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Mindshift and CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)

June 26, 2024 in LINKS

MindShift App

Choosing a therapist can be confusing, and there are so many different types of therapy. A common practice style is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The goal of CBT is to help you identify thought patterns, examine how they affect behavior, and change the patterns that are not helping you. We’ve featured a comic that visually explains how CBT works before if you want more detail.

CBT tends to be fairly structured and is usually meant to tackle a specific problem for a limited amount of time. That being said, the therapy itself can be used to help with a variety of issues, specifically with anxiety and depression. It allows you to play an active role in your treatment and adopt new ways of thinking that you can use throughout your lifetime. CBT also tends to be worthwhile for people of all ages and can be adapted to fit different needs well.

Of course, the best way to start this type of therapy would be to see a therapist who specializes in CBT, but there are other great options for people who are looking to get some of the same benefits!

The MindShift CBT app allows you to find helpful techniques to relieve anxiety through guided practices and exercises. The app provides tips for quick, short-term relief from panic or worry, as well as mindfulness activities that range from guided meditation to journaling and goal setting. The link to download the app and learn more about the features it offers can be found here.

If you are interested in learning more about the different approaches to therapy that are particularly helpful for adolescents, you can learn more on the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry website.

Have you ever considered therapy? Are there any other types of therapy you would like to learn more about? What is your experience with CBT?

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The Toll of Activism Online

June 25, 2024 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 more about issues that may not be covered in detail in the media (think of the current situation in Palestine 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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How Social Media “Jokes” about Mental Health

June 21, 2024 in Social Media Guide

TW: mentions of gun violence

(Originally shared in July of 2020)

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 example from a couple years ago, that still have relevance in the current media landscape, include the social media response to instances involving Kanye West and Megan Thee Stallion back in 2020. 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).

[New content added from original article: It’s important to also recognize that nuance is needed when discussing mental health. How people dealing with these challenges engage with other people and other stigmatized groups as the ongoing controversy relating to Kanye West cannot be simply summed up in one short article].

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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Mental Health Dictionaries

June 20, 2024 in LINKS

No matter where you are in your mental health journey, you’ve probably had to look up a term because you’re not quite sure what it exactly means. Mental health is just that, health, so the official medical terms for mental illnesses, medications, diagnoses, and parts of the brain that affect your emotions and mood can get overwhelming. There are also different types of treatment you can seek out and different types of therapists which can make the whole thing very confusing.

We’ve compiled a list of several glossaries for you to check out if you want quick access to any of them. You can choose which one is best for depending on which of their definitions are most relevant for you!

Mental Health Glossary (Teen Mental Health)
Rogers Behavioral Health Glossary
Child and Adolescent Mental Health (Stanford Children’s Health)
An Anti-Glossary (Mental Health Today)

Note: It is incredibly important that you do not rely only on these glossaries. If you feel like the definition of a diagnosis fits you or that the effects of a medication would benefit you, reach out to your doctor to get more information. 

Is there anything about mental health or mental illness that you’ve wanted more information about? What has stopped you from learning more about mental illness? Was it because the information was overwhelming, or were you afraid because of stigma?

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Negativity Bias and Social Media

June 18, 2024 in Social Media Guide

Negativity bias is a natural human experience. It’s why we are severely affected by what can end up being the slightest of inconveniences, even if really good things happen to us too. For example, you may have gotten an A on a really important exam, but forgetting to submit a homework assignment that same day and losing points for it is more likely to affect you.

We’ve talked about how negativity can build up and affect how we feel in more detail here. This week, however, we wanted to specifically talk about how negativity bias and social media can go hand-in-hand. In an age where we’re constantly comparing ourselves to others, are being reduced to numbers and followers, and are connected to pretty much everyone in the world thanks to the Internet, there are tons of opportunities for us to encounter negative experiences, especially online. Even things that we don’t really consider to be drastic, like getting fewer likes than normal on an Instagram post or getting a simple reaction on iMessage instead of an actual response can have us overthinking everything.

This is because our brains naturally expect the good things to happen to us all the time, therefore making the bad things seem way worse than they actually are. You’re probably used to having long conversations and constantly sending and receiving content in DMs, Snapchats, and TikTok, so if your friend doesn’t respond to you in the time that they usually do, or you just get a read receipt instead of a reply, it may actually trigger anxiety and depressive symptoms.

The same thing applies to encountering content. You probably follow accounts that make you happy, like following your friends, favorite celebrities and musicians, and others who inspire you. However, you may see one of them post something that you either don’t agree with, or actually interpret as something really hurtful, and you might feel betrayed, disappointed, and, well, hurt.

In these cases, the best advice we have to offer is that your social media experience doesn’t just include you. People may forget to respond for a bunch of reasons – they might be too busy, they’re not doing too well themselves, or they may have just forgotten to reply. It’s not your fault if negative things happen online, and while it’s easy to think that it is, there are so many other factors that can be involved. Another thing to remember is to acknowledge the good things that happen to you online, no matter how small. Gratitude is a great practice to incorporate in your daily routine (and you may do so already), and while it may seem shallow, you can absolutely practice gratitude with your social media experiences. Did you achieve a milestone in a Snap Streak? Did someone you like stream today? Did you have a funny conversation with a sibling or friend?

Finally, one piece of advice that we always recommend when it comes to social media is to curate the best feed for you possible. That might mean muting someone who posted something you didn’t like for a couple of days, or just blocking them entirely if you’re not that close with them. Don’t be afraid to make lists of people who make you happy so you’re only sharing content with them, and if you think a Facebook friendship has run its course, feel free to unfollow.

What experiences tend to affect you the most on social media? How do you feel if you get fewer views or likes on a post, or how do you feel if you get left on read? What parts of social media make you happy? If you want to go in more detail about what negatively affects you on social media, feel free to do so on our discussion board!

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Verifying Mental Health Experts on TikTok

June 17, 2024 in Social Media Guide

Although entertaining, TikTok can also be an incredibly educational social media platform. Because of how short videos can be (from mere seconds to 3 minutes), TikTok can be an incredibly accessible tool and source of information.

Depending on what your algorithm looks like, you may have gotten some sort of TikToks about mental health and psychology. Like every topic on the millions upon millions of videos on the fairly young platform, the style of these can vary. One common type of video includes the “put a finger down” style, where the creator will list items that you put a finger down if you relate to, and reveal what it means if you have more than a certain number of fingers down.

Even these kinds of videos can vary – you may find out that the creator considers you to be a picky eater, or that you match the qualities of a crow. These kinds of styles are very common with “diagnoses” however, where the creator, likely with no or unverifiable qualifications, will tell you what kind of attachment style you have, if you have ADHD, or will tell you something about yourself because of something from your childhood, such as being too nice now because you were ignored as a kid by the people you love.

Using the Internet to explore your mental health and get answers without having to go through the often-complicated process of seeing a doctor and getting treatment isn’t new. In fact, it can be a great way to learn more about your mental health (think of SOVA for example!). TikTok can also be a great resource, but because of its popularity and easier way of going viral compared to other social media platforms, and the ability for anyone’s video to show up on anyone’s algorithm, misinformation can spread like wildfire. 

Videos where someone is shocked to find out that “excessive reading as a child is considered dissociative behavior” can gain hundreds of thousand of likes and views can cause young viewers in particular to question their own childhood if they also read a lot, and because of this “fact,” will now think they also have dissociative behavior patterns. Similarly, those who put more than five fingers down because of common habits they have may now think they have a personality disorder.

While there’s nothing wrong with using the Internet to explore your mental health and learn more about possible diagnoses, it is important to get it from the right sources. And the right sources do exist on TikTok – you just have to do a little more digging to get there. Don’t trust every mental health video that appears on your For You Page, for example. If you genuinely want to know if the diagnosis or mental health concern they’re talking about does relate to you, see if the person creating the video has a verified account, or go to their page to see if they have a website linking to their credentials (don’t always trust their TikTok bio!). You may need to Google them to confirm their legitimacy too. You can also use the search function to learn more about certain diagnoses, but you want to make sure to repeat the same verification process too.

Do you use TikTok? What kinds of videos show up on your For You Page? Have you ever seen videos about mental health?

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Challenging Cognitive Distortions

June 14, 2024 in Educate Yourself

Cognitive distortions are negative thought patterns that often lead to feelings of anxiety and depression. Distortions are typically conclusions that we jump to without considering all of the available evidence. They can be irrational and distressing.

There are many types of cognitive distortions, including:

All-or-Nothing Thinking

Also known as black-or-white thinking, all-or-nothing thinking is when an individual thinks about themselves and their behaviors in absolutes or extremes. Some examples of all-or-nothing thinking include thinking that you are a failure when you do not do as well as you wanted on an exam, or feeling like a failure when you miss one workout. Another example of all-or-nothing thinking is thinking “I am never good enough,” or “I always mess things up.” after making a small mistake.

Catastrophizing

Catastrophizing is when our minds jump to the worst case scenario. Examples include, “if I don’t pass this exam, I will never graduate and my entire future will be ruined,” or “if this relationship doesn’t work out, I will never find love or happiness.”

Emotional Reasoning

This is when we interpret our emotions as truth or fact. An example of this might be, “I feel like no one likes me; therefore, I must be unlikable,” or “I feel worthless, so I must be worthless.”

For a list of different types of cognitive distortions, click here.

Recognizing these cognitive distortions is a great first step towards changing them. It can be hard to stop these thought patterns when your mind has become so accustomed to them. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to challenge these thoughts when they arise:

  1. What is the evidence FOR this thought?
  2. What is the evidence AGAINST this thought?
  3. Am I drawing conclusions without enough
    evidence?
  4. What would I say to a friend who was having this
    thought?
  5. Am I making judgments based on feelings rather
    than facts?
  6. Am I making assumptions about other peoples’
    thoughts and feelings?
  7. Is there an alternative way to think about this
    situation?
  8. Will this matter a year from now? Five years
    from now? 10 years from now?

Do any of the cognitive distortions above resonate with you? If so, how do you challenge them?

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Video Games about Mental Health

June 13, 2024 in LINKS

More often than not, people have a negative view of video games and its relationship with mental health. Video games are often associated with addiction and seen as a poor coping mechanism. Those who play violent video games tend to be more likely to show depressive symptoms too.

You’re also not very likely to associate the games themselves as a way to learn about mental health. However, there have been more games released lately that want to tackle stigma and normalize discussions about mental health. These could be characters who are coping with their mental health issues, or the game itself uses mental health as a narrative tool. This article highlights a few games that have a focus on mental health, including Sea of Solitude and Stardew Valley. We hope that this article can give you some inspiration for some games if you’re curious about video games, already play them, or just want to see what other outlets are out there for both coping and learning.

Do you play video games? Are there any you found that talk about mental health and illness in any way?

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How to Tell Whether a Website is Trustworthy

June 12, 2024 in Educate Yourself, Social Media Guide

Sometimes it can be hard to figure out what information on social media sites comes from reliable and credible sources.  Just because something sounds true does not mean it is. Here are some tips on how to decide whether a site is trustworthy before you share it with others, use that information to learn more about a topic, or apply health advice to yourself.

  • Academic journals (for example, Journal of Adolescent Health) that feature respected authors who are well known in their specific fields.
  • Links to websites of established institutions, such as Mayo Clinic, Department of Justice, and universities and their affiliated organizations.
  • Materials published in the last 10 years (when more recent information is available)—anything older than that is probably outdated and less reliable (Although some exceptions will exist for early influential work in some fields).
  • Byline: Is the article written by a real person? Google the author’s name and sometimes you find out that the author doesn’t really exist.
  • Check the date: Sometimes websites will recycle an old story by pasting a new headline on it, but if you search on the subject, you’ll find that it’s an old story—and unreliable because it’s not recent.
  • Is it real satire? Satire is a type of writing that uses exaggeration and humor to expose people’s vices, and it’s usually clearly labeled as such. But some people don’t get the joke, and they repost satirical articles as credible information.
  • Is the site’s mission clear? You should be able to see a clear idea of who the site’s audience is, an informative and unbiased mission, and signs that the information is regularly updated.
  • Look for websites ending in .edu, .gov or .org (For example, https://www.healthykids.org). Sites that end in .com are more “commercial.”
  • Finally, rely on the fact-checkers. There are some well-known fact-checking sites whose mission is to debunk false information. Two of the most well known are Snopes and FactCheck.

(Source: FactCheck.org.)

How do you decide which online outlets to trust? Do you have any other helpful hints? Where do you get your information about mental health?

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The Hunt for Podcasts

June 11, 2024 in LINKS

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Podcasts have boosted in popularity in recent years. Pretty much anyone can start one, about any topic, and talk for as long as they want about it, with a few tangents and distractions here and there. This popularity and accessibility, while convenient, can also feel overwhelming with the sheer number of podcasts available per the infinite number of topics.

You can usually find out what kind of podcasts to listen to through word of mouth and Best Of lists online (and now that it’s the end of the year, these lists are everywhere). There are even lists on the best podcasts for whatever topic that you’re interested in: you can check these lists out if you’re interested in mental health podcasts in particular, for example. Or, if you want to use podcasts for a distraction and want to use humor as a coping mechanism, there are lists for comedy podcasts too.

Sometimes, it can feel like you’re still missing out on so many more podcasts that are available, especially since the same podcasts can tend to appear on these kinds of lists. Of course, popular podcasts will be brought up and discussed more, but it can inspire you to listen to similar ones, yet have no idea where to start.

Luckily, there are search engines for situations just like these. Sites like Listen Notes is like the podcast version of google: just search whatever topic that you’re interested in, or keywords about that one podcast your friend mentioned that you forgot the name of, and you’ll be given immediate results. The site tells you what kind of platforms the podcast is available on (iTunes and the podcast’s website, for example), and has a section for all those curated lists on other sites so you can access all the recommendations in one place. You can see what podcasts are trending, filter based off of the country they’re available in, or go on a deep dive in the podcast categories that they have.

And because this is the Internet, you can always take a quick Buzzfeed quiz to see which podcast you can listen to as well.

Do you like podcasts? Are you interested in listening to podcasts? Where do you go when you want to find out what podcast to listen to?

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