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Supporting Our Valued Adolescents: A place to learn, share your strength, be positive, and grow.

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by Moderator ★

Using Social Media at Night

May 6, 2021 in Social Media Guide

It may be hard for some to remember the last time that they got a proper, full night’s sleep as we talk about naps and sleep this week. Schoolwork, jobs, and extracurricular activities are just a few things that can contribute to an adolescent’s hectic and busy schedule. Simply put, there aren’t enough hours in the day for people to do everything that they want, and they often sacrifice the time they should be using sleeping to get everything else done.

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Reports have shown that adolescents today are not getting enough sleep as they should be getting, which should be at least eight hours. It’s well known by know that there are many health risks associated with poor sleep, and irregular sleep patterns are also classified as symptoms for mental illnesses such as depression.

A common solution that experts recommend doing to change sleeping behaviors is to at least reduce, if not completely cut out technology as you start to get ready for bed. This often means  not using your computer in bed, physically keeping your phone away from you, and not exposing yourself to any screens.

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However, it’s not uncommon to wake up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. This is known as “nocturnal awakenings.” Depending on what stage of the sleep cycle that you disrupt when you wake up, it can be simple minutes to long, grueling hours before you fall back asleep. The causes for nocturnal awakenings can vary, but stress is cited as a major factor.

But what do people do when nocturnal awakenings happen? Realistically, most people, especially adolescents, don’t make an effort to keep their technology away from their bed. 1 in 5 adolescents routinely use their phone after waking up in the middle of the night, specifically to use social media. In the UK, nearly all of the adolescents who said they use their phone when they should be sleeping are on social media.

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One big reason? Adolescents feel that they may have missed out on something if they don’t check their phone. Notifications are also a reason that about 30 percent of adolescents wake up in the middle of the night. And even if it’s not the reason that they wake up, just seeing that they got a notification can keep adolescents up longer. Notifications and social media engagement influence the “reward system” in our brains, and in adolescents, the pleasure and pain associated with rewards are even stronger. Seeing a notification can make us excited, because we don’t know what it’s going to be about, and going through them all to see which one is “good” makes us respond and use our phones longer.

Unfortunately, it’s easier said than done for people to stop using their phones before they go to bed. But when harmful sleeping patterns among adolescents continue to be a problem, making a cycle out of having trouble sleeping, staying asleep during the night, and taking too-long naps can have potentially long-term effects.

Do you keep your phone near you when you sleep? Do you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night and immediately go to check it? How do you think adolescents can realistically change these habits?

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by Moderator ★

Walk-and-Talk Therapy

May 4, 2021 in Educate Yourself

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Given the benefits of walking outside on mental health, it seems like the natural next step (no pun intended) to take the self-care practice to a more professional level. Walk-and-talk therapy has professionals literally take their sessions outside, where they have the same conversations with their patients as they would regularly, but with the added benefit of (ideally) fresh air, movement, and a more relaxed environment.

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Walk-and-talk therapy is just that: walking and talking. After an initial consultation that’s done more traditionally indoors, walk-and-talk therapy sessions occur, of course, outside, going on trails, sidewalks, and are just like your regular walks you would have with your friends, but the conversations are focused on your well-being and mental health and completed with your therapist. 

Those who incorporate walk-and-talk therapy into their work feel that it’s particularly useful for teenagers. Starting therapy in general can be a nerve-wracking, even awkward process, but it seems like these feelings are on another level for adolescents (think about teenagers’ thoughts on mental health and their fears associated with seeking help, for example). Walking around can lift some of that initial discomfort; teens specifically can have trouble keeping still when sitting down, and moving around by walking can help them process their feelings more clearly. 

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You may also feel like you have to have something to say during sessions, which can lead to an awkward silence as you collect your thoughts or even try to come up with something to talk about, but walking around removes that, because both you and your therapist are doing something else by walking and taking in what’s going on outside. Walking outside also includes visuals that can help inspire ideas for you to talk about.

There is still a while to go in terms of the legitimacy of walk-and-talk therapy. No one can specialize in walk-and-talk therapy and it’s more so a type of practice that’s included in at least traditional cognitive behavioral therapy. There is little to no formal research on the combination of talk therapy and nature’s effect on mental health either, but at the very least, professionals have noticed a difference with their patients, and there is an increased interest in researching it. At the very least however, going outside during therapy sessions is another way to include mindfulness during the sessions itself, and can be safe option if you prefer seeing your therapist in person.

If you want to see it in practice, check out an example here!

Do you attend therapy? What’s the environment like during your sessions, and how do you think it affects you? What do you think about walk-and-talk therapy?

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An App to Consider: Oak

April 30, 2021 in LINKS

There are a lot of benefits to deep breathing. Although the steps are incredibly simple (deep breath in, hold, breathe out, repeat), you can try different patterns and lengths of time, and may need some assistance with it. You may also want a source of some background noise instead of searching “calming sounds” online and hoping for the best.

Oak is just one of many apps available on your phone that you can download in order to get introduced to and practice meditating and deep breathing. The interface is simple: everything is listed on two pages and doesn’t require much scrolling.

Oak Meditation
Oak Meditation

The first page divides the types of meditating into three sessions: Meditate, Breathe, and Sleep. Although they’re self-explanatory, each comes with a little description, and choosing one of the 2-3 activities under each one will explain what that one helps with in more detail. For example, one of the Breathe activities has one that’s there to help you wake up, while one of the Sleep ones has a series of exercises over a longer period of time to help lull you to bed.

Oak Meditation
Oak Meditation

The time of each activity ranges and you can set how long you want them to be. The Meditate and Sleep ones are a little bit longer and let you choose the gender of the voice guiding you, and the Breathe exercises are a little bit shorter. The Meditate and Sleep ones also give you the choice of what background noises you want (if any), which includes different levels of rain, white noise, and a fireplace.

Oak Meditation
Oak Meditation

The second page tracks your progress. If sticking to a schedule or maintaining a routine can be overwhelming or stressful for you, you can easily ignore this part. However, you can look here to see your streaks and how many days in a row you’ve meditated, the longest streak you’ve had (if you want a record to beat), and how many minutes and sessions you’ve done that day and total. You can also see in real time how many others are using the app and have used it that day, which can help normalize the activity and make you feel a little less alone.

The app is free and doesn’t require an account. Unfortunately, it’s only available on the App Store, so if you have an iPhone, you can download it here.

Have you tried deep breathing or meditation? Would you use an app to help guide you? What other recommendations do you have?

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Navigating the Internet with Social Anxiety

April 29, 2021 in Social Media Guide

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It’s not uncommon to be anxious to meet new people or be in a new, unfamiliar environment. It’s also not uncommon to feel terrified before performing something in front of a crowd, whether it be alone or with others. It’s also not uncommon to even feel a little bit nervous meeting people you’re comfortable with and know pretty well.

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But then there’s social anxiety. Social anxiety takes this feel and makes it feel even stronger, and being around others can cause physical symptoms such as sweating, nausea, and trembling. It can even have drastic effects on already established relationships and can prevent people from going to work and school. The fear of humiliation, being judged, and rejected when meeting others and taking part in activities can not only affect how those with social anxiety see themselves, but can also prevent them from reaching their full potential.

Researchers have recently started looking into if similar results happen when people with social anxiety use social media and interact with others online. Often, the Internet is seen as a way of “escaping real life” and is a place of refuge with those with different degrees of social anxiety. This is true for adolescents too, who generally spend a significant time online as a whole. Studies have found that adolescents with social anxiety communicated online significantly more about personal things than those who said that they don’t have social anxiety or experience loneliness. The more that an adolescent uses online games and spends time online gaming is also more likely to show more symptoms of social anxiety.

But why is it easier for adolescents with social anxiety to communicate online, to the point where they’re more likely to share more private and personal thoughts and information? One possible explanation is that they consider the spaces they go to online to be “protective” and find conversations online to be more satisfying. They don’t have to worry about seeing people’s reactions on their faces, which may cause worry, and they don’t have to feel the pressure of always having something to say.

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There is also an association between social anxiety disorder and other mental illnesses, such as depression. Because of this, some researchers are hoping that these findings about socially anxious adolescents and their preference for communicating online can help them come up with interventions and methods to also deliver over the Internet to help with their corresponding mental illnesses. Adolescents with social anxiety may fear going to the doctor’s or a therapist’s office, talking to the receptionist, and calling to make the appointment in the first place. Delivering similar methods over the Internet and social media can feel less intensive and can be more likely to be completed.

Do you have social anxiety? Where are you more comfortable communicating with others: online or in person? What are instances that you can think of where using the Internet can cause social anxiety? Has any of this changed during quarantine?

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Staying Awake as an Act of Rebellion

April 28, 2021 in Educate Yourself

Most of us do not like being told what to do. It can be as minor as a parent telling us to do an easy chore, or someone you don’t know that well telling you how to do something. This even includes your own brain: for example, you may tell yourself to start that homework assignment or put your laundry away, and instead…you would rather not.

Another example is something called “revenge bedtime procrastination.” If you find yourself staying up late, even though you know you need to go to sleep, and continue to stay up late anyway, you likely are engaging in revenge bedtime procrastination. In short, the idea behind revenge bedtime procrastination is that your brain keeps you awake to make up for lost time. Spending the majority of your day at work and/or school – things you likely aren’t the biggest fan of – may make you feel that you need to spend just as much time on yourself. Thus, when the day itself is winding down, your brain continues to be active so you can do things for you.

This has been getting more attention because of the pandemic, but staying up to make up for lost time is nothing new. Unfortunately, however, your body may be too tired or you may not have the opportunity to do much, so even if your brain wants you to continue to stay awake, the activities you do are not likely to be productive. If you find yourself staying up late and putting off going to bed, you’re likely going to spend that time mindlessly scrolling on your phone or watching TV. For some, especially those with anxiety, staying up late also puts off the idea that the next day is going to arrive, and the routine of school, work, and other assignments is unfortunately going to continue. Staying up late is the mind’s way of putting it off as much as possible, even if those tasks are going to start at the same time no matter what.

As we know at this point, sleep deprivation is both mentally and physically damaging, despite trying to make up for lost time. We have tons of articles about how to manage your sleep and set more appropriate habits that you can try out to get the healthiest amount. When it comes to revenge bedtime procrastination specifically, try to remember that no matter what, the next day is inevitable, and the scrolling on your phone isn’t worth getting half the amount of sleep that your body needs. Unfortunately, accepting this is easier said than done, but you can also set goals for yourself to give time just for you each day during the week to do whatever makes you feel productive and happy.

Do you find yourself staying up late for no reason? What do you do? Do you know why you like to stay up late? Have you noticed your sleeping patterns change since the pandemic?

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How to Use Free Time to Fuel Positivity

April 26, 2021 in Be Positive

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As the school year soon begins to wind down (or you may have very recently finished), you may find yourself thinking about how much free time you have coming up. Of course, this can be a great thing: you have some time where you’re not burdened by homework and assignments and for possibly the first time in a while, you aren’t restricted to a Monday-Friday schedule. It can also be stressful, and a lack of structure and schedule can actually increase symptoms of anxiety, especially for students on summer vacation.

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Of course, this isn’t to say that you have to book summer classes or stay in an academic headspace year-round (that can be anxiety-inducing too!). Studies have found that leisurely activities increase mental health benefits, and the results are stronger when they provide some sort of daily structure during long breaks or stretches of time. These may even have greater effects if these leisure activities help put you in a positive mood and are meant to increase happiness.

Not everyone’s summer is the same, and with a lack of structure, things can change everyday. Here are a couple of suggestions to add some sort of schedule depending on how much time you have to yourself on a regular basis to help ease any anxiety that may occur from feeling like you have nothing yet everything to do. These shouldn’t be treated as set schedules, since summer is unpredictable, but even doing the same sort of activity around the same time a couple of times of week can help give you a sense of a routine.

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If you have 5 minutes a day…
You can fill out a gratitude prompt or take the time to do some brief meditation and deep breathing. We’ve talked about both before if you need an app or any other references.

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If you have an hour a day…
You can take the time to do some sort of physical activity. It could be something like going to a class at the gym or your local rec center (if it’s safe enough to do so indoors), or even putting up a cycle of Youtube videos about yoga, lifting dumbbells, or whatever you have on hand. If you can’t or don’t want to be super active, you can also use this time to go for a walk outside.

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If you have the whole day…
You can do everything listed above! If you’re able to, however, you can block out the same time every day to read a book, block out another chunk of time later that to explore a new, relaxing hobby (think knitting or baking), and you can even schedule time to dedicate to watching videos online. If you live in a city or an area with a lot of places to explore, you can dedicate a couple of hours a day by exploring a new neighborhood or trying a new coffee shop.

Do you have any plans for the summer? How do you feel about giving yourself some sort of schedule over the summer? Do you notice your mood or mental health changing during long breaks?

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by Moderator ★

Getting Things Done

April 23, 2021 in Educate Yourself

Over the past year, you may have already found yourself getting in the groove of things and finding a routine that works best for you. And if you haven’t, that’s okay! There’s no “correct” way to do everything at home.

Each day brings something different too. For those in school, finals and big assignments may be coming up soon, and it can be daunting to figure out how to get everything done, especially with the anxiety you may be feeling with these tasks on top of the anxiety with everything else going on. Ironically, if you feel anxiety when it comes to getting tasks completed, those symptoms of anxiety may actually delay you from starting them, making it take even longer to get everything done. Distractions around you like your phone, bed, and other tabs don’t help either.

Overall, it’s overwhelming and messy.

So, if you have big things that you need to get done coming up – or even if you want to make sure you can stay on task when everything feels distracting – there are ways to focus on them without these daunting anxious feelings.

One way to do this is by dividing your work into intervals. This is known as the Pomodoro Technique, where you spend a set amount of time focusing on whatever you need to focus on, take a small break, and then repeat. The amount of time you choose to do your work can vary depending on how long you realistically think you can focus. Some may be able to do a half-hour of their work, take a three minute break, and repeat until they’re done, while others may think that spending ten minutes working is the most realistic with five minute breaks. Everyone works differently.

There are a ton of apps that you can use that lets you set how long you want these intervals and breaks to be. Some include Be Focused, the Tomato Timer, and Engross. You can check them out and choose what’s best for you depending on what device you want to have the timer on, how they look, and how effective they are.

How are you dividing your time at home? Do you have any apps that you use for productivity? How do they affect your stress and anxiety?

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by Moderator ★

How Social Media Can Provide Resources for Mental Health Information

April 22, 2021 in Social Media Guide

We use the Internet to learn about, essentially, everything. All it takes is opening up the browser app of your choice or opening up a new tab, googling whatever you’re interested in, and immediately getting hundreds upon thousands upon millions of results. This can be, without a doubt, overwhelming. There’s so much information to parse through and consider, and sometimes, you may find yourself going to social media sites you’re comfortable and familiar with and do the research there.

Using the Internet to learn more about mental health is no exception to this research process, especially for youths. In a generation that is almost entirely online and at an age where symptoms of depression and anxiety are likely to start to surface, it’s no surprise that 90% of teens and young adults who show more intense symptoms of depression have turned to the Internet to learn more about mental health. The tools they turn to can range from using apps focused on well-being, using chat features to connect with professionals, and listening to podcasts.

However, youths are vocal about which tools are more useful than others. Most notably, they’re not as likely to call hotlines, and the percentages of those who use the Internet to connect to a health professional are lower than alternative methods. In fact, they are likely to be on the social media platforms they’re already using for everything else when they’re online. While youths use social media to primarily vent and have someone they can trust and have access to when experiencing mental health issues, social media might be able to help them learn about mental health by having that same trustworthy person give them sites and professionals they’ve spoken to, or they may be able to find professionally run accounts who use social media as a means of educating followers about mental health. 

This isn’t to suggest that using social media is the best and only option to do research on mental health and that it will provide the most accurate information. It’s important to get as much professional knowledge as possible if you can (our links category has some options you can consider looking further into), and those with more severe depressive symptoms are more likely to feel left out when online, but what social media can help with is not just reading and hearing about others’ experiences, but being able to connect to and talk with them.

Has social media helped you in learning about mental health? Have you talked to anyone online about your mental health or their mental health? What resources online have you used to learn about mental health?

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A Story of Hope

April 16, 2021 in Be Positive, LINKS

Dr. Bertice Berry

When Dr. Bertice Berry had all of her scheduled lectures cancelled in March of 2020, she was left with a lot of free time. Dr. Berry had been spending her days flying all over the country to give talks to people about communication and telling stories to inspire hope. When all of that was immediately taken away, she had to figure out her next steps.

She looked at her situation and thought “what can I do really well? What skills do I have that I can use to help others?” Dr. Berry knew she had a couple of strong skills – sewing and inspiring hope. This resulted in sewing over 20,000 masks for people in need, and led to her teaching and inspiring others through some of the hardest challenges that have been faced.

We all have these skills and Dr. Berry talks about how we can use those skills to make things better for others. Through her fantastic storytelling, she motivates the audience to find hope through their own stories. She shares about how powerful it can be to decide your own story. It can help frame how people see you, but also how you see yourself.

In one story, Dr. Berry explains how she would often travel for work and was at the airport when a little girl at the gate began to get a little bit out of control. Dr. Berry purchased a movie and the two of them began to talk and watch it together on her phone. The girl had an instant change in her behavior and calmed down and gave her a little token of appreciation – her doll’s glove. Dr. Berry showed the glove and talked about how it has served as a reminder for her about all the great people in the world and how her positive attitude can spread and make a difference.

Dr. Berry approaches big cultural topics through meaningful events that happen on a personal level, making her ideas easy to understand for anyone. Please check out her fantastic lecture about hope and storytelling here.

What inspires you? Do you incorporate hope into your life? What is a skill that you have that you think – or already use! – to inspire others?

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by Moderator ★

Deciding What Social Media Platforms May be Negatively Impacting You

April 15, 2021 in Social Media Guide

How many social media accounts do you have? A Pew research study found that about 75% of adults have more than one social media account. This number is likely to be pretty high in teens and adolescents who grew up with technology and social media.

Not all social media platforms are created equal, though. Some serve different purposes, like how some are likely to use Twitter for news and Instagram to share their creative photography. Despite these different purposes however, there’s been a lot of overlap now that these platforms share a lot of features and have a lot of users on them.

With that all being said, the aesthetics of the site, the people you follow, and how those people share and post content can affect you differently depending which one you’re on. For some, these different feelings might be obvious, but it’s likely that you’re unable to tell because of the sheer amount of accounts that you may be cycling through. After a while, using these sites may all blur together, which may also contribute to that overwhelming, stressful feeling you might get by spending a lot of time on social media.

So if you are feeling overwhelmed by social media, or even if you feel like something is off and you’re mentally not feeling your best, it might help to apply some organization tips towards your phone, tablet, or computer. By spending a few minutes on the social media platforms you’re actively using, you can attempt to separate them and spend some time asking yourself questions about how each make you feel. You can write down these feelings about each platform, and afterwards take a few minutes to see which exactly are causing particular stronger negative emotions. You can ask yourself questions such as, “Why is this platform making me feel like this?” “Is this platform worth keeping?” “How can I improve my experience on this platform?”

Hopefully, by taking a step back and evaluating exactly which platforms are affecting you and why these platforms are doing so can give you some time to self-reflect and find ways to improve not just your social media experience, but your mood and mental health overall.

What are the social media platforms that you use the most frequently? Do you have more than one? Have you noticed if you feel differently depending on which one you’re on?

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