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Happiness Set Point

August 6, 2024 in Be Positive

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There is an idea in psychology that we all have something called a happiness set point. A happiness set point is a term used to describe our general level of happiness, and it is unique to each of us. We all have different set points, and it is possible that some people, who seem to be happier than others, have naturally higher happiness set points.

Where does our happiness set point come from? 

Your happiness set point partly comes from your genes. It also comes from our upbringing and personality traits that we develop when we are young and stay with us throughout our lives.

Does our set point change?   

Yes, but only temporarily. In general, our happiness set point has the ability to increase around positive (such as winning the lottery) and negative (you do not perform well on an exam) events. However, eventually our happiness will return to our natural set point (with the exception of a few life events). In fact, research has shown that “lottery winners and those who have undergone extreme hardship due to a health crisis or accident, within a year or so to return to the level of happiness they had prior to their life change.” Basically if something good happens, your sense of happiness rises; if something bad happens; it falls. However, eventually it all returns back to baseline.

Can I do anything about my happiness set point?

Yes! There is a way to choose to become a happier person. Huffington Post put out nine suggestions for taking control over your own happiness:

  1. Simply try.
  2. Make happiness your number-one goal.
  3. Linger on those little, positive moments.
  4. Choose mindfulness.
  5. Smile your way to happiness.
  6. Practice gratitude.
  7. Pursue happiness, find happiness – and success.
  8. Let yourself be happy.
  9. Practice compassion.

However, these are just suggestions. There are lots of other ways things you can try to raise the set point of your happiness.

What are other ways you might be able to raise your happiness set point? Try these out for a while and let us know if you notice any results!

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How Our Genes Are Not Set In Stone

August 5, 2024 in LINKS

One of the most interesting areas of mental health research is “epigenetics”—the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than changing the genetic code itself. In plain language, that means that we can inherit a predisposition to conditions like depression and anxiety—but there are also things we can do to change how our genes make themselves felt in our daily lives.

As Rachel Yehuda, Ph.D., says:

We’re just starting to understand that just because you’re born with a certain set of genes, you’re not in a biologic prison as a result of those genes.

Changes can be made in our behaviors that then change the way the genes function. Our genes are not set in stone.

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Yehuda is professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She talks about epigenetics and the kinds of changes we can make to our genetic expression in this episode of a super-helpful podcast called “On Being.”

Sometimes those changes, for example, have to do with diet—like if you inherit a predisposition toward cancer, you don’t inherit actual tumors, but you inherit a greater possibility that if you eat a diet high in animal fat and low in healthy carbohydrates, you may increase your chances of your genes turning on the “switch” for cancer.

And sometimes those changes have to do with behaviors.

If you inherit the predisposition toward depression, and you respond to stress by locking yourself in your room, refusing to talk to anyone, and comparing yourself to peers on social media, then you may run the risk of turning on those switches that can lead your genes “express” the tendency toward depression.

But it works the other way, too! The more you learn to respond to stress with behaviors such as visiting a therapist, engaging in yoga or meditation, or talking with a friend, the more you can increase your chances of turning that switch off—or keeping it turned off.

Yehuda says that her research is showing that “some epigenetic changes occur in response to psychotherapy.”

If we’re saying that environmental circumstances can create one kind of change, a different environmental circumstance creates another kind of change. That’s very empowering.

Check out On Being on Facebook and Twitter for positive messages throughout your day!

Have you ever worried that your genes would “lock you in a prison”? Have you actually seen your coping strategies reduce your symptoms of anxiety and depression? What practices empower you? Tell us!

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Are you bored?

August 2, 2024 in LINKS

Maybe you need to try something new?

Dosomething.org is a great website to show the world what you really care about.

It is a website where young people 13 to 25 can get involved in different activities for social change. Things like improving the environment or decreasing bullying. There are a lot of different activities even if you only have a little time. Better yet, there are plenty of chances to win scholarships.

Check it out and let us know what you thought below!

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Finding the Right Healthcare Professional

August 1, 2024 in Educate Yourself

In a future article will post an article that looks into more detailed differences between various healthcare professionals, titled “What do all of these letters mean?” This article is a spin off from that one by providing some tips on how to decide who the best healthcare professional for you might be and how to find one nearby.

How do I find the right healthcare professional for me?

This is a tricky question that can have a lot of correct answers. Remember that you are an expert in your needs so listening to your intuition and asking yourself real questions is a great place to start. The steps below are guidelines for navigating the system and may not be the best fit for everyone.

  • Do you have a primary care physician you see (like when you’re sick or want to get the flu vaccine, etc..)?
  • Talking to your primary care physician is always a good first option. They are very familiar with mental and behavioral health needs and are a good place to start when deciding what might suit your situation. Make an appointment and keep a list of things to discuss with your doctor. For example:
    • Explain how you’ve been feeling, any changes in your emotions or behaviors, and any issues or concerns you have
    • Tell them about your family history (for example if your mother experienced depression or your uncle was diagnosed with bipolar disorder)
    • Ask them if medications, therapy, or both could be appropriate for you
    • Ask them for referrals to behavioral healthcare professionals they like and trust

Good Rules of Thumb:

  • Licensed professional counselors and social workers often have a wide variety of skills. Seeking the guidance of these professionals first may be best if your situation involves some environmental and social factors. For example, you get really stressed out and anxious at home because the house is very crowded and listening to your mom and grandma fight makes you feel nervous.
  • Psychologists and Psychiatrists typically work with individuals who need longer term services, have more complex health needs, and require medication management. For example, you experience depression and have been previously diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and are currently taking two different medications.

Finding a healthcare professional:

First find out if and what kind of health insurance you have. If you have health insurance you’ll most likely want to ensure you find a provider in your insurance network (which just means they accept your health insurance). You can find different providers by calling the number on your health insurance card. Behavioral healthcare professionals often have a different number and are noted on the back of your insurance card (see below).

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If you are looking for a medical provider, or want to start there but don’t know how to find one, you can look at your insurance card for that information too! The front or back of your card often display a number and a website you can use (see below):

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Whether you are looking for a physician or another provider always ask your insurance company what the cost to you will be! Sometimes you are required to pay a fee every time you see this person, that’s called a copay. Sometimes you are required to pay a portion of the bill for that visit, which is typically called a coinsurance payment.

What if you don’t have health insurance?

If you don’t have health insurance it may be best to examine some of the resources available in your area. For example, is there a counselor or nurse that you can talk to at school? Are there any academic institutions (like a nearby university) that has training programs for their students? You may be able to receive services from students in training who are supervised by a number of professionals! Another option is to call local community health centers or non-profit organizations and see if they have any free or low cost services. Search the internet for community health centers in your area! When you call, try to give them as much detail about your situation as possible so they can best answer your questions. For example, ‘Hi my name is X and I am 17 years old. I am looking to talk to someone about anxious feelings I’ve been experiencing but I do not have health insurance. Are there any low cost or free services at your health center? If so, how much will it cost me and what qualifications does the provider have?”

Links to search for health professionals by trade:

Do you have experience looking for a healthcare professional? What are some helpful tips you can share for other users? Did this article provide you with useful information? Let us know in the comments!

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What is “Trouble Functioning”?

July 31, 2024 in Educate Yourself

Getting help for symptoms of depression can be tough. Sometimes it might feel like an easier way would be just seeing if it goes away on its own. There are good reasons not to wait.

Having adolescent depression can mean:

These problems all mean that you may have trouble functioning because of depression. Most people consider having health problems, using drugs and alcohol, and having worse grades and risky sexual behavior as a problem. But what does having trouble functioning really mean to you? Its important to remember that this is all relative. Think about what is important to you – or about what a life worth living is for you.

Maybe you want to be able to play basketball with your friends, focus on getting an art project done, not fight with your sister, and go to school without getting a headache. If depression is keeping you from being the person you want to be and the life you want to live, that is what having trouble functioning means. The good news is there is help out there that can help get you back to being who you want to be.

Stay tuned for future posts on different treatment options which may work for you. How do you relate to trouble functioning?

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Seasonal Affective Disorder — In Summer?

July 30, 2024 in Educate Yourself

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As the days get longer 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. However, some experience SAD during the summer due to the heat and humidity outside. Many often experience decreased mood. 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).

Any thoughts to add about Seasonal Affective Disorder summer edition? Comment below!

References: National Institute of Mental health

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“What do all these letters mean?”

July 29, 2024 in Educate Yourself

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You may have seen them before when navigating in the mental health world…MD, LPC, MFT, LCSW, PhD…what do they all mean?! Here is a very brief introduction to what some of these different letter stand for and what they might mean to you.

Social Workers: Social workers can have a wide range of specialties and skills, and the term social worker can refer to a volunteer with a little experience up to a clinical social worker with years of practice.  When receiving therapy from a social worker you want someone with a Masters in Social Work (MSW) who has a license to do therapy which could be a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) or Licensed Clinical Social worker (LCSW). Social workers are often members of the National Association of Social Workers, where you can find more information on the professional and search for clinicians.

Counselors and Therapists: This is a wide term that can encompass many different specialties and background. One of these titles is Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). This title includes someone who got a master’s degree in Psychology, Counseling, Mental Health Counseling, Human Services, or a similar field, and have a certain number of supervised practice hours. Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT) is another title you may see, which just means the counselor specializes in marriage and family therapy. The titles let you know that these counselors have the appropriate education and post-education training.

Psychologists: A psychologist will have a doctorate degree and will always have the letters PhD or PsyD after their name which means they are licensed to practice. Well it’s not uncommon to see a psychologist for talk therapy, they  are especially skilled in testing and diagnosing. You may be referred by a Social Worker or Counselor to a Psychologist for a one-time test or assessment. It is common for a psychologist to have an LPC after their name as well as the PhD or Psyd.

Psychiatrists: Psychiatrists are doctors (MDs) who went to medical school and did their residency with a mental health or psychiatry focus. Psychiatrists are able to prescribe medication, and are often referred by one of the other mental health professionals.  It is unlikely you would ever find a psychiatrist to receive talk therapy from weekly, and psychiatrists may or may not be trained in therapy. It’s common to be referred to a psychiatrist after seeing one of the other professions first.

Have you wondered what all these letters meant? Was this brief overview helpful? Let us know in the comments!

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The Real Questions and Answers About Therapy

July 26, 2024 in Educate Yourself

For this blog post, I interviewed a therapist to ask questions about how and why therapy could help people with depression and anxiety. His name is Gary Sadler, a Transition Care Coordinator at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine. While he explained that his work covers more than just therapy, he does frequently counsel teens and young adults who are depressed or who have anxiety.

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The first question I asked was basically, “Why does therapy work?”

Mr. Sadler explained that often people think that medication alone will help them to feel better. He said that while this sometimes is enough, research shows that the most effective method is the combination of medication and therapy. He says that talking to a third party about “whats going on in your life” helps to improve depressive symptoms. He explains, “I always stress to the patient that it is their therapy, it’s not my therapy. I’m here to listen, I’m here to interpret. You end up helping yourself by just talking about it.”

Next, I asked, “How do you help patients to feel comfortable?”

He said that he always begins by introducing himself and letting the patient tell him first a little bit about themselves. He will let them know, “I want to get to know you and know who you are as a person.” He also says that building trust and explaining confidentiality are key. He says, “Hopefully we can reach that level so that the person doesn’t feel that if I tell you something, you’re going to share that with someone else, because I’m not.”

I followed up by asking him to explain patient confidentiality.

He explained, “The general rule is that confidentiality is guaranteed to the patient when it comes to mental health. [In Pennsylvania] You can be as young as 14 years old and you can request mental health treatment and that treatment, and those notes and those conversations are protected. And for me to release that information would require approval from the patient, except if there was any type of subject matter or topic that came up or statement that was made [with intent to] hurt someone else, or if they’re going to hurt themselves, and then it would be that I may have to report it.”

I then asked, “How can you tell if your therapy sessions are going well or not?”

His answer was that if he is talking more than the patient, then they are not going well. “The patient should be doing a lot more talking.” He also said that at the end of every session, he does a “summary and check in,” by summarizing what has been discussed and seeing how the patient is feeling. He says he will ask, “How did you feel about today’s session? Is there anything that made you uncomfortable? Is there anything that we may have not discussed? That you maybe want to discuss the next time we meet? How did you feel?”

I finished by asking him if there was anything else that he thought was important for young adults or teens who are considering treatment to know.

He says, “I think the most important thing is to understand that it is okay to be depressed. It’s okay to have some form of anxiety. So if you have some sort of mental illness or if someone puts a label on it, it’s not something permanent. Not to really feel like you know I don’t want to go into treatment because everybody is going to find out. Because again, it’s a diagnosis, but the diagnosis is only there to support how we intervene. The diagnosis is not something that’s to be shared with everybody, and most people that go through any type of therapy for depression end up becoming better. I mean the statistics are, and the research is out there, that a lot of people recover. It really is that effective.”

So there you have it. What do you think? Let us know!

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What to Expect on Your First Day of Therapy

July 25, 2024 in Educate Yourself

Many people are reluctant about starting therapy or counseling. There are a number of unknowns and reasons that can create this hesitation. Therefore, we thought it would be good to address some common parts of a first therapy session such as the assessment.

Usually, therapists will do an assessment during the first session in an effort to help them get to know the client and to better understand the client’s goals for therapy. This assessment can be different among therapists because every therapist has their preferred way of handling the first session.

Photo Credit: felicianorton Flickr via Compfight cc
Photo Credit: felicianorton Flickr via Compfight cc

In a Huffington Post article titled “Going To Therapy For The First Time? Here’s What To Expect,” Jeannie Bertoli, Ph.D., a counselor, was asked about what to expect in the first session. She said, “Some therapists do a first session by getting an assessment of the current problem. Some will do background, so they’ll understand your childhood and any medical issues. Some will just listen and say ‘Uh huh’ a lot, and will be a more passive therapist, and some will really engage with you about what’s going on right now, and get to the depth of it.”

“Assessment” can also be an intimidating word because it sounds similar to taking an exam or test. However, in therapy, an assessment is a set of questions asked by the mental health professional.  It’s a very important part of therapy because it helps the therapist get a well-rounded idea of what’s going on with you. Assessment questions aim to help with many aspects of counseling such as the following:

  1. Reasons why the individual is seeking therapy
  2. Client background or history, including information about the problem (e.g., when did it start)
  3. What goals the client has for the problem

To help address the aims of therapy, here are several common questions that will most likely be asked:

  1. What brings you in today?
  2. What would you say is your main concern?
  3. Have you ever tried therapy before, and if so, what was your experience?
  4. Have you had any recent changes in appetite, energy, or mood lately?

Before going into the first session (or any therapy session), it is important to remember that the client is actually the one in charge, not the mental health professional. In order to get the most out of each session, it is important to speak up and work together with your therapist. Many individuals seeking therapy for the first time do not realize how active their role is or how much talking they might do. Remember, a    therapist or counselor is an objective, professional resource who is not there to judge you or force you to disclose anything that makes you uncomfortable. Bertoli points out in the Huffington Post article that, “You’re the co-creator of this relationship. If you go in saying , ‘Here are my goals, here are my expectations, my preferences for how to proceed, what matters to me the most,’ — if you go in prepared and not looking to take a backseat … you will have the most success.” If you’re feeling nervous before your first therapy session, it can be helpful to make a list of things you want to talk about or review any of the questions above.

Lastly, there is no required “criteria” to see a therapist and you do not have to be in crisis to get help. Therapists are there to help people of all ages live happier, healthier and more productive lives.  You may have to “shop around” for the perfect fit between you and your therapist, but ideally you should find someone who makes you feel comfortable and safe to talk openly about wherever your mind takes you. You cannot fail at therapy and there is no right or wrong way to do it.

Have you ever attended therapy? What was your experience? Do you want to start therapy, but have similar hesitations?  If you have any questions or comments about the subject of today’s post, please let us know in the comment section below!

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Social Media & Self Esteem

July 24, 2024 in Social Media Guide

The urge to maintain an online presence can be exhausting. Sure, social media isn’t always negative, but there are important things to keep in mind about using social media that can prevent it from being a bad experience. For example, monitoring your self-esteem as you use social media. It’s important to be self-aware about the way social media makes us feel. If you use a particular social media site and you come away feeling worse about yourself because of it, it might be time to reconsider the use of that platform. If I log onto Facebook and become frustrated and unhappy about my life because I compare it to others, it’s important that I consider changing the way I use the site. This might mean changing how long I use Facebook, or who I am interacting with, maybe even considering if it’s worthwhile to use the site at all.

Social media can have a lasting impact on our self-esteem. Bustle.com posted an article explaining the ways that social media affects our self-esteem. Their list includes items like:

1)      Social media can lead us to disengage from our real experiences. When we’re too busy worried

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Photo Credit: Visual Content Flickr via Compfight cc

about getting the perfect pic of the view, we can end up missing the view itself.

2)      Social media can bring about false connections with others. Because online interactions are not grounded in real-life, this can mean they lack the power that face-to-face exchanges have. This lacking can affect the way we view ourselves. Bustle points out that this doesn’t mean we can’t make valuable connections online, it just means we’re at risk of building false connections when there’s no face-to-face contact.

3)      Social media can bring on a battle for likes. It’s very hard to not compare the amount of likes across people and content. It’s also hard not to makes those likes into a reflection of self-worth. The more likes, the better we feel. But what kind of affect does it have on you when you don’t get the number of likes you wanted?

All of these points are important to keep in mind while using social media. Is the reward worth the cost? Social media is a complicated thing. It’s important to be mindful of the way it makes us feel, and to make changes to be sure social media isn’t taking a hit on self-esteem.

What do you do to avoid social media hurting your self-esteem?

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