This week, we wanted to share a few resources from professional mental health websites and practitioners to learn some coping mechanisms and suggestions specifically for the holiday season. We feel an obligation to be happy and cheery this time of year, but the reality is, it’s just as easy to feel depressed during the holidays as happy. No matter the reason for whatever may be making this holiday season difficult, we hope some of the following links may be of some help:
How are you feeling now that the holidays are in full swing? What kind of things are you struggling with? What are things that you are seeking for help or to feel better?
How many social media platforms can you name off the top of your head? There’s Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn (yes, even LinkedIn), Discord, Twitch…the list goes on.
Now, ask yourself how many of these platforms you have accounts on. This includes the ones you don’t even use anymore, but still have login information – and sometimes still receive notifications from. Do you have multiple accounts on the same platform too?
Finally, think about how much time per day you spend on each of these platforms and app. If you’re willing to take the risk, you can check your Screen Time to get more precise information, but you’ll also want to consider the amount of time you check these apps on other devices like your laptop and tablets if you have them.
We’ve talked extensively about how to prioritize and cleanse your platforms to give yourself the best social media experience, but even those we don’t even log on or rarely use can still make us feel anxious, and for those who are vulnerable to it, depressed. For example, remembering an old account of yours might fill you with dread with the content that now embarrass you, or even remind you of negative encounters that you had on there.
You may also be using accounts differently depending on how active you are on them. There might be accounts that you’re constantly using to talk to people or create content for, but then there might be others where you do nothing but scroll and/or watch videos. This is called passive social media use: those who spend more time passively engaging on social media are more likely to show depressive symptoms, while those who are actively engaging (like creating content, talking to others, and doing things beyond just scrolling and liking) are less likely to show depressive symptoms.
Having a ton of social media accounts can be fun at times. Since we’re always connected and online, it’s a way to make us feel that there’s no way that we can possibly be bored. However, what we do (or don’t do) on these sites may have an affect on our mental health, even if we don’t realize it.
With all this information, you may want to consider an end-of-year digital cleanse and think about permanently deactivating some of your accounts. If you haven’t touched your Facebook, an old Twitter account, or your finsta in years, it may be time to get rid of them for good. While TikTok is without a doubt entertaining, if you don’t make any, spend hours just watching and feeling negative about yourself by comparing your looks, humor, or editing skills to others, it may be something you also want to remove.
Sometimes, less is more, and social media platforms are no exception.
Have you ever permanently deleted a social media account before? What are old platforms that you used to use that you no longer go on?
Thanksgiving is a tricky holiday to navigate. Although it’s meant to be, well, a thankful time of year, it can still be painful for many. The history behind the holiday, the emphasis of being around family, and the potential of being around all kinds of triggers can make the upcoming week mentally taxing. Others might be anxious about the expectation of cooking for hours, while many might be grieving this year due to losses of those close to them or not being able to hold a “traditional” Thanksgiving due to the pandemic.
For today’s resources, we wanted to share a few stories about coping during Thanksgiving. They cover a variety of potential triggers, and if you aren’t able to relate to any of them, at least understand that you’re not alone if this time of year is harder for you than others.
While it’s impossible to tell everyone that you’re following on any of your social media platforms what they should be posting, it can sometimes be tempting to. This is true now more than ever: there are common themes of the kinds of posts that you’ve likely seen on your feeds, and while some are more helpful than others, it can get overwhelming, stress-inducing, and quite frankly, just not the type of content that you want to see right now.
Whether it’s the constant news updates, reminders to keep busy, the reminders to not be busy, or personal posts about how COVID-19 is affecting them, being online can feel like too much is happening at once. This is especially true now that you’re more likely on social media more often than you usually are during your regular routine.
There are little things that you can do to help yourself though. Even with this increased social media use, it can be hard to cut back since there are limited things you can do at home. Regardless of how often you’re using social media, you should still be able to have as pleasant and healthy experience when online.
For example, if you’re on Twitter, you can turn off retweets from certain accounts if you’re uncomfortable with the content they’re sharing for any reason. Sometimes, deleting one app entirely, even for just a day, can help calm you too. Some websites let you mute certain words so that content containing them won’t appear, and others can completely hide accounts that you don’t want to see.
Whatever it is, you still have some control in having a positive social media experience, despite the chaos and size of it all. Hopefully taking a few of these steps can alleviate the stress that can come with constantly being on and repeatedly seeing the same upsetting things.
Have you taken any measures to change your feeds to make them more positive to you? Have you found yourself doing this recently? What do you do to give yourself the best social media experience for yourself?
More often than not, people have a negative view of video games and its relationship with mental health. Video games are often associated with addiction and seen as a poor coping mechanism. Those who play violent video games tend to be more likely to show depressive symptoms too.
You’re also not very likely to associate the games themselves as a way to learn about mental health. However, there have been more games released lately that want to tackle stigma and normalize discussions about mental health. These could be characters who are coping with their mental health issues, or the game itself uses mental health as a narrative tool. This article highlights a few games that have a focus on mental health, including Sea of Solitude and Stardew Valley. We hope that this article can give you some inspiration for some games if you’re curious about video games, already play them, or just want to see what other outlets are out there for both coping and learning.
Do you play video games? Are there any you found that talk about mental health and illness in any way?
Recently, we talked about lashing out online and the effects it can have to other people that you’re interacting with on social media. We mentioned that since social media is mostly text, it can be hard for the person you’re talking to to fully understand how you’re feeling, and your words can feel even harsher without a face behind it. This week, we wanted to talk about being on the other side.
Let’s face it. We’ve all overanalyzed text messages from crushes, coworkers, friends, family, and even strangers. What does it mean if someone is using just one emoji? Is it normal for them to constantly end sentences with periods? Is the way that someone talks to you exclusive just to you or does it seem like they’re that cold with everyone? Wait, this person only responded to your text with two words, or even worse, just a “thumbs up” reaction. Does that mean they want to stop talking to you? Are you being annoying?
Clearly, it’s incredibly easy to spiral and snowball based off of one text, no matter how close you are to the person. Those with anxiety and depression, specifically with social anxiety, are also more likely to fall into this pattern of thinking, blaming themselves and thinking that the way people act is a direct reaction to what they specifically are doing and saying.
We wanted to share a couple of tips with you about how to recognize that text never paints the whole picture of a conversation, and is much less a representation of your relationship with someone. First off, remember that everyone has their own style of texting. There is no standard way of texting to get a message across, and things like personality, age, and the amount of time someone even spends online can affect how they communicate. Just because someone doesn’t use acronyms and types in perfect grammar doesn’t mean they’re mad at you or don’t consider themselves close to you, but might be used to typing that way because of their job, for example.
Everyone’s way of typing can always change too. Depending on what sites we go on and which people we talk to, our ways of typing and texting can always adapt. If you have a friend who often uses emojis and see that they’re using them less frequently, you might think that they’re mad at you and being cold because there isn’t a cute smiley or animal accompanying their message. Maybe they feel like they don’t like using emojis anymore, or someone else told them to cut it back, and in fact, they might be feeling self-conscious about how they type.
There are tons of other reasons to help us feel better if we think someone is mad at us over text. These include remembering that something else could be affecting the person, which in turn affects how they’re interacting with us, and reminding ourselves that our brains often go to the worst-case scenario, so we should tell ourselves that the person isn’t mad at us, but is talking to us with good intentions.
Have you ever gotten upset because of a message someone sent to you? What is your texting style like?
TikTok is unavoidable these days. The content on the app varies widely and probably includes almost anything you can imagine. There are viral dance routines, comedy, people sharing interesting stories, a woman who packs cute lunches for her kids, and we think all of us have seen the man skateboarding to Fleetwood Mac while drinking cranberry juice.
But the platform has also become a place for learning. The #LearnOnTikTok initiative has brought about a new type of creator- an educator. While educational videos may be nothing new for the Internet, the delivery method of quick, short videos that make their way to someone’s For You Page certainly is. The content of these education videos also vary, but an emerging area is mental health and therapy.
While there is plenty of amateur advice, there are several doctors, psychologists, social workers, and other mental health professionals offering their expertise (for free!) to millions of people. Professionals are able to reach a large audience and often answer questions directly from viewers.
Opening up the conversation on such a popular platform gives the opportunity to break down the stigma around mental health. Because of the way the app chooses videos to show on the For You Page, users can see a video that has 10 million views or 10 views. This gives anyone the potential to go viral and promotes a sense of authenticity that is unique to the platform.
While TikTok can be a great resource and effective support does not need to come only from clinicians, it is important to understand that anybody can post on the app freely. If you are interested in this type of content, check out this article for some great information about mental health awareness creators on TikTok.
Do you have a TikTok? What kinds of videos show up on your For You Page? Have you learned anything on TikTok, especially about mental health?
Listen. We know today is incredibly stressful. Even in a year of local and world events that not just lean, but completely skew on the negative side, the election today feels like the season finale of what many consider to be the worst year ever.
If you feel like you’re particularly on edge today, you’re not alone. Almost 70% of adults – regardless of political opinion – say that the country’s presidential election is a significant source of stress, and almost 80% are worried about the future of the country. This is even higher than the number of people who reported that they were stressed about the election and the state of the country in 2016, which created something called “Post-Election Stress Disorder.” Primary care visits numbers increased before November 2016 to seek treatment for depression, and there was a general spike in anxiety.
So we get it. Everything is tense, and you may find yourself doomscrolling, gluing your eyes to any and every screen, and letting your anxiety and worry build up, despite wanting to do everything to avoid going online. And given, well, everything, that has happened in 2020, you may feel like your stress, anxiety, depression, and fear are all being pulled in hundreds of different directions. Most of us are still doing everything indoors, school and work are almost all virtual, and we are still either coping with cancelled events and/or are preparing to cope with future cancelled ones, like the upcoming holiday season.
We don’t want this to be a reminder of just how bad things are, however. Instead, we hope this post is a way of telling you that you aren’t alone, and the Extra Bad feelings you may be going through today are completely understandable. Many outlets have given resources and advice about how to deal with election stress today and over the next few weeks, from the obvious, like avoiding social media, to the practical, like reaching out to your therapist or support system if you feel yourself getting overwhelmed. Focus on what you can control, like the amount of time you spend on apps and on watching TV, and try to distract yourself with things that will keep you busy, whether it be work, watching movies, going for a run, or indulging in your favorite hobbies.
For those who are 18 and over, please remember to vote if you haven’t already. For those who can’t vote, we hope that you’re able to help where you can and remember that you have so much more control over your and your country’s future than you think, even if it feels like you can’t do anything about it now.
How are you feeling today? Do you have any advice or are doing anything for yourself to cope with the election and media coverage over the next week or so?
Sometimes we all feel the need to “vent” and air our frustrations to someone who will listen. Oftentimes, the goal of venting is not necessarily to find solutions, but to know someone hears and understands your frustrations.
Holding stress, anger, sadness, or anxiety inside can be emotionally draining and make anyone feel overwhelmed. Getting a chance to verbalize those feelings to someone who cares can make all the difference for someone’s ability to cope. The person who vents often gets a sense of relief or catharsis (the relief someone gets from sharing emotion) after getting some time to express themselves, especially if the source of frustration is a result of feeling unheard.
Everyone has their own reasons to vent: some may just want to have someone to ramble at, while others may actively seek advice and feedback. Make sure to let the person you’re talking to know how you want them to listen. For example, if you’re venting at your parent and they try to jump in and come up with solutions when you don’t want them to, it can actually make you more stressed and frustrated, and can end up affecting both of you negatively.
When venting is done in a healthy way, there are even benefits to the listener, too! For example, it gives the listener a chance to connect and offer support to the one venting, which promotes closeness and bonding. The listener can also provide insight and a unique perspective after they have had the opportunity to hear about a problem.
Expressing our emotions is healthy and everyone needs to feel like someone is listening.
If you are interested in learning more about how venting can help, click here to read more.
When do you feel like you just need to vent? How do you like the listener to respond when you’re venting? How do you feel when someone is venting to you?
Although we mentioned it in our list of medication reminders recently, we wanted to use this week to specifically focus on the free app, Mango Health. You can check out more about why apps can be useful for taking medication and developing other habits for your help here, but we specifically wanted to focus on Mango Health because of its simplicity and how easy it is to use and understand.
Although one of the primary functions of the app is to remind you to take your medication, Mango Health wants you – as the title suggests – to be at your best overall health! These include adding habits and adjusting them so they are realistic goals that suit you best personally. Many of the habits they give you the option to add have a lot to do with mental health too, including tracking blood pressure, drinking water, and adding a step goal. There is even an option to add a habit that lets you enter your mood up to six times a day or up to 14 times a week.
As far as the medication reminders themselves go, Mango Health will also give you information about the medications that you’re taking, including side effects, how they might interact and affect other medications, and how things like food and alcohol can affect its effectiveness.
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