.”  Challenge this thought: Ask yourself if you are overgeneralizing the situation. List both the facts of the situation as well as your interpretation to see the full picture. 

Mind Reading: Have you ever passed someone at school or in a store and thought they were giving you a strange look? Maybe you assumed that they were judging you, or that they disliked you for a reason unknown to you.  When you tell someone a joke, and they laugh, you may conclude that they found your joke funny. These are all examples of mind-reading. Mind-reading can be harmful when it always assumes the worst. Challenge this thought: Don’t assume you know what others are thinking. Instead ask yourself: how do I know what this person is thinking? Does assuming I know what they are thinking mean that I am right?

Catastrophizing: Sometimes called magnifying, this thinking error turns little problems into big problems. An example of catastrophizing: “My friend has not answered my text yet, I must have said something to upset them and now they no longer want to be my friend.” Challenge this thought: Try to state only the facts of what you are facing. Instead of the thought shared above, you could tell yourself “My friend has not answered my text message, but that does not mean they are upset with me. If they are upset with me, I can do my best to talk to them about the issue and repair the friendship.” 

As you learn to challenge automatic thoughts, be patient with yourself. It is okay to say at one point in time mind-reading was a coping skill you used while interacting with an unpredictable person in your life. Or maybe you began catastrophizing after going through a traumatic event as a way to protect yourself from further harm. Remember that automatic negative thoughts don’t change overnight. It takes time and practice to create new thought patterns!

Do you find yourself falling into the trap of these thinking errors? How do you challenge your negative thoughts?

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Sleeping better

January 16, 2024 in LINKS

Sleeping patterns and the amount of sleep adolescents get can get jumbled because of mental illness: we’ve also previously talked about “depression naps” and the effects that they can have. Overall, it’s difficult for adolescents to get the recommended amount of sleep they should be getting, and with higher rates of mental illness within this age group today, it can be even more difficult because of the ways that it can affect your sleep, such as depression napping and insomnia.

There are tons of resources available online and through app stores that offer ways to contribute to measuring and stabilizing your sleeping patterns, but we’ve pulled a few that you can check out below!

Flux You can install Flux on your computer so that your screen automatically adjusts with the sun. Screens emit brighter, blue lighting that can hurt the eyes, especially at night. Flux dims your computer to a softer, orange color at sunset, and you can adjust how strong the color and softness are.

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Sleep with Me This podcast is dedicated to help you fall asleep by telling bedtime stories. The host, Drew Ackerman, takes a comedic approach in his story choice and storytelling, but still does so in a way that helps the listener not feel like they have to pay attention and eventually drifting off to sleep. There are over 700 episodes too, so you don’t have to worry about running out of content.

There are also other podcasts available meant to help the listener sleep. You can check out some other lists for more info and ideas.

Pzizz Science-based and celebrity-backed (J.K. Rowling has tweeted about using it before), Pzizz uses soft music, voices, and sound effects to help you fall and stay asleep. It’s not just limited for sleeping at night, and includes options if you want to take a nap and to help you stay focused.

Do you use anything on your phone or computer to help you fall and stay asleep at appropriate times? If you nap (whether voluntarily or involuntarily), what have you tried to make sure you don’t interrupt your sleep at night?

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Tips for Improving Your Journaling Practice in the New Year

January 12, 2024 in Be Positive, Educate Yourself, LINKS

In a previous blog, we talked about setting New Year’s Resolutions. A common goal for the New Year is to start journaling, but why?

Studied by the University of Rochester Medical Center, journaling can help you manage stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression, and can even help strengthen your immune system. Writing down your thoughts may help you understand why you feel the way you feel, and can even help you problem-solve independently! Still, we may find it difficult to journal for different reasons; maybe you can not find a journal, or perhaps it is hard for you to sit with your thoughts. Journaling does not have to be hard, here are some tips to help you improve your journaling practice.

  1. Pick the journal that is right for you. There are many journals on the market for the different styles of journaling people enjoy. You could use a regular notebook, or you could grab a journal from any store that sells stationery items. Some journals come with a different question on each page to inspire you, and some come blank. If you struggle with writing about a specific thing or thought, maybe try a gratitude journal. This style of journaling can be as easy as writing three things you are grateful for every evening before bed.
  2. Build a routine. Creating a routine will help you remember to journal each day, but will also allow you to see the positive effects journaling may have on your life. Journaling before bed may help you fall asleep easier, or journaling in the morning may help you start off the day feeling positive.
  3. Find ways to work through negative emotions that come up during journaling. While journaling is helpful in many ways, it can also have a negative effect if it keeps you stuck inside of your head for too long, or becomes a method of placing blame without finding solutions. When you are journaling your thoughts, look at them objectively. See if you can identify any cognitive distortions; judgments or thoughts that are not based on the facts of a situation.
  4. Try to end each entry on a positive note. We can only control our own emotions and behaviors, which is sometimes hard to accept. After writing about something you are struggling with, try asking yourself some reflection questions. What have you learned from this experience? Can you think of any way to cope with the situation if it comes up again? Are you able to see the problem from the perspective of others involved? Make sure to remind yourself that taking time to journal and reflect on your thoughts and emotions is an act of self-care: you should be proud of yourself!

Journaling can also serve as a communication tool between you and whoever you wish to share an entry or two with. If you struggle to share your feelings with your friends and family, maybe you could share with them an entry or two that you would like them to read. If you are currently in therapy sharing your journal with your therapist can help you both to identify patterns in your thoughts and behaviors.

What kinds of journaling experiences have you had? What challenges have you encountered, and how did you approach them? Share your experiences, stories, and strategies in the comments.

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Staying Warm

January 8, 2024 in Be Positive

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Even though it’s the fresh start to the year, January can feel exactly the opposite. There are no festive holidays – where it’s too late for stores to continue their Christmas and winter holiday promotions but far too early for the pinks and reds of Valentine’s Day – and it’s deep in the middle of winter. The weather can feel unpredictable lately, but generally, January is a time where winds are biting, it starts getting dark as early as 4:30 in the afternoon, and it’s just cold.

You may have heard of SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder. While this can happen during any time of the year, it’s commonly associated and tends to be more likely during the winter. The “winter blues” can make everything feel so much worse, and between the more negative feelings and the less-than-ideal weather, it can be difficult to want to leave your bed during the season.

Very few people list winter as their favorite season, and have consistently had this opinion for decades. If you are someone who doesn’t particularly care for this time of year, whether it be because of the effect on their mental health, the reduced desire to go outside because of the cold, a combination of the two, or any other reason, you can be well assured that you are not alone. That doesn’t mean that you have to resign yourself to hibernate until the weather starts to turn around. Here are a few ways to fight the winter blues. 

Light Boxes These lamps are specifically designed to mimic outdoor light, so if you’re inside all day, or even in the afternoons when it gets dark earlier, small bursts of exposure to these lamps can help your inner clock and give some sort of Vitamin D boost to your body. There are tons you can find online, though the prices can vary.

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Exercise It can be hard wanting to move around, much less exercise, when leaving a warm blanket nest does not seem tempting in the slightest. Working out can be more than running outdoors – which can be both difficult and painful during this time of year. It can also be more than going to a gym, which requires going outside in order to get there. There are ways to move around inside though: YouTube provides tons of workouts that you can follow along with, especially yoga, and there are guides that provide short workouts that don’t require equipment. If you can’t do more than a few minutes, that’s okay, because even getting up and moving around just a little can help boost your mood and body temperature.

Bundle Up If anything, the cold weather gives us a reason to wear as many fashionable clothes as possible, because when it’s in the 20s outside, there’s no such thing as too many layers. This could mean doing a little bit of retail therapy, especially online, and taking advantage of “end-of-season” sales as stores try to focus more on their spring and summer clothes. It could also mean going through your closet and coordinating outfits and accessories and seeing what kinds of combinations you can come up with.

Do you think that wintertime has an extreme effect on your mood and mental health? What tips do you have to help boost your mood and productivity?

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Are New Year’s Resolutions Helpful?

January 5, 2024 in Be Positive

The start of a New Year means something different for everyone. January 1st may feel like another day to you, or it may feel like a fresh start. Some people take time around the start of a new year to set goals, called New Year’s Resolutions. A New Year’s Resolution can be about anything; some people set fitness goals, while others may spend less time on social media or add a new activity to their daily routine. The possibilities are endless! Can making a New Year’s Resolution have a negative impact on your mental health?

The answer is yes and no. John Norcross, a professor at The University of Scranton has studied the topic of New Year’s Resolutions for a long time. His data suggests that 40 to 45% of adults set goals for the new year. He also found that 40 to 46% of those people will continue to work towards their goal for at least six months. Not meeting the goals you have set for yourself can leave you feeling disappointed or frustrated with yourself, it could even affect your overall self-esteem. There are, however, steps you can take to create goals for the new year that are possible to meet.

  1. Make realistic goals. If your goal is to start reading more, start at 12 books for the year (one for each month!) instead of jumping right into the popular ’50 Books Challenge.’ Start small, and if you meet your goal early, you can always give yourself a new goal to meet.
  2. Break your goal down into smaller goals! Perhaps you want to learn how to cook in the new year. Start with committing to cooking one or two meals a week, or following recipes that do not take long to prep.
  3. Track your progress and reward your success! This year, I would like to walk more. On my desk, I have a calendar where I mark each day that I walk for at least thirty minutes. This not only tracks my progress, but it also makes me feel good to see my calendar slowly filling up with more marked days! This is a great way to keep yourself motivated.
  4. Know that you will slip up at times. You may want to walk for thirty minutes a day, but that does not mean that you will never need to skip a day.

No matter what, be patient and kind towards yourself. New Year’s Resolutions should be goals that make you feel better about yourself, not worse! Positive self talk will be the deciding factor in whether or not setting goals for the New Year becomes a positive, or negative thing in your life.

Do you have any New Year’s Resolutions? What helps you stay motivated?

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Navigating Social Media in the New Year

January 2, 2024 in Be Positive, Educate Yourself, Social Media Guide

There are always common types of resolutions that are made as the new year begins. One such resolution is to use social media less (ironically, you may have seen someone say this on social media). Going through social media cleanses and detoxes can give people the time to explore other sorts of activities, and taking a step back from social media can have a positive impact on mental health. Because it’s the new year, now is a great opportunity to take a step back and reevaluate your social media habits, possibly even trying to change them throughout the year.

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If using less social media is something that you’re also trying to do in 2024, you can figure out what’s best for you to monitor and control the time you use on your phone and computer. You can set limits on Screen Time, create blacklists for certain websites if you want to cut them out completely, or even delete apps off your phone altogether.

You can still factor in social media into your new year’s resolutions, even if you can’t, or don’t want to, reduce the amount of time you spend online. There are ways to take advantage of social media use instead of feeling like you’re not accomplishing much by scrolling through feeds and wondering if that one post you made got enough likes.

One way you can engage in social media in a more positive way is through activism. Social media has become a large and accessible platform for many to get their voices out and speak up about matters that are important to them.

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While it’s easy to engage in arguments with people you disagree with online or simply contribute to a cause by using a hashtag, the Internet also has a ton of resources where you can actively engage in causes and contribute to those that you care about in a more effective manner. You can create a list of movements you’re more passionate about, and once you’ve decided which ones you want to focus on, you can look online to see if there are any activities near you that you can participate in. Social media is great for finding these sorts of events: websites like Facebook will show you events happening near you specifically, for example.

If you can’t attend meetings or protests, you can also use social media to share articles and stories that matter to you. You can either use social media to find articles that others have posted and share those through reblogs or retweets, or post the links you find on your own accounts.

Social media can be difficult to completely cut out, but you can still take control in how you want to use it, especially now when it’s the perfect time for a fresh start.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Do you plan on changing your social media habits in 2024? What other ways do you think you can use social media in a beneficial way?

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Surviving the Holiday Season with Difficult Family Dynamics

December 22, 2023 in Be Positive

Generally, the holiday season brings up different emotions for different people. For some, the holiday season is a joyous time to reconnect with family and friends, observe religious practices, or reflect on the year behind them. For others, the holidays may bring up feelings of loneliness, grief, anxiety, or frustration. Whether you are coping with the loss of a loved one, struggling with your mental health, or don’t get along with your family members, there are ways to keep yourself grounded this holiday season.

To start, one way to cope with your anxious thoughts is to create a game plan. First, identify situations that may be triggering. Is there a family member who feels the need to comment on what others are eating, or their weight? Or maybe you have a family member with strong opinions that do not align with your own. Preparing to deal with these comments in advance may lessen your anxiety. If you have a therapist or trusted friend, perhaps ask them to role-play one of these situations with you.

You may be asking yourself, what about my family members who can not be reasoned with? Managing your expectations may ease your emotional response. Maybe you have a family member who particularly enjoys arguing, or maybe they diminish your feelings when you voice them. Here the most effective solution may be to manage your expectations of them and limit interaction to the best of your ability. When in doubt, take a moment away from the crowd to practice mindful breathing.

Ultimately it is important to protect your peace and honor your truth. Remind yourself that is okay to feel all of your emotions instead of ignoring them. If you are experiencing grief, allow yourself to grieve. If you are experiencing sadness, let yourself feel sad. Listen to your mind and body, take breaks when necessary, and remember that difficult emotions will eventually pass.

What will you be doing to keep yourself grounded this holiday season? How do you communicate with difficult family members?

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Addressing In-School Disciplinary Concerns Post-Covid

December 18, 2023 in COVID-19, Educate Yourself

Post-COVID schools across the nation have seen an increase of in-school conflict. In one survey, the National Center for Educational Statistics found over 84% of schools believe the pandemic impacted the emotional and behavioral development of students. The National Center for Education Statistics also found that nearly half of schools across the nation have experienced an increase in student misconduct, rowdiness outside the classroom, and disrespect towards teachers and staff. How are schools addressing this issue?

Recently public schools within Allegheny County have moved away from “zero-tolerance” discipline policies. These policies disproportionately affect students of color and have not proven to help decrease conflict within schools. These changes are part of the Just Discipline Project, a research-to-practice initiative from Pitt aims to address disciplinary concerns in schools. The program aims to improve communication between teachers and students so conflict can be addressed without jumping to suspending students. By strengthening communication and offering additional support staff the project improves the overall culture of the participating schools. Data collected by the program found that 70% of school suspensions in participating schools were “conduct” related, which included dress code violations and attendance issues. These conflicts should not result in students losing their right to receive an education, but that is exactly what is happening.

By supporting educators and students alike the Just Discipline Project is helping teachers better understand their students and their biases so they can respond to conflict with empathy. The Just Discipline Project also advocated for equity policies to ensure that students of color, students with disabilities, and English language learners are not disproportionately targeted by school discipline policies. As of their last published report the Just Discipline Project is working with 10 schools within Allegheny County and has seen a 30% decrease in suspension rates. 

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Is your school participating in the Just Discipline Project? If not, do you think your school could benefit from participating?

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Holidays and Social Media

December 11, 2023 in Social Media Guide

We’ve discussed before how being 100% happy during the holiday season is just not realistic. In fact, feelings of anxiety can spike (especially those taking finals), the holiday blues is a real phenomenon, and as the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, those experiencing seasonal affective disorder may start experiencing symptoms.

Social media, to no surprise, likely paints a different image on your feed. Financial anxieties likely increase with the pressure to buy gifts for loved ones, and continuously getting ads about what to buy as presents probably don’t help. As a season of activities (think Christmas tree lighting, ice skating, winter festivals, and holiday parties), you may experience FOMO, if not at least pressured to go out to find events of your own to attend. For those who may have experienced a recent loss or have strained relationships with family members, seeing images of families together can also trigger negative feelings and depressive symptoms.

Managing how you navigate social media during the holidays is similar to basically any time of the year. The thing is though, FOMO, the pressure to get out and do something, even just taking #aesthetic photos of yourself are all heightened right now. It’s not selfish and you’re not being a Grinch if you don’t want to post anything or go on social media at all during this time, nor are you a Scrooge if you scroll past all the ads and wishlists people are posting. You can use these posts as motivation to call or message a friend or family member to catch up with instead of spending time scrolling through your feeds. You can even put your phone on “do not disturb” and indulge in some cheesy holiday movies if you still want to enjoy the season without being bombarded by how your peers are celebrating.

Everyone has their own way of celebrating the holidays. This isn’t to suggest that posting about the holidays on social media is a bad thing – if it brings you joy, go for it! – but for others, it can get overwhelming and triggering. Social media isn’t the only way to celebrate this time of year, and hopefully you can find a way that’s beneficial and positive for you.

How do you like celebrating the holidays? Do you post about it online? How do you feel about people posting about the holidays on social media?

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Cultural Competency in Mental Health Care

November 30, 2023 in Educate Yourself

We are all influenced by our culture; the languages we speak, our beliefs, values, practices and goals. Our cultural background affects the way we express our feelings and emotions, and how we cope with challenging situations. Our culture is what makes us who we are as humans, making it important to find mental healthcare professionals who are relatable to us, providers who are culturally competent. What is cultural competence anyway?

The American Psychological Association cultural competence refers to the ability to defines cultural competency as the ability to recognize the diversity between different cultures and apply that understanding when working together with a diverse group of people. Cultural competency is important to providing the same quality of care to a diverse group of people. Although important, the APA found that less than half of working psychologists were confident with their knowledge of the cultures their Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and Indigenous clients identified with. Research has shown that cultural competency makes a big difference in how well therapy works for an individual, however finding a therapist who is culturally competent is not always easy.

You might be asking yourself how do I know if my therapist, or a therapist I am looking to work with in the future is culturally competent? Ask one or a few of the following questions the next time you meet with your therapist:

  • Have you worked with people from my community/culture?
  • Have you had any cultural competency training?
  • Are you familiar with the way my community/culture views mental health and mental health treatment?
  • What steps are you taking to educate yourself on different cultures?

Do you think it is important for therapists to be culturally competent? Have you found a therapist who understands an respects your culture? Let us know!

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