As the days get shorter this time of year, some have trouble maintaining a positive mood. One type of depression is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD typically sets in at the beginning of late fall and early winter and lasts through the beginning of spring and summer. Many often experience decreased mood from the fall through the winter, and then an elevated, more positive mood in the spring and summer. This type of depression usually effects individuals more as the days become shorter, meaning there’s less sunlight. Because SAD is a category of depression, the symptoms are the same. The thing that makes SAD a specific type of depression is the way the disorder matches with the changing seasons.
Some great forms of treatment exist to help those with symptoms of SAD. These treatments are outlined by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). One example NIMH mentions is light therapy, which recommends individuals experiencing SAD sit in front of a light box for 20-60 minutes for extra exposure to light during the seasons with shorter days.
Any thoughts or comments about Seasonal Affective Disorder? How do you deal with the seasons changing?
The cliched image about someone having a “green thumb” typically involves someone in their backyard, their overalls covered in dirt, hands protected by thick gloves that are rough to the touch. The garden can be filled with colorful plants, various kinds of produce and herbs, or vivid greenery with large leaves. Typically, it can include all three!
Nowadays, the green thumb image has had a few additions, and may have even shifted slightly for some. If you go on social media, you’re likely to find all kinds of hashtags about plants relating to aesthetics, interior design, and indoor gardening, just to name a few. Plants have become increasingly popular with younger generations, particularly when it comes to houseplants and those taken care of indoors. Because young adults spend a majority of their time indoors, plants literally provide more life into the room. They’re a way to bring the pleasant aspects of nature inside, they add a touch of color, and are an overall way to tie the room together.
Also, they’re pretty.
There are benefits to keeping plants beyond them making your space look more appealing. Some of the more obvious ones are for health reasons: plants absorb pollutants, which can help improve any breathing problems you may have, and one study found that houseplants can reduce fatigue and headaches by 20-25%. They can also reduce blood pressure and can even increase pain tolerance (as reported by patients in hospital rooms).
Aside from the pleasing visuals that can improve your mood, houseplants have other effects on people mentally, too. This goes beyond feeling inspired to be more productive and potentially increase the attention span. In one study, young adult men who completed both a computer task and transplanting a houseplant were more likely to feel soothed and comfortable when interacting with the plant. Being around plants can reduce stress and can provide a sense of calmness.
Keeping a plant alive also requires effort, which can have their own set of benefits. Knowing that you’re doing a good job in taking care of a plant can improve your mood, and knowing that you’re the one responsible for the plants growing and thriving can bring joy as well. However, the benefits in keeping a plant are not exclusive to real ones – if you don’t have the time or feel pressured in taking care of something, artificial plants can provide similar, if not the same effects, so long as they look relatively real.
Do you have any (real or fake) plants? Why do you think they’re so popular with young adults now? Do you think that they help your mood?
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 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. Thinking about cultural competency helps mental healthcare clinicians provide 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 thinkit is important for therapists to be culturally competent? Have you found a therapist who understands and respects your culture? Let us know!
Often, we hear about the damage that social media is having on our mental health, from isolating ourselves to avoiding face-to-face human interaction to experiencing FOMO. This study however, tried to see how social media wasn’t affecting mental health, but instead how it can help diagnose mental illnesses, specifically with depression.
The study reviewed the Facebook statuses of 683 people who consented to have their profiles analyzed. Of those, 114 had been diagnosed with depression, so for each person who had been diagnosed, there were 5 others being compared to them who were not. The researchers used a time frame based around the months leading up to depressed person’s diagnosis, resulting in a total of analyzing over half a million Facebookstatuses!
What did the researchers discover? By organizing those statuses and ensuing conversations into categories, they found patterns of supposed depression-associated “language markers.” These are words and phrases that had more negative emotional connotations, including sadness, hostility, and loneliness. Those who used these also were more likely to use first person pronouns like “I” and “me” more often too.
Through these “language markers,” the researchers discovered that they were able to predict the depressed individual’s diagnosis with significant accuracy. This was especially true in the three to six months before the diagnosis. To the researchers, these statuses included words that overlapped with those often found in medical screening surveys for depression, implying that it can be adapted in a way so diagnosis can be done electronically.
The ability to screen for depression by using social media is also important because it allows for those who are vulnerable a more accessible opportunity to get diagnosed. For example, it can be difficult for a primary care provider to screen for it in a brief session. Also, by having the statuses and information already there can make it easier for those who are hesitant to reach out to submit it instead of speaking up if they’re uncomfortable.
The article makes sure to reiterate that the study had the participants consent to submitting their statuses for analysis and that they did not use data provided by Facebook. This should also hold true for potential future diagnosing. Between having mental health be a very personal issue and being in a time where social media companies have notoriously been selling data, it’s important that the choice ultimately lies with the individual in question.
Do you think that social media is a good indicator to tell when someone is at risk of a mental illness? Do you think that it’s a good idea for people to submit their profiles if they want to get screened for depression?
According to Grateful, researchers at Harvard Medical School report, “Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”
However, Brianna Steinhilber writes that while practicing gratitude seems simple enough, it can be difficult for some, “especially if you’re a person who has a hard time expressing emotions, or you’re going through a rough patch that makes channeling gratitude difficult.”
Therefore, to begin, use a gratitude prompt. Gratitude prompts can tap into your creativity and help you recognize the things you’re grateful to have in your life. You can also use gratitude prompts as a conversation starter with others. And try writing them down by keeping a gratitude notebook or using an app!
Try these gratitude prompts:
List five small ways that you can share your gratitude today.
Write about a person in your life that you’re especially grateful for and why.
What skills or abilities are you thankful to have? (You communicate well, you’re a good cook, you have an uncanny ability to dominate in Fantasy Football. Hey, it’s your journal).
What is there about a challenge you’re experiencing right now that you can be thankful for? (This is a tough one, but you have learned something or grown from the hardship—how?)
How is where you are in life today different than a year ago–and what positive changes are you thankful for?
What activities and hobbies would you miss if you were unable to do them?
List five body parts that you’re grateful for and why. (Those long legs help you reach items on the top shelf … don’t forget the little things.)
What about the city you live in are you grateful for?
What are you taking for granted about your day to day that you can be thankful for? (Can’t think of any? Your alarm clock, your coffee machine, the paperboy who delivered your newspaper, your friendly neighbor who always says good morning … and that’s before you even leave the house.)
List 5 people in your life who are hard to get along with—and write down at least one quality for each that you are grateful for.
What materialistic items are you most grateful for?
Write about the music you’re thankful to be able to listen to and why. (We couldn’t make it five minutes on the treadmill without our beats.)
Who has done something this week to help you or make your life easier and how can you thank them?
What foods or meals are you most thankful for? (Bacon, egg and cheese on Monday morning, we’re looking at you.)
What elements of nature are you grateful for and why? (The beach, a starry sky or one speckled with fluffy clouds, the sunset…)
What part of your morning routine are you most thankful for? (A big stretch before you get out of bed, that warm cup of coffee, a cuddle session with your pet…)
Write a letter to someone who has positively impacted your life, however big or small.
What is something you’re grateful to have learned this week?
When was the last time you laughed uncontrollably—relive the memory.
What aspects of your work environment are you thankful for? (Supportive co-workers, flexible hours, great snacks in the kitchen…)
Don’t have time to write? Check out one of these apps instead:
Grateful: A Gratitude Journal
My Gratitude Journal
HappyFeed: Graditude Journal
Gratitude Journal 365
Gratitude Journal: The Life-changing App
Answer one of the prompts above, and if you feel comfortable, share your response in the Comments section below! Have your own prompt? Let us know!
Music can help us in many ways. As several posts here have discussed, it can be particularly helpful when it comes to calming anxiety, providing an escape, or even helping us feel justified in moments when emotions can feel too overwhelming. Music players allow us to create our own playlists depending on our mood, or create ones for us depending on what we like. YouTube allows you to get creative, featuring not just songs, but remixes, mashups, and strange combinations that you can’t find anywhere else.
Finding new music can be difficult, though. While the internet has an infinite of music to search for, it’s just that, infinite. Even finding music that is similar to what you currently listen to and actually like can be daunting, but the Internet is here to help, offering tools to help you find new music that’s refreshing, but also familiar.
If you’re looking for similar music to help with concentration and mental health, or if you just want to find new artists to listen to, here are a few websites that make the process a little bit easier:
GnoosicThe musical subset of Gnod (the Global Network of Discovery), Gnoosic has you enter three artists or bands that you like. They can be from any genre, and don’t need to match. From there, Gnoosic recommends you a new artist that they predict that you would like, a song of theirs to play from Spotify, and three options: “I like it,” “I don’t like it,” and “I don’t know.” Regardless of which option you choose, Gnoosic repeats the process, using your choices to narrow down their recommendations.
Live PlasmaLive Plasma looks rather simple at first glance. It’s just a search box where you put in an artist that you like. Once you enter that, however, the page suddenly fills with a web, the artist you searched for at the center. Though intimidating at first, Live Plasma recommends a few artists that they think are similar to your chosen artist, and then recommends ones similar to those artists, and so on. Even better? If you click on any of the artists, there’s a small play button that allows you to listen to one of their songs so you can see what kind of style they have.
TuneFindTuneFind is a little different than the other websites in that you’ve probably heard the songs that they’re listing already. You may not know what it is though and most likely heard it on a TV show or a movie. TuneFind allows you to look up that song that you found particularly calming or inspirational that played in the background during a scene on an episode last night: simply search the TV show or movie, find the relevant episode if it’s the former, and TuneFind lists the songs that played throughout. Sometimes, TuneFind makes it even easier and will list what specific scene the song plays in too.
How do you look for new music? Are there any resources you use to look for music to help with stress relief?
It’s impossible to be in control of our emotions all the time. After all, we’re only human, and we react to things in different ways as they happen, whether we want to or not. We may get overly excited about something we’re passionate about during a time when it’s probably not the most appropriate, or we might find ourselves getting a little too heated when someone insults someone close to us.
In moments when your mental health might not be the strongest, navigating and controlling your emotions can feel like a lost battle. It’s like you’re fighting with your mental illness to see who is in control over your brain and how you respond to things, and before you know it, you find yourself on edge and even the slightest inconvenience can have you bursting into tears.
Feeling like you don’t have control, especially over your emotions and reactions can be incredibly overwhelming, but it’s not impossible to take that control back.
The Internet has a fewguides on how to control your emotions when they’re leaning on the more negative side. These include taking a deep breath and taking a moment to ground yourself before reacting to something, rewinding to see how you got to that feeling in the first place, and replacing negative thoughts with positive ones to redirect your mood.
And remember this: although it can feel like you’re fighting your mental illness over the remote control for your brain and emotions, you have the strength to take it back. No matter what, that remote will always end up back in your hand.
Have you ever felt like you weren’t in control of your emotions? How did that feel? Do you have any advice on how to improve your mood or combating negative emotions?
Our minds often give us images of certain types of people when we think about certain things. For example, we tend to think of those with anxiety to be by themselves, preferring to be alone and in the quiet. It can be easy and even confusing to separate introversion and social anxiety, since both include a preference of being alone and away from crowds. Even though there are significant differences, the assumption is that most people with social anxiety are also introverts, and that the two go hand in hand.
It’s important to remember though that those with disorders and illnesses do not have to have the same personality traits. While the idea of extroverts – those who thrive off of crowds, enjoy talking to large groups of people, and get their energy when they’re around others – also having social anxiety doesn’t seem to make sense, it’s something that can still happen. Being an extrovert is not a protective factor against anxiety, since anxiety is something that your mind can’t help but think about.
Extroverts with social anxiety have two major parts of themselves conflicting, but if you take a step back, you can see how the two can influence each other. Social anxiety often includes fears of having their anxiety be noticeable and facing criticism, and those who have these and are also extroverted can feel these fears to a larger degree. They like to be around people, but they also want to make sure that they are being accepted by them. Because they want to be accepted, their anxiety can make them afraid of the worst-case scenarios and that people won’t actually like them and will actually find their outgoing traits to be annoying.
Those with social anxiety (or other mental illnesses) who are also extroverts can also be afraid of admitting they have these issues, because people don’t think that this combination is possible. Because people expect extroverts to be social, lively, and loud, extroverts can feel that they have to be that way all the time, not just to meet the standards of others, but the image they have of themselves. One 24-year-old woman goes into detail about her experience as someone with anxiety and depression but considers herself to be an extrovert. She explains that her more extroverted traits, such as being loud, can come out because she uses it to try and make up her fears of being judged by others when in public.
While there are images that we think of when we think about mental illness, they can still be stereotypes and damaging to not just those who meet that image, but those who “conflict” with it.
Are you an introvert or extrovert? How do you think that the stereotypes and stigmas about mental illness can affect those who don’t meet them on the outside, such as outgoing and extroverted people?
For most people, social media is an intrinsically large part of our lives. Young people can easily spend hours per day on various social media networks without even realizing they are doing so. Enabling phone notifications for these apps means that we log onto these networks multiple times a day to see the newest updates and posts, including comments and likes on our own posts.
Social media has been proven to be a stressful addition to our lives – read more about the ways social media stresses us out here. I often find myself overwhelmed by the amount of social information being thrown at me via Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook, just to name a few social media networks adolescents and young adults use today. When I am feeling overwhelmed, I like to take what I call a “phone break” – a social media hiatus where I simply don’t look at any of my social media accounts. I have found this to be incredibly therapeutic and a way to clear my head.
Here are some tips if you want to try going off the grid on your own:
Time Your social media hiatus can be as short or as long as you like. I typically log off my accounts and turn off my notifications from anywhere from 24 hours to up to five days at a time, if I can. You determine how long of a break you need. You can also just go off the grid and decide later down the line when you want to come back.
FOMO The fear of missing out is real, and the primary reason I always come back to my social media accounts in the end. When I do come back, I generally set some rules for myself – eg. I can check my accounts twice a day (once in the morning, once in the evening). Or after posting a picture on Instagram, I can only check the number of likes on it once an hour, instead of incessantly checking every five minutes.
Cleanse I like to use my time away from my phone doing things make me happy that I don’t generally have a lot of time to do. My social media hiatus is about me – about relieving my stress and starting fresh. If the weather is nice, I try to spend as much time outdoors as I can. If it’s not, I light some candles in my home and curl up with a warm blanket and a book. Bonus points if you have a nice fireplace to curl up next to this winter!
Have you ever gone “off the grid”? What did you think? Does taking a break from social media appeal to you? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
Sitting in silence can be mortifying, but sometimes, listening to music isn’t that much of a help either – even though it can improve how we feel, sometimes it’s too loud and distracting. White noise can be the best options in this kind of situation; it’s an ever-present noise, but nowhere near loud to the point that it becomes overwhelming.
White noise is a kind of ambient noise, which, in short, is any sort of background noise. While white noise tends to sound more like static, ambient noise can also include the sounds of waves, rain, summertime crickets, or the conversations of people around you that you don’t particularly care to eavesdrop into. Ambient noise is kind of a reassuring, ever-present comfort, there to remind you that you aren’t completely alone, but gives you the space you need at the same time.
Whether it’s to concentrate on a task at hand or to calm yourself down during a particularly anxious and tense time, there are many places to find ambient noise to play on your computer or phone (Spotify has a number of playlists under the Sleep and Focus genres if you need a place to start, and YouTube has an infinite number of hour-long videos). However, for a more interactive experience, A Soft Murmur (a website and an app) allows you to adjust different kinds of ambient noise for a personalized noise that’s just for you. There are ten categories, ranging from rain to coffee shops to a singing bowl, all with different volume controls so some can be louder than others.
Here, you can pretend you’re on a beach, the sound of waves around you with the cackling noises of a bonfire nearby. You can recreate being in a coffee shop during a thunderstorm, people’s voices around you drowning out the rumblings of the thunder. You can also have some fun and find out what a singing bowl is, blasting it amongst the sounds of rain, birds, white noise, and crickets all at once. Whatever it is, the website not only gives you what you want to listen to to relax, but also the control that we sometimes need to feel.
Would you consider listening to ambient noise if you don’t already? Would you enjoy having the ability to play DJ and control what kind of noise you listen to?
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