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Selfies

April 11, 2019 in Social Media Guide

An easy target for those criticizing how adolescents use technology today is by mimicking them taking a selfie. The image can feel much more familiar than you may want to admit: your phone in your hand, arm stretched out in front of you as you angle and turn both it and your head as you try to find the most flattering shot. You take a few, get unhappy with nearly all of them, then repeat the process with different lighting, by changing your hair ever so slightly, and so on.

wahyu-setiawan-1176211-unsplashSome have raised their concerns about how selfies promote vanity. For example, in a survey conducted among plastic surgeons, a little more than half said that their patients’ motivations was to look better in selfies. There have been reports that selfies promote narcissism, but some argue that people who already have more narcissistic traits are more likely to take selfies to fuel it. Selfies can be a way for adolescents to explore who they are (something that youths have historically been doing), and as a way of boosting their confidence and self-esteem, and some studies have shown that teenagers feel better about themselves when they take selfies.   

Selfies aren’t just an individual activity though. Social media gives us the opportunity to share the photos we take of ourselves with others. The frequency in how often people put images of themselves online can affect those who are already vulnerable to or may already be diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). It doesn’t help when filters start coming into play. Because of the ways that certain filters soften and blur the face, sometimes adding a little bit of makeup or slightly changing features, it can cause people, especially adolescents, to fixate on what they consider to be “improvements.”social-1852362_1920

Photoshopping used to be the go-to method to “enhance” photos, but the software can be expensive, it takes time, and there are a lot of features to navigate. Meanwhile, you can simply swipe through filters on Instagram and Snapchat to see what looks the most flattering, and tools like Facetune make the editing process a lot quicker. This “Snapchat dysmorphia” has led to an increase in people requesting things such as plastic surgery and fillers to change their look, and instead of bringing photos of celebrities or others they want to resemble, they bring in photos of themselves with a certain filter.

However you feel about them, no matter how many you may or may not take, selfies are here to stay. There’s a healthy way of going about how you perceive yourself and others when both taking and looking at them, and like most things on the screen, what you see very rarely represents reality.

How do you feel about selfie culture? Do you post or take them often? What other ways do you think taking selfies and posting them can positively or negatively affect mental health?

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Productive Anxiety

April 8, 2019 in Be Positive

Having anxiety can mean that completing even the simplest task seems impossible. Even simple tasks like opening up that initial tab to start researching for a paper or just taking a deep breath can be terrifying, because taking that first step forward to begin something you’ve been dreading can be so intimidating.

jeshoots-com-523925-unsplashThe feelings associated with anxiety and during an anxiety attack – rapid heart beats, being on edge, having trouble concentrating on anything – can take over the actual task at hand making it seem like you’re never going to get those things done. It doesn’t help either that those who have Type A and perfectionist traits are likely to have some form of anxiety, and can get so stressed about doing something exactly perfect that they can get too anxious to even start. This can also make them even more anxious because of the guilt they have for not working.

Despite all of this, if you have anxiety, you can still accomplish the things you want and have to, despite these overwhelming feelings. One good tool is to organize yourself: writing down exactly what needs to be done and the steps you need to get there can put things in perspective, and for all you know, it’s likely that there’s even less that you have to do than you thought!

You can also try “anxious reappraisal.” Anxiety and excitement are both arousing emotions, making your heart beat faster and gets your office-1859379_1920adrenaline pumping. However, where excitement is a fun feeling, anxiety…isn’t so much. Anxious reappraisal reframes the negative feelings about a task by having you say that you’re excited out loud. Those who repeated “I’m excited” before doing a task came across as more confident and calmer compared to those who said “I’m anxious” before doing the same thing. The people who said “I’m excited” were still nervous, but saying the sentence out loud reframes the activity as something to look forward to.

Other ways to make your anxiety productive can include thinking of the good things that doing the task will accomplish, finding a mantra to motivate you and repeat when you feel your anxiety spike, and even hiding your phone. Your anxiety may not just be about your assignment, but could also be tied to expecting a notification or missing something online, and putting your phone away can help you focus more on your assignment and focus less on potential distractions.

Trying to get started on any task is difficult, especially when it’s one that you consider to be important and want to do well on. There’s no perfect way to go about combating that anxiety, but these are some tips you can try to help with that first step.

Do you have any tips about how to get started on an important assignment when you have anxiety? How can you get excited about things that stress you out?

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Weekend Viewings: Social Animals

April 5, 2019 in LINKS, Social Media Guide

allef-vinicius-ig-seteales-104792-unsplashAnyone can be an influencer and have a large media presence. Some people stumble upon it, and some people don’t want it at all. Some create an account with the purpose of trying to get high traffic and sponsorships, while some just happen to have a post go viral and find themselves dealing with the outcomes, both good and bad.

hans-vivek-230955-unsplashInstagram helps foster creativity. Like any other social media platform, there are a fair amount of influencers, but Instagram stands out because it gives you a space to show off your artwork, photography, and design expertise, whether it be the lunch you ate earlier that day or a photo of yourself in front of a mural that perfectly matches your outfit.  

The 85% of teenagers going onto Instagram at least once a month most likely do so for different reasons. There are some trends on Instagram for teens – there are meme-and-theme accounts, timing is important, and they want to do their best at making their grid look aesthetically pleasing. Teens use Instagram in their own creative ways, especially for self-expression, and sometimes the results can be extreme.

This is where Social Animals comes in. The documentary was directed by Jonathan Ignatius Green and was released back in December, following the stories of three teenagers: a pageant girl from LA, a photographer from NYC, and a high schooler living in the Midwest. All their stories and experiences with the social media platform are different, but there are still noticeable trends as you watch the movie. They all use it as an outlet for something and find a purpose behind it, but they’ve also experienced harassment and rumors through the Internet, some to a harmful degree.

There’s no clear bias in the film about if social media is really good or really bad, and simply interviews the three teenagers about how they use Instagram and the consequences that have come with it. Their backgrounds and upbringings have no overlap, but the film shows the effects that social media is having on Gen Z, not just on how they interact with others, but how they see themselves.

There are also a couple of interviews with the director if you want to learn more about the process and his views on social media and its effect on adolescents.The first one even includes two of the teenagers!

The documentary is about 90 minutes long and is available on Netflix, iTunes, YouTube, and Amazon Prime.

Warning: the movie discusses mental health, but one of the adolescents talks about self-harm and her suicide attempt in detail including her parents’ reactions. If you plan to watch the movie and are sensitive towards the topic, please view with caution.

Have you ever watched any videos about social media? If you have an Instagram, why did you start it? What kind of experiences have you had? If you watch the film, tell us what you think of it!

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Withdrawal without Social Media

April 4, 2019 in Social Media Guide

Although adolescents are aware and think that they spend too much time with technology (especially their phones), it doesn’t look like they have any plans to reduce their use. There are stories about people taking a break from social media through a cleanse or even going off the grid completely and the benefits that come with them, but like any significant change in your habits, it can be an uphill battle to get to the positives.chat-2389223_1280

game-1926905_1280Because of how often people – and adolescents in particular – spend time on social media, it may get to the point of addiction. This isn’t just limited to the “typical” social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat. Video games and the addiction that they can cause have also been a subject of discussion. The reason that so many adolescents spend time online can vary, but they may be hesitant to quit for reasons like FOMO, the escapism it allows them to have from everyday life, and the connection they have with their friends on the platforms.

It’s understandable why people want to take a break or completely quit social media. Depending on how often you use it though, there’s likely to be an adjustment period. Withdrawals are often associated with those trying to quit items that are more harmful and dangerous, such as drugs and alcohol. However, we can potentially experience these symptoms to some degree whenever we start reducing (or flat-out quitting) the things that play a huge part of our lives.

ethan-haddox-482609-unsplashIt’s okay, and completely natural, to feel these kinds of symptoms if you’re trying to reduce how much you use social media. Whether its apps, video games, or both, going a few days without them can disrupt your body and mind and make you feel moody and itching to go back on social media. You may find yourself unlocking your phone and your fingers automatically going to where your social media apps were located before they were deleted. You may feel like you’re missing out on conversations that everyone else might mention when you talk to them in real life or through texting, and literally fidgeting because you aren’t sure what to do.

If you’re trying to use social media less, it’s okay and completely normal to experience these minor withdrawal symptoms. Nearly half of adolescents today say that they are online almost constantly, so it’s a drastic change to go from using something all the time to a little bit and not at all. Life changes are rough to get used to, but if they’re things that can help you feel better about yourself and make you more productive in a healthier way, it’s worth that climb up that hill.

Have you ever experienced withdrawal symptoms from not using social media before? What kind of feelings were these? How long did it take until you began to experience them?

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Creative Arts Therapy Feature: Dance/Movement Therapy

April 3, 2019 in Educate Yourself

Do you enjoy the arts? Have you ever wanted to see how getting creative can help you mentally? This feature is just one in a series of entries exploring the different types of creative arts therapy. You can learn more about other outlets here!

Created in the 1940s by Marian Chace, dance/movement therapy (DMT) is a psychotherapeutic intervention using movement and dance to support intellectual, emotional and motorleon-liu-642086-unsplash functions of the body. In a session, the therapist responds to movements, assesses body language and nonverbal behaviors and emotional expressions to develop interventions to address the specific needs of the client. DMT was founded on 4 core premises:

  • Movement is a language
  • Mind, body, and spirit are interconnected
  • Movement is functional, developmental, communicative and expressive
  • Movement is an assessment tool and primary mode of intervention

DMT sessions can vary depending on the therapist and the group dynamic. One style of session is the “Chacian group.” This group follows a semi-structured style of intervention. Participants engage in a warm-up where they are invited to dance to the music while standing in a circle. This is followed by an improvised movement experience in which the therapist notes the movement of the participants and creates opportunities for movement synchrony and expansion. Participants also engage in expressive, functional and/or communicative moments. A typical “Chacian group” session ends with a cool down and the therapist asking the clients to talk about their movement experience and helping them to gain insights from the movement.

Other sessions might focus on increasing body awareness in a subtler way. The therapist will work with clients to develop an awareness of micro-movements that happen when talking, standing or sitting. This approach is based on the idea that emotions begin as sensations in the body. Therefore, an increase in body awareness and the ability to identify sensations leads to greater control and regulation of emotions. The therapist might ask the client to embody a posture or gesture, repeat it, make it smaller or larger or just to simply stay with the movement.

staging-258631_1920Lastly, more creative and expressive sessions exist in which clients choose to create dance or movement sequences that come from inner sensations or concerns. In group sessions, participants might work together to create a movement piece, using problem solving, teamwork, and communication skills.

While there are a variety of session experiences one may have when participating in DMT, the important skills learned from the intervention are the same. The participant learns how to develop and trust their own ability to present and respond empathetically and truthfully. They also learn how to translate nonverbal movements into insights that can be used for recovery.

The efficacy of DMT has been supported by numerous research articles. In a study looking at the treatment outcome of 10 weeks of dance/movement therapy intervention, dance therapy was found to be effective in improving short and long-term quality of life. A meta-analysis evaluating the effectiveness of DMT and the therapeutic use of dance for the treatment of health-related psychological problems suggested that DMT and dance are effective in andre-hunter-62014-unsplashdecreasing clinical symptoms such as depression and anxiety. Positive effects such as increased subjective well-being and positive mood, affect, and body image were also found (another study found that in adolescents with mild depression in the DMT group had a plasma serotonin increase and dopamine concentration decrease. This suggests that DMT may be effective in improving psychological distress in adolescents with mild depression.

DMT is used to treat physical, psychological, cognitive and social issues. People who are treated with DMT range all the way from those that suffer from cancer, arthritis and autism to those who are dealing with anxiety and depression. The positive effects of an increased quality of life paired with the wide variety of people who can benefit from DMT make this therapy option a great one!

Have you ever tried DMT? Is it something that you’d like to do? How do you think that moving – and dancing especially – can help with your mental health? What other ways do you think you can incorporate dancing and moving into your daily routine for your well-being?

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No Pranks Here: Why Laughter can be the Best Medicine

April 1, 2019 in Be Positive

suslikk-1154131-unsplashAs you try to navigate today and avoid some of the more obvious pranks like plastic wrap over the toilet seat and more-clickbaity posts online than usual, you can also try to remember that April Fool’s Day itself is all about laughing. Because the holiday dates back all the way to the 1500s, the origins are a little muddy, and no one quite knows how the tradition of pranking began. Popular theories include tricking some people into believing that New Year’s Day was still on April 1st after the Gregorian calendar was adopted and moved the day to January 1st, the beginning of spring, and the vernal equinox. Regardless, today is when people are on high alert, while others want to create laughter – though who they’re trying to get to laugh may differ.

We recently wrote about how the activity of laughter can have mental and physical positive effects (check it out here!), but the list goes beyond those that we kah-lok-leong-262965-unsplashhad briefly mentioned. Laughter is known for being contagious, which can help create a sense of togetherness and community, which can make you feel safer. It changes the way your neurons communicate with each other, doing so in a way that can help your memory. In general, it’s difficult to find the negatives in having a good, genuine laugh, especially if you’re doing so in a place you’re comfortable in, with people that make you happy, or both.

Whether or not pranks are funny is debatable (after all, they’re “humorous” because they trick and potentially embarrass others), and because they’re the main feature of April Fool’s Day, it can ironically make today feel a lot less amusing than any other day. Instead of make relationships strong like laughter can do, pranks can test them instead.

xenia-bogarova-654935-unsplashIf you like pranking, do it in a harmless way, and are comfortable in the relationships you have with the people you pull them on, the activity can still create laughter and all the benefits that come with it. When done right, pranking can also create self-reflection on how you react to certain events and is often used in a way to bring people into a group (going too far however is hazing, which has severe consequences both physically and emotionally).

You can play a role in how you go about today. You can play harmless pranks if you enjoy it (the Internet has been known to do this for the past few years), but if you don’t, you can still use today to have a good laugh without potentially hurting yourself or others. Enjoying yourself and laughing can do wonders for your body and mind, and while sometimes it can feel like the hardest thing to do when your mental health isn’t at its strongest, finding that one thing that helps you crack a smile can feel like the best feeling in the world.

What do you think about April Fool’s Day? Have you ever played pranks before? What other funny things can you think people can do today that don’t involve pranking?

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Glowmedia: Using Films to Educate

March 29, 2019 in LINKS

It’s hard being an adolescent today, given how much technology surrounds them, the pressures placed on their futures and successes, and criticisms from adults about how they don’t nick-dietrich-781178-unsplashunderstand the younger generation. It can be even harder for adolescents who are minorities and/or have mental illnesses that include things such as anxiety or an eating disorder.

All of these come with stereotypes and some level of stigma, and growing up exposed to these can have a negative effect on these adolescents. That’s where Glowmedia comes in to help combat these ideas.

Glowmedia publishes videos to help educate teenagers and adolescents about a variety of topics that can affect them, with a focus on mental health (think about them as a shorter, modern-day, more relevant version of the Afterschool Specials from the 70s, 80s, and 90s). Not only are these videos that you can watch on your own, but the site also provides a toolkit for each video that classrooms and programs can use to lead discussions, complete worksheets, and give instructions about how to show these videos in these settings.

 

The videos themselves are short films, and though they are fictional, the topics they address are done so in a way that can feel relatable for adolescents, helping them feel seen. They’re free and can be watched alone, with others in an effort to start a conversation, or, like mentioned before, in a group setting like a classroom to normalize and destigmatize these topics. The website also provides alternative links and resources for the subjects that they address, such as eating disorders, LGBTQ+ and sexuality, and addiction.

Check out their films and learn more about it here!

Have you ever seen Glowmedia films before? Can you think of any other video series that help address issues that adolescents deal with? Where else do you think people can show Glowmedia films?

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Navigating the Internet with Social Anxiety

March 28, 2019 in Social Media Guide

twentyonekoalas-1256458-unsplashIt’s not uncommon to be anxious to meet new people or be in a new, unfamiliar environment. It’s also not uncommon to feel terrified before performing something in front of a crowd, whether it be alone or with others. It’s also not uncommon to even feel a little bit nervous meeting people you’re comfortable with and know pretty well.

But then there’s social anxiety. Social anxiety takes this feel and makes it feel even stronger, and being around others can cause physical daniel-korpai-1423734-unsplashsymptoms such as sweating, nausea, and trembling. It can even have drastic effects on already established relationships and can prevent people from going to work and school. The fear of humiliation, being judged, and rejected when meeting others and taking part in activities can not only affect how those with social anxiety see themselves, but can also prevent them from reaching their full potential.

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

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

There is also an association between social anxiety disorder and other mental illnesses, such as depression. Because of this, some researchers are hoping that these findings about socially alex-haney-1328960-unsplashanxious adolescents and their preference for communicating online can help them come up with interventions and methods to also deliver over the Internet to help with their corresponding mental illnesses. Adolescents with social anxiety may fear going to the doctor’s or a therapist’s office, talking to the receptionist, and calling to make the appointment in the first place. Delivering similar methods over the Internet and social media can feel less intensive and can be more likely to be completed.

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

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How Siblings Can Affect Your Mental Health

March 27, 2019 in Educate Yourself

No two sibling relationships are the same. Some may not see theirs very often, while others see them all the time and share the same room. Some only have one, while others have enough to count on both hands. There are some who may hate a sibling, while others see a sibling as their best friend (and honestly, a lot of us feel both of these feelings towards one at the same time!).

children-1149671_1920There are already so many people who play a huge role in our lives as we enter adolescence, whether we want them to be or not. Adolescents start becoming more conscious of how others their age see them – especially their friends – and may start conflicting with their parents as they start to establish their independence and want to distance themselves from them. The amount of research about peer relationships and parent relationships affecting teenagers and young adults continue to pour in, but siblings are usually just as present, and can therefore also play a significant role. Most kids have a sibling too – 82% live with one, in fact.

This is especially true when it comes to mental health and when adolescence begins, and the quality of sibling relationships is one of the most significant long-term predictors of mental health quality as people enter adulthood and old age. For example, those who have a poor relationship with their sibling as a child are more likely to be depressed, anxious, and engage in self-harm in adolescence. Those who have positive relationships with their siblings during their adolescence can make them more empathetic and motivate them to do better in school, however.

girls-462072_1920Generally, siblings are a child’s first time developing a relationship with a peer and someone close to their age. Siblings almost use each other as a “training dummy” in a way – for example, they can use each other as a way to figure out how to handle their aggression, changing it depending on the reaction of their siblings. This has long-term effects on both the one acting on the aggression and the one receiving the aggression. On the other hand, establishing that warm, reliable connection with someone their age can serve as a buffer and protective factor for a child, and help protect them from the impact of potential stressful life events.annie-spratt-1134508-unsplash

These effects can also be the result of how parents treat the siblings too. Kids can see how their parents treat their sibling and can adapt their behavior to either match that if it’s good treatment or avoid it if it’s bad. One example is through academics: if one child sees that their parents punish their sibling for not doing well in school, they may adjust their studying habits and prioritize their studies so that they don’t receive the same punishment. This can make them not only more anxious about their school performance and constantly doing well to meet their parents’ standards, but they can also be more anxious in their fear of how their parents might react to their grades.

There are all different types of siblings and many different types of dynamics that come with them. As children and adolescents, it can be hard to try and figure out what’s working and what’s not in a relationship with someone closer in age to you, especially since those interactions can play a huge impact on how you see others, yourself, and the effects they have on mental health.

Do you have any siblings? Do you talk to them about your mental health? What’s your relationship like with your sibling or siblings? If you’re an only child, how do you think your home life would be different with a sibling?

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Can Going to a Different School Impact Your Mental Health?

March 26, 2019 in Educate Yourself

What is the first thing that parents consider in a good school for their kids? SAT scores? AP classes? The percentage of graduates that get into good colleges?

channey-549259-unsplashActually, it’s safety. This includes school fights, bullying, and other forms of violence, but also the school culture around things like racial diversity and mental health. There is no one school environment that can fit all kids, but a more negative school environment can cause lifelong consequences to children’s mental health.

This is relevant given the rising rates of adolescent suicides. From 2007 to 2015, the suicide rate for males 15 – 19 years old increased by 31% to 14.2 per 100,000, and the rate for females 15-19 years old doubled from 2.4 to 5.1 per 100,000 – the highest it’s been since 1975. Furthermore, these suicides seem to occur most during the spring and fall – that is, while school is in session – and declines in the summer, when school is out.

Worse yet, it’s hard to predict who is at risk. They range from the budding pre-teen being bullied at school, to the straight-A basketball jock from an elite high school. Whoever they may be, they have peers who probably never would have imagined that someone they walked the halls with, sat next to in class, or asked about a homework assignment would be there one day, and be gone the next. It is becoming the norm for students to know personally of someone who has taken his or her own life, or at least has seriously considered it.

One possible solution to this is school choice. That is, parents and children make their own choice in the school they attend, rather than restrict them to the map-525349_1920closest school to them. A recent one-of-its-kind national study looking at the effects of school choice on mental health showed that there was a reduction in teen suicides in states introducing voucher-based programs and charter schools, which gave families more choices of which schools to attend.

The study further suggested that those who attended private school were less likely over time to have a mental disorder as adults. Previous other studies have shown charter or private schools to have less incidences of bullying and disciplinary action and more respectful behavior, which has positive effects on mental health. Others suggest some students fare better in large public schools. A national survey from 2003 showed that minorities with family problems were more likely to use or threaten to use weapons in private school than those in public school, for example. The problem of needing to fit all students in one rigid mold can be reduced if families were informed of the different jerry-wang-1223251-unsplashschools around them and the unique school cultures they foster, and if they were given the resources to help them make their school choice.

Of course, making diverse schooling opportunities available does not happen overnight, although the thought of linking schools to mental health is not new. Still, the issue of mental health in schools has been considered a “hidden crisis” – a pressing, devastating issue, but one that is still working towards gaining awareness among society, and so progress has been slow. Every step counts, and we can take ours by keeping the conversation going.

What is the culture in your school like? If you had a choice to do it over, would you choose a different school? What are some of the challenges you face at school, and how do you cope with them? What are some of the things you like about your school? Share your thoughts and experiences below!

This SOVA blog post was based off Erika Sanzi’s article from Forbes, “Supporting Educational Freedom Is One Way to Show We Care About Mental Health and Teen Suicide.” To access the original post, check it out here.

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