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TV Shows and Content Warnings about Mental Health

December 4, 2019 in Educate Yourself

Television shows have been including trigger warnings for years. You may have noticed the box in the upper left corner with a not just a suggested age warning, but a few letters underneath to indicate if there’s violence, sex, heavy language, or suggestive dialogue. It’s also those black screens that show up right before the episode starts, sometimes included with a stern, male voice warning about more specific content in the episode that may be disturbing and that “viewer discretion is advised.”

These sorts of messages have ranged from warnings about bright, flashy images that may trigger epilepsy, depictions of mass shootings, to graphic violence. Generally, content warnings rarely get into specifics about why they’re there and simply state that the episode includes content that is not suitable for all audiences, which isn’t incredibly helpful if you’re not sure what the disturbing material might be.

Content warnings have started to become more specific however, particularly with warnings about mental illnesses. The most notable, and controversial example, is with 13 Reasons Why, which has been the center of many conversations about how and if mental illness can be responsibly and respectfully portrayed on TV and film. The last few episodes of the first season included content warnings, with the last including one specifically talking about an explicit portrayal of suicide, and the second season included an even stronger content warning before the entire season begins. The Politician, another Netflix show, does the same with a message about the show having elements that may be “disturbing” for those with mental health struggles.

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HBO is taking one step further: the channel recently announced that many of their shows are going to include these content warning screens but with specific mental illness depictions that are going to be shown in that episode. This affects current shows such as Euphoria, which, like 13 Reasons Why, has a large adolescent following, as well as completed shows like Girls and The Sopranos. But where content warnings are usually meant to tell those who may be affected that this episode isn’t for them and to skip it, HBO wants to use theirs to encourage a conversation about mental health. In their words, viewer discretion isn’t advised, but “viewer conversation is encouraged.” 

The channel hopes that the specific mental illnesses listed before the episode and the “doctor commentaries” about those illnesses that supplement them will help spread awareness and help those watching not just learn more, but have the ability to break the stigma around mental illnesses.

What do you think about content warnings before TV episodes? Have you ever seen any with warnings about situations with mental illness? Do you think these are effective or that having a conversation because of them are possible?

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Navigating Work Stress During the Holiday Season

December 2, 2019 in Be Positive

No matter where you are, whether it be in school and/or work (or any other situation), the time in between Thanksgiving and winter break, no matter how long, can be hard to navigate. Suddenly everything feels like it’s in overdrive: going from a longer, likely lowkey break to having a ton of assignments due within the span of a couple of weeks can seem, and is, overwhelming. The same can be said for work, where things can feel extra stressful during a time that’s supposed to be celebratory and relaxing since it’s the holiday season. Those working in retail have a whole other level of stress given the rise in people shopping and extended hours that they have to work.

Needless to say, despite being “the most wonderful time of the year,” the time between Thanksgiving and winter breaks can be the most stressful too. If you’re experiencing intensive anxiety symptoms when you’re in class, doing homework, or at work, know that this is completely normal. It may not seem that way since it’s the holiday season and people generally tend to be more cheery and relaxed, but the truth of the matter is, holiday anxiety and stress exists.

While taking a break amongst the chaos that is finals and extended work hours is frankly impossible, if you’re able to, you can try to find at least a couple of minutes for yourself. This can be done by taking a few deep breaths or practicing other kinds of deep breathing, organizing the things around you, or even just checking your phone. You may even need to take a small walk to at least another room to refresh yourself by having a change of scenery. 

The next couple of weeks are going to be rougher than normal for some. Whatever extra work you might be dealing with during this time, it’s important to remember that you’re not alone in your stress and the feelings of being overworked, overwhelmed, and worried about this time never coming to an end and the worry about these feelings never going away are incredibly valid. Along with finding quick and simpler coping mechanisms among the chaos to ease some of this stress, remember that this time doesn’t last forever and that break at the end of the month that you deserve will come.

What’s this holiday season like for you work-wise? Do you feel like your workload now is more than usual? What kinds of quick and easy coping mechanisms do you have for stress relief? 

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The Problem with “Good Vibes Only”

November 25, 2019 in Be Positive

Positive thinking can be powerful. Not only does it have a beneficial effect on mental health, but studies have also shown that there are positive physical effects too when it comes to conditions such as heart disease. Besides that, positive thinking can improve your mindset, the energy you feel and give off, and how others react to you.

That’s probably why you may have seen an influx of posts, tweets, and people in general trying to encourage positive thinking. Phrases such as “good vibes only,” “choose happiness,” and “smile more” have all become popular, showing up on t-shirts, coffee mugs, and signs to put on your bedroom door. Spreading positivity, for lack of a better word, is positive, especially in a climate where most adolescents feel that mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety are the biggest problems within their generation.

But here’s the thing. Encouraging only positive thinking can cause people to think that in order to be accepted, they have to push away the negative things that are bothering them and pretend that they don’t exist. If someone is going through a hard time, they simply have to “choose happiness,” change their mindset, and everything will be okay. However, if people realistically cannot do this, they can feel worse about themselves because they’re not doing positive thinking “correctly.” And while it’s good to be optimistic, one study found that only thinking positively tricks the brain that what you ultimately want has already been achieved, therefore, you’re less likely to put effort into things. 

Like most things, it’s important to find a balance in how you think and perceive the events and people around you. Only negative thinking is incredibly harmful, and only positive thinking is both impossible and can make you feel guilty (which ironically can lead to more negative thinking). One approach you can take is “mental contrasting.” Here, you first take a few minutes thinking of something you want, it happening, and how that makes you feel. After, you take a few minutes to think of the obstacles that can occur. This encourages those doing the activity to realize that the things we want aren’t guaranteed, but achievable. 

It’s totally fine to want good vibes around you and to try and surround yourself with people that give off warm, friendly energy. But what’s also important to remember is that acknowledging and feeling those negative emotions give you the opportunity to know where you need to introduce positive thinking. It’s also important to remember that both negative and positive thinking have a relationship with each other. It’s like self-care: it’s good to do positive things for yourself, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of ignoring the bad when the bad can actually be used as a supportive tool too.

What do you think about how positivity is displayed on products and on social media? Do you think a balance between positive and negative thinking is possible? How so?

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Taking a Break

November 22, 2019 in LINKS

Though we’re constantly on our computers, sometimes we need to have a brief distraction from whatever task we’re currently focusing on, whether to jump start our motivation or calm any stress that the assignment is causing. The reasons we’re working or need a distraction may vary, and just like needing distractions for different reasons, the things we seek out to relax and ease our anxiety differ from person to person.

It can be easy for these distractions to build up however, and before you know it, it’s two hours later and you’re deep into the social media feed of your choosing. The options below offer brief online distractions that shouldn’t last more than a few minutes. This way, you can get some quick me-time in before continuing with whatever task you have at hand.

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Want a complete escape?  The website Do Nothing for Two Minutes from Calm.com wants you to do exactly that for, you guessed it, two whole minutes. The timer on the screen counts down the 120 seconds against a sunset sky, and if you try to move your mouse or keyboard, the timer starts over, making sure you don’t touch your computer for the duration. Obviously, it can’t stop you from going on your phone or talking to a friend next to you, but no cheating! Whether it be staring at the calming screen or closing your eyes, these two minutes should all be about doing absolutely nothing.

Want some support? In a classic meme style, The Calming Manatee opens up to a random cute image of manatees with reassuring phrases. Think of the “Hey Girl” Ryan Gosling meme, but instead of the actor, it’s a positive aquatic animal. The red button at the bottom of the page generates a new, similar meme, providing as little or as much reassurance as you need.

Want to think about what to eat for dinner? BuzzFeed’s Tasty is the most well-known cooking channel, popular for its quick videos preparing a variety of dishes that can take hours in a couple of minutes. It’s just one of several video channels that features food preparation against an aesthetically pleasing counter and catchy music; similar channels like Spoon University was created specifically for college students, and TasteMade has a whole playlist where food is made…but miniature in a tiny “kitchen.” Be careful though, because though they are short, it’s easy to build them up and watch them in succession. And of course, it can make you really, really hungry.

What do you do for distractions when you take a break from assignments? Do you think breaks are needed, or do you prefer to completely finish your work before doing something else?

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Do Notifications Heighten Your Anxiety?

November 21, 2019 in Social Media Guide

It could be a notification about anything: a text from your best friend, an email, or a DM on Instagram. No matter what it is, getting that alert via vibration and/or ding! can send a wave of brief panic through your body, even if it’s a trivial random news notification about five new recipes to try this week.

If you ever feel those anxious symptoms when you get a notification, you’re not alone. Although people are already constantly checking their phones and usually waiting for some sort of notification, actually receiving one can send the mind spiraling. There are tons of reasons that notifications can trigger these anxious feelings. For example, you might think that an incoming text means that you did something wrong and the person texting you is calling you out on something. An email could potentially be from a professor telling you you flunked an assignment or a rejection letter from somewhere that you had applied to. You might even get anxious over the fact that a notification could be your crush liking your recent Instagram post and what that implies.

Then there’s the other side to receiving notifications. Now that someone’s reached out to you, your mind may start worrying about how to respond. If it’s not someone you don’t talk to frequently, it can be even more stressful thinking about how you respond in order to maintain whatever relationship you want to have with them. What about timing? Now that you have received the notification, would it make sense to respond right away? What if that person responded to you hours after you reached out? What does that mean about your relationship?

These moments of panic that come with receiving notifications can be triggers of social anxiety and can cause catastrophic thinking. We worry about what someone potentially has to say to us, we worry about how to respond, we fear ruining a relationship, and so on, just because of a simple bubble that appears on our lock screen.

One easy solution to avoid these feelings can be to completely disable notifications. This is definitely a possibility – it’s been tried and studied before in a “Do Not Disturb” challenge where 30 people turned off alerts for a full 24 hours. While those who participated felt less distracted and checked their phones less often, they still felt some sort of anxiety about not just missing out on communicating with others, but also felt anxiety that they were missing important or urgent information.

Not unlike temporarily deactivating apps as a way of doing a mini social media cleanse, you can turn off notifications for certain apps. If you’re in a group chat that overwhelms you, you can put them on do not disturb and check it periodically. This doesn’t mean that you’re not receiving notifications, but what it does is gives you the power to look at, respond to, and process notifications at your own pace versus feeling rushed to do so all within that millisecond that you receive a push notification.

Notifications can be fun to receive, but they can not only cause stress, but keep you glued to your phone with the hopes that you’ll receive one. Disabling them, or even some, can help ease your mind and give you more control over your phone and social media usage.

Do you have notifications disabled for any of the major social media accounts that you use? How often do you check your phone? Do you feel anxious when you receive a notification, and if so, what do you get anxious about?

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Why Self-Care Sometimes Isn’t Fun (and that’s a good thing)

November 20, 2019 in Educate Yourself

At first, “self-care” sounds pretty straightforward. You’re taking care of yourself and doing things that make you feel good about yourself. This is often associated with relaxing and the images of face masks, bath bombs, doing yoga, and reading with a cup of tea. Self-care can also include cleaning out your closet, watching your favorite show when work or homework gets too overwhelming, and, of course, “treating yourself.”

All of these things are completely valid forms of self-care (we’ve talked about a good majority of them too). However, while they feel great, self-care is not just about doing things that feel good, but are the actions you take to make sure your emotional, physical, and mental needs are being met so you can function and go about your daily routines as healthily as possible.

It’s one thing to take care of yourself and have a “me-day,” but while that feeling is great at the time, sometimes it’s only just a distraction from what’s really bothering you. And this is where self-care isn’t as fun. In order to meet those basic needs, you may have to confront the things that are upsetting you and causing mental strains that can lead to burnout, heightened anxiety, or explosions at other people from pent-up frustrations.  

Sometimes confronting these things and taking the steps to change habits and ways of thinking can be harder than we want to admit. Trying to change bad habits ranging from biting your nails to smoking are a form of self-care. Going to therapy and talking to a therapist about things you may have buried is a form of self-care. Making the effort to follow through with plans and socializing when you usually try to find ways to stay home instead is self-care. By tackling these barriers and working through things that can seem scary and difficult at first, you’re taking the steps forward in order to become a better you.

Self-care for everyone looks different. It can be both fun and terrifying. And to get a little cliche, self-care can be going out in a storm to see the rainbow that shines after.

What do you think self-care is? Have you ever had a difficult conversation or been in a difficult situation that you found actually helped you after?

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Weekend Viewings: Patriot Act

November 15, 2019 in LINKS

Satirical political shows are everywhere now. There’s been a recent trend where they zero in on an important, often underrepresented topic and highlight it by going into a lot of detail about the issues the topic is facing and why it’s important to address it. Think of people like John Oliver, who has covered subjects like warehouses and voting machines, or Samantha Bee, who has covered sexual harassment in the animation workplace and whitewashing in museums.

A common thread on these shows has been the focus on American healthcare and the issues with affording, accessing, and receiving the treatment that people need. These have included biases in medicine, getting organ transplants, and crisis pregnancy centers.

Recently, Hasan Minhaj (a former Daily Show correspondent like John Oliver and Samantha Bee) covered mental health coverage on his most recent episode of Patriot Act. He mentions the stigma surrounding mental health (especially within Asian-American communities) and acknowledges that the conversations about mental illness have become more mainstream, but when it comes to receiving treatment, insurance companies make it really difficult to access, even flat out denying treatment. While the information is bleak and can feel disheartening, it does give some context as to why some people can’t simply “get help,” or why the rates of people who receive treatment are so low, despite increasing numbers in mental illness diagnoses.

If you have a Netflix account, you can watch the episode there, or you can watch it below:

Have you ever had any issues accessing mental health treatment? Why do you think it’s so difficult?

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Using Social Media at Night

November 14, 2019 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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The Benefit of Naps

November 13, 2019 in Educate Yourself

Yesterday, we talked about the danger of depression naps. However, this isn’t to imply that all naps are bad for you – in fact, they’re incredibly beneficial!

At first, naps can seem like a waste of time if you’re incredibly busy and are seen as a sign of laziness. They may also seem like the only thing your body and mind can do if you’re experiencing a depressive episode and don’t have the strength or motivation to do anything else. Naps are usually seen in a negative light for these reasons if you aren’t a child, despite the fact that they can help you become more alert, improves memory and creative thinking, and can improve your mood. 

This is partly because we’re told that we need to take advantage of as many things in 24 hours (clubs, homework, classes, socializing) as possible and that any “wasted time” like sleeping takes away from work. It also doesn’t help that adolescents are more vulnerable to sleep disruption (one reason being from the anxiety that comes with the many things they’re expected to accomplish) and shouldn’t be going to school as early as they do (experts have been pushing high schools to delay start times, for example). 

Overall, adolescents are not getting the amount of sleep that they should, and not giving yourself the time for that break and mental rest can ultimately lead to burnout, which can then lead to more depressive symptoms, like those dangerous and long depression naps.

This time of year might be a good time to start incorporating naps. The sun is starting to set earlier and may make you tired when it gets dark, but taking a quick nap can refresh you so that you can stick to your regular sleep schedule. For those who are dealing with the burden and accompanying anxiety that may come with exams and finals, taking a break by taking a nap can have you shut off your brain for a while to give it a quick recharge. 

Of course, it can be really easy and tempting to keep your eyes closed for “five more minutes.” There are a few guides and tips online to help make sure you stick to your schedule, but consider the following:

  • Time and schedule naps: just like any other habit, napping should have some consistency. Everyone’s daily routine changes and no one’s is the same, but if you can find a period of time that you feel would be good for your child to squeeze a few minutes in, their body will start to associate it as a “recharge” time. They shouldn’t be too late in the day or too long either – most places suggest somewhere between 10-30 minutes.
  • Do NOT sleep in your bed: Even though this is a place where you’re meant to sleep, your body associates it with long periods of rest. If you nap here, you’ll likely find yourself sleeping for hours instead of a few minutes.
  • Plan the space accordingly: While you want to be comfortable, you don’t want the space to be cozy to the point that you never want to get out – you’re only there for a brief period of time after all. Make sure the space is dark, but cool, and use a lighter blanket as opposed to an entire comforter. 
  • Keep your phone away: It can take a bit before you eventually fall asleep for your nap, and can therefore be tempting to go on your phone. Also, once your alarm goes off, having your phone next to you makes hitting the snooze button that much easier. Keeping your phone away (and on “do not disturb” to avoid notifications!) will force you to get up to turn off the alarm. If you have a smartwatch, try putting your alarm on there instead.

Ultimately, naps are a good thing, but it also (ironically) includes some hard work to make sure you’re taking them in a healthy way. You know your own mind and body the best, and it’s up to you to determine if they’re helpful to you, how much you need them, and when to tell that they’re becoming an issue and a sign of burnout and depression. That being said, getting that extra Z can be a pleasant and mood-boosting habit you can incorporate in your routine!

Do you take naps? What do you think of them? How would you differentiate depression naps and regular naps?


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Depression Naps

November 12, 2019 in Educate Yourself

As one of the more notable symptoms of depression, napping or sleeping for long periods of time can suck time out of the day. Naps during the day mean that the time to do other things is lost, and doing so can make you unable to sleep at night, which makes you tired the next day, and repeat. Some suggest tracking your sleep patterns in order to adjust it, but when depression factors in, it’s harder to track just when you want (or maybe don’t want) to take that inevitable nap.

The primary cause for depression naps stems from avoidance. While naps are supposed to be a refresher before going about the rest of the day (think siestas), people take depression naps to escape from the feelings and thoughts that depression causes. It’s a coping mechanism, something to do to not just pass time, but to let the brain shut up for a little.

These naps serve as an escape, but they are anything but beneficial. They can last from several, excruciatingly long minutes to almost the whole day, and with them come lethargy and a lack of desire to get up, therefore spending more time being sedentary. Sometimes, it feels like the problem can only get worse. Depression naps can also trigger anxiety, because now that some of the day is wasted, so has the opportunity to get things done. This also comes with a feeling of guilt, because the time where you could have been busy and accomplishing things was sacrificed for essentially doing nothing. Then there’s the fact that once you’ve taken a nap during the day, it’s significantly harder to fall asleep at night. A lack of a sleep pattern has its adverse effects as well, like on school performance, blood pressure, and appetite. Overall, depression naps can cause a snowball effect that often times enhance depressive symptoms.

While trying to avoid them is easier said than done, it’s important to not feel guilty when you find yourself falling asleep when you don’t want to. Sometimes it’s the only thing the body can bring itself to do, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only solution in an attempt to feel better.

Do you find yourself taking depression naps? What do you think can be done to avoid taking them?

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