SOVA Blog

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Tracking Your Sleep with Tech

August 7, 2020 in LINKS

Okay, we know, using technology to help your sleep doesn’t make much sense. It’s almost a widely accepted known fact that using technology as much as we do can actually damage our sleep habits and patterns, especially when using it in bed and during nighttime. If you haven’t been sleeping that well though, you may need some extra support getting the recommended 8-ish hours of sleep a night.

If you feel that your sleep health has been affected recently, you’re not alone either. With the stress and anxieties that have been, well, everywhere for the past few months, you might have been doomscrolling and finding it hard to get off your phone before bed. You might have been taking more naps during the day because you’re confined inside your home so much of the time and have nothing else to do, which then in turn makes it harder to sleep at night. Sleep disorders are also very common among those who have anxiety and/or depression, and with symptoms of these two mental illnesses increasing, and staying this way, due to COVID, these sleep disorders are likely to affect people more frequently now.

Making it a habit to monitor your sleep in the hopes of improving it might not only affect how well you sleep, but may improve your mental health as a whole. It’s a way to organize and feel productive and actively making changes to an important part of your overall health. You can keep a sleep journal by your bed, for example, or you can refer to some of the apps we’ve collected below. 

Just as a reminder though, just like any other habit tracking method, you shouldn’t rely on these organizational tools and use them as a measuring tool about how productive you are. If you end up taking a long nap for a few days in a row or don’t see improvements right away, or even if you are doing well but then only get a few hours of sleep one night, that’s okay! Overall, we hope that finding some method of tracking your sleep can help you take a step back and see what your sleep habits are like and how you can improve your sleep, mood, and mental health to feel like the best you.

If you have a Fitbit or smartwatch, you likely have a tool on there that tracks your sleep already – check the corresponding app for it on your phone to see if they do! Other than that, check out some of the free apps below:

Sleep Cycle
Sleep Watch
Sleep Score

What are your sleeping habits like? How much sleep would you say you get per night? Has your sleeping patterns changed recently?

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Can You Recreate Socializing in School Online?

August 6, 2020 in COVID-19, Social Media Guide

For most of us, especially those in younger generations, we likely interact with people on social media as much as we do face-to-face communication, if not even more. It’s both a blessing and a curse to constantly have access to those we care about, and instead of having to arrange plans to meet up with someone to see them, they can simply be a text message, phone call, or DM away.

However, there’s something about meeting up in person and talking face-to-face that social media simply can’t recreate. COVID has proved this as our in-person interactions have drastically decreased but our screen time tells us that we have spent hours upon hours on social media apps every week. You may have spent hours texting friends before quarantining, but when it starts substituting going out to grab food with them, for example, it just doesn’t feel as satisfying.

Those who are going back to school over the next few weeks might be feeling this more than ever. No matter what your school district or university’s plan is, there’s a really high chance that your interactions with your peers are going to be remarkably different. You probably aren’t going to be seeing your friends everyday in the classes you’re excited to share together or trying to find the best way to “accidentally” encounter your crush on campus. 

We can’t give the perfect advice about how to recreate school interactions online – it’s something that’s never really happened before. How do you take the more fun parts about school, like meeting up at a friend’s locker or studying in the common areas of a dorm, and recreate them virtually? How can you distinguish that from how you usually interact with them on social media? 

With all of this considered, we want to help remind you that getting an education is vital, but there are so many other factors that make school important. Sleepily complaining about classes first thing in the morning and rushing to finish a homework assignment with your friends in the cafeteria as chaos ensues around you. In a way, these social interactions are not just helpful towards your development, but they also help provide some sort of stress relief with the anxieties that come with school. Socializing during school hours – even basic interactions like saying hi to a classmate or teacher in the hallway – can boost moods and make students feel less alone. The absence of that, no matter how small these interactions are, can have a severe effect if school becomes just class time with no casual socialization.

So while we don’t have any solutions on how to really recreate these social settings, we hope that the transition comes with opportunities to talk to your friends, classmates, and teachers in that more relaxed, casual setting. It can be as silly as changing the background on Zoom to your school hallway when you talk to the friends from school that you interact with on a daily basis, or maybe even responding to a classmate’s story or Snap that you follow but don’t usually talk to.

Is there anything you miss about school? How would you recreate certain parts of school that you miss on social media?

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How Social Media “Jokes” about Mental Health

July 30, 2020 in Social Media Guide

There’s still a long way to go in how we talk about mental health. Stigma, a lack of accessible knowledge about mental health, and the media are just a few of the reasons as to why many, regardless of age, can have incorrect information about how people coping with their mental health and show symptoms of mental illness live, behave, and think. This may require some explanation to the person to educate them at best, and can be really harmful to someone at its worst.

This includes how mental health and mental illness is discussed online. Although younger generations – AKA the ones who are most likely to be using social media – have had shifting views about mental health and illness and are more open to talk about them, they also aren’t immune from slipping dangerous, harmful language about mental health and illness into memes and jokes. 

Two recent examples have included the social media response to instances involving Kanye West and Megan Thee Stallion. These are two incredibly different situations and cannot be directly compared, but if you were online as either situation was trending, you might have seen similar reactions to their mental health.

There was a lot of misinformation about bipolar disorder and how it affects those who are diagnosed with it as Kanye was posting tweets, and even a lot of people reacting to him as if it was a spectacle (Halsey, who also has bipolar disorder, commented about this as well). Megan, who is recovering from a traumatic incident of gun violence, was met with jokes and memes about what happened to her, and she even came online to explain the hurt she is still going through and how wrong it is for people to belittle that. 

It is important to address here that both Kanye and Megan are Black, and the way that Black mental health is not only stigmatized in their own communities, but is ignored or not taken seriously outside of them, is problematic. For Megan, a Black woman, the jokes, dismissal, and ignorance about her mental health are even more damaging.

There’s no way to control the stream of jokes, damaging opinions, and memes online, especially when a particular event is trending and many people are talking about it at once. There’s also no way to educate them all, and it can even be hard to educate the few people you may be in contact with. Despite all of this however, people can use this time to learn more about mental health and how it affects other communities and share this instead of engaging online. Luckily, although the jokes are unfortunately still there, there does seem to be an increasing number of tweets and responses that talk about why these jokes and memes are wrong, showing that progress is possible.

How is mental health discussed on your social media feeds? Do you talk about mental health online?

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A Fresh Start

July 27, 2020 in Be Positive

Although it’s a time for relaxation, summer can easily feel mundane. For those on summer break, the lack of routine or structure can make the days feel like they’re all blurring together, and for those who work from Monday to Friday, even doing work during this time can feel sluggish and slower because of the heat. This is even more true this summer, where there’s less to do and we’re confined to our homes most of the time. 

As a result, Mondays lately can feel…just like every other day. Simply put, there’s nothing new or exciting to it. For some, Mondays are the dreaded start of the work week but at home – even though you have something in your routine, doing so in a space that you’re already spending most of your time in and isn’t meant for your job can make your job and the tasks associated with it more difficult to complete. Regardless of what you’re doing, it’s easy to just pick up your phone and get sucked into hours of doing nothing but refreshing apps, doomscrolling, or getting lost in various YouTube videos.

So to no one’s surprise, Mondays gets a bad rep. We’re not going to try and convince you to make it the best day ever, but in times like these where you might be starting your work week from home (once again) or just feeling stuck in a loop of boredom and dread, making each day separate from each other and special in its own way can make a huge difference.

To make Mondays a bit more special, we recommend doing something that’s a bit more motivational or even completely new to make the upcoming week different than the ones before it. This could mean starting the week off by having your favorite kind of breakfast, sitting down for a few minutes to write down your goals for the week, or downloading a new app to try out for that week. If you’ve been putting off something you’ve wanted to do for a long time, you can possibly use Mondays to at least start chipping away at it too. You can also do this on Sunday too, since it’s the official start of the week, and you can do these new activities as a way to combat the “Sunday Scaries.”

Even if it doesn’t feel like it lately, the way we feel on Mondays can be a marker for how we feel for the rest of the week. By giving it a little more emphasis and using it as an opportunity to give yourself a fresh start for the days ahead, you might find yourself in a better mood the rest of the week too.

Are you on summer break? Are you working? What are Mondays usually like to you? How do you feel about Mondays?

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Meditation Podcasts

July 24, 2020 in LINKS

Usually, we listen to podcasts to get some sort of information. It might be the news, entertainment, or education, but whatever kinds of podcasts you listen to (if you do listen to them), you probably do so with the intention of paying attention so you can get something out of it. 

Because of this, podcasts aren’t often our first reference for something to relax to. It might be for some – you might not even pay attention to podcasts, instead using them to have voices in the background while you focus on something else, for example. However, podcasts likely include multiple, louder voices having a conversation, which doesn’t necessarily create the most relaxing atmosphere.

That being said, meditation podcasts are still a thing. We’ve covered a ton of meditation apps before, which usually do include some sort of guided voice narrating you through breathing exercises or a mindfulness activity. The podcasts that we’ve gathered below for you to check out perform the same or similar sessions, but don’t require any external downloading. Some also provide information about mental health and mindfulness. Mindfulness done through podcasts episodes also means that new episodes are always being released so that there’s always something new to meditate on.

Check them out!

The Meditation Podcast

Mindful Meditations

Meditation Minis

Untangle

Do you listen to podcasts? If so, which ones do you listen to, and why do you like them? Would you consider listening to podcasts about mental health?

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The Toll of Activism Online

July 23, 2020 in Social Media Guide

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Participating in causes to help make a difference and support the underprivileged can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Social media has made activism that much easier too – think of the hashtags and fundraisers people post about or how simple it is to repost other people’s posts on your story about important issues and how to get more information about the topic. Social media can also help you learn about issues that you may have not heard of otherwise (think of the current situations in Yemen and the Philippines, for example), and just exposure to campaigns can lead to a significant increase in support of the people being affected.

This accessibility is incredibly helpful and can still make a difference, even if it’s just providing the smallest bit of support, but it can also be taxing and overwhelming. Self-care and maintaining one’s mental health has become an important topic for activists, especially since the subject matter is most likely going to be painful on some level. Even if social media puts you in a physical safe space to talk about these issues, you can still feel a secondhand effect (known as compassion fatigue) and can lead to burnout. People who participate in activism online are more likely to have a tendency to gravitate towards issues that are related to their identity (i.e. their race, gender, or religion), and having that personal connection can lead to heightened anxiety and depression effects.

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Just the exposure to these issues on social media can have an effect on your mental health, even if you’re not participating in online activism. There might be guilty feelings involved because you aren’t doing anything, and some of the wording on some of the posts can almost feel accusatory if you don’t get involved, which can further those feelings of guilt. Looking at posts can not just be upsetting, but can also make you angry and the bad things going on, and you can feel overwhelmed thinking about how nothing you do will be enough.

Both participating in and witnessing online activism can be hard and triggering, especially for people of color and other marginalized groups. It can be tough figuring out how much you want to and can support, and sometimes you might really care about an effort, but it can hit too close to home or be too mentally exhausting for you to get involved in. Your level of comfort with what you engage in online – activism or not – is for you alone to understand and defend, whether it’s on deciding who you want to follow or if you need filters on posts.. Whether the social justice content is too triggering or it’s something you make sure to talk about and participate in, your mental health should be one of your top priorities.

Do you participate in activism on social media? What causes do you post about? Are there times where this feels overwhelming for you? If so, what do you do?

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What is Your “Song of the Summer?”

July 20, 2020 in Be Positive

Try to think of the memories you have of last summer, the summer before that, and the summer before that. Think of the fun, cliche summer memories you have had throughout your life, whether it be in the car listening to the radio, hanging out by the pool, or watching fireworks and lighting sparklers during the muggy nights. Do you have songs attached to them?

Music plays a huge role in our memory. There is evidence to show that music can evoke incredibly strong memories due to its role in activating many psychological functions such as imagery and attention. That’s why if you hear a song after a long time –  even if you don’t have any attachment to it – you’re likely to recall some sort of event with it and get some sense of nostalgia.

If you follow pop culture at all, you may have heard of something called the “Song of the Summer.” While we all have our own music tastes and preferences with certain genres, the summer memories you recalled earlier likely have some sort of earworm, pop hit that was everywhere at the time associated with it. Traditionally, these songs are meant to be fun, upbeat, and something you can play at barbecues, at the beach, and generally out loud with people you enjoy being around (even if you can get sick of these songs really easily). These fun songs, because of the way they sound, are there to invoke happy summer memories later on, because that’s what summer is meant to be, fun!

Recently, just like everything else in our lives, the “Song of the Summer” is completely different this year, if one exists at all. Despite some continuing with summer activities, we’re still less likely to and discouraged from gathering in large groups to do the more cliche summer activities. Because many of us are continuing to socially distance and spend most of our time limiting our social interactions and staying at home, summer feels like it shouldn’t even be celebrated this year. Is there even a 2020 “Song of the Summer” that we can reminisce about years down the line?

The “Song of the Summer” can still exist though, even if it’s not used in the typical fun-in-the-sun way. Fun music can encourage a more positive mood, and no matter where you are, we encourage you to explore summer playlists, whether curated by music streaming platforms, your friends, or even influencers, to see if there are any upbeat songs that you find yourself enjoying. You may not be going to the beach every weekend and playing these songs on repeat on the way there, but even listening to these kinds of songs can almost recreate that feeling and help you feel better when everything going on can make you feel sad, lonely, and helpless.

You can still blast these songs at home, in the car, or even in virtual hangouts with your friends, and although it’s not the same, it’s still a way to get your mood to improve in a time when it’s likely to feel more down than not.

Do you enjoy mainstream pop music? What have been your songs of the summer in the past? What songs are you enjoying now?

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Stay Hydrated!

July 17, 2020 in LINKS

As we discussed earlier this week, staying hydrated is not just important for your physical health, but can have substantial benefits for your mental health and your mood too. This is especially important now during the summer, where the heat and humidity can make it even easier to get dehydrated. The sluggishness of the summertime along with the lack of motivation that can come with mental illness symptoms can make it difficult to get enough water throughout the day, making the dehydration effects even worse.

If you’re someone who enjoys organizing and keeping track of your goals and habits, you may find yourself benefiting from apps that help you monitor your water-drinking habits too. There are a variety out there, such is the case of the endless app market. Some include cute animations and graphics to make the app more enjoyable, while some are more straightforward so you can log the amount you have drank and close it right away. Most apps are customizable in some sort of way too. Whatever you choose, we hope that it might help you build and sustain a new habit.

Plant Nanny

My Water

Aqualert

What are your water drinking habits like? What are other ways do you think you can get more water in? Do you use apps to monitor any of your habits?

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Grieving an Unfollow

July 16, 2020 in Social Media Guide

That may sound a tad overdramatic, but if you’ve ever logged onto one of your social media accounts and have seen even just one fewer follower, you likely have had a million questions begin running through your head: 

Who was it?

Was it because of a recent post? 

Was it because they were annoyed with my entire account?

Should I also unfollow them?

Are other people going to unfollow me too?

These questions are completely natural to have. But for those who have symptoms of social anxiety, these questions can feel that much more daunting and can even be debilitating as they question not just why one person stopped following them, but if others will too. This kind of snowball thinking can have them question if they need to change their content, if they should post more or less, and so on.

Even those who find themselves overanalyzing and getting caught up in an unfollow may feel that this seems a little silly. But in an age where social media is an incredibly common form of communication and way to connect with others, it’s okay to feel upset, and even worried that this is some sort of marker for your relationship with someone. Many platforms have ways to track your followers too, which doesn’t help with these anxieties.

Obviously not all unfollows are treated the same either. If you do choose to find out who unfollowed you, and it’s someone you either don’t know or barely know, it shouldn’t be an unfollow worth missing. This person’s opinion shouldn’t matter to you, because you don’t have any sort of significant relationship with them. If they’re someone you wouldn’t want to have a long conversation with online or offline, pay them no mind. If it’s someone you consider yourself closer with however, it’s really up to you to question why they might have done so. Depending on the relationship, you might feel comfortable just bluntly asking them, but you might have to be prepared to have a conversation about the content you post or about your relationship as a whole. On the other hand, it might not even be that significant and may have even been a mistake! 

Navigating relationships is always difficult and stressful, and social media adds a whole new layer to it. Overall, unfollowing, “breaking the mutual,” and a decrease in statistics should have little to no impact on you and how you view yourself, but social anxiety can make it seem much more important than it actually is. Unfollows from people you do care about can understandably make you upset, but it can lead to a conversation that may need to be had about where you two stand with each other and can come out stronger. In the end however, social media is not real life and should not define your relationships with someone, as easy as it is to believe that it is.

Have you ever unfollowed someone you’re close to? Do you keep track of your followers? Why do you think we place a huge emphasis on numbers on social media?

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Keeping Your Cool

July 15, 2020 in Educate Yourself

As we hit the halfway point of summer (how did that even happen?), the temperatures are likely getting even higher, if they’re not high enough already. If you live in an area with high humidity, it can feel even hotter than whatever temperature is displayed on your watch or phone.

While often associated as a time for relaxation and fun outdoor activities, heat and humidity can have a significantly negative impact on our mood. This can range from feeling cranky to angry, and unfortunately, even violent.

This summer is significantly different than previous ones too. The onslaught of continuously bad news, most of the time caused by COVID, can not just have us feeling sad and hopeless, but also angry and frustrated. The combination of both this and the summer heat can have you even more on edge compared to maybe even a few weeks ago too. Anger is also likely to occur in those with depression and/or anxiety, and these external factors can trigger that even more.

Unfortunately, the heat and the pandemic are clearly things that are out of our control, and waiting for them to go away is just not a possible solution. There are still ways to keep your cool both literally and figuratively, and definitely tons of quick solutions if you have the right tools on you.

You’re probably trying to keep cool right now, whether it be through air conditioners, fans, or even grabbing a nearby magazine or book and waving it back and forth. However, the best recommendation we suggest to both ground yourself and reduce the heat is to keep yourself hydrated. It’s quick, accessible, and the relief of taking a cold sip of water when you’re not feeling that great can almost feel like a miracle. Dehydration can contribute to other negative effects like headaches and fatigue – things that can also negatively impact your mood – so it’s important to stay hydrated as much as possible too. Keeping a reusable water bottle nearby or on you can make a huge difference, and there’s so many different kinds that are available so you can choose one that functions best for you and that is also aesthetically pleasing. We recommend having an insulated one so the water stays colder for longer.

Of course, while keeping yourself hydrated is incredibly important, it’s not the only way you can stay cool. Hopefully however, as this summer sluggishly continues, you can find other creative ways to cool yourself down as well.

What ways do you keep cool during the summer? Does the heat impact your mood? How’s your mood been recently?

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