SOVA Blog

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Educate Yourself

Sorry that I Say Sorry Too Much

Something that has come from my anxiety and affected my life greatly is my tendency to apologize too much, even in situations that do not warrant an apology. I did not realize that I was excessively doing this until my family and a significant other pointed it out to me. The significant other said that it seemed as if I was weak and self-conscious if I kept apologizing for everything. This was a huge wake-up call to me. It made me take a step back and look at the root of the issue.

2

Be Positive

Slow down and smell the roses

Three years ago I would have laughed at the idea that aromatherapy could help me. I thought it was a scam, a waste of money, and that it would only work if you believed it would (the placebo effect). And maybe it is, but I am now grateful for aromatherapy. I still know little about it scientifically, but what is important to me is that after a long day, when I get home, sometimes it is difficult to relax. It can be difficult to leave the stress of school and/or work especially in today’s world where work is so intermixed in some people’s homes. With working full or even part time remotely, it can be challenging to know when to quit or learn how to separate work and life.

1

LINKS

Practicing Radical Self-Care

Self-care has become a term that always pops up when talking about mental health and wellness. The most common image is that of meditating, taking a bath, or doing a face mask. And while this is great, self-care is so much more than that. While these moments of nurture are helpful, self-care is a radical act for many as they learn to put their needs, emotions, and well-being first.

3

Educate Yourself

Grappling With Anxiety – What I Have Learned

Anxiety often feels like a battle between your mind and your heart. Your mind is telling you to “stop worrying, stop worrying, stop worrying,” while your heart continues to beat faster and faster, as if it welcomes the worry. I used to try and always deny the anxiety I would feel, whether it was during a performance, or before presenting to a class, or the anxiety I get when socializing. But I came to realize that denying your anxiety only makes it worse, causing it to fester and swell into what feels like a little green anxiety monster living inside of you. It’s not something you can continually repress or shoo away.

5

Educate Yourself

Ups and Downs

22 more weeks and I’ll graduate with another degree. It seems so close and so far away at the same time. I wish I could be more excited for what’s to come, but right now I just feel anxious. A list of things that make me anxious are paying for my student loans, finding a job, making enough money, managing my family relationships, feeling incompetent, not feeling good enough to do anything right, and so on.

2

Be Positive

Starting Your Day on the Sunny Side

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects a lot of people, usually in the winter. There are a handful of tips and tricks to help manage this form of depression. An example is to increase Vitamin D intake. The best and cheapest form of Vitamin D is sunlight.

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LINKS

Coping with Burnout

Stories describing the amount of pressure young people face beginning at a young age have been around for a while. As the pressures get stronger and increase in number, however, it affects younger generations more and more. This week, we want to feature a couple of accounts of young people describing the pressures they face and the issues that burnout has been having on them.

1

Social Media Guide

Coping with the Uncontrollable

Globalization is the process of increasing economic and cultural interdependence between different peoples across Earth. Although globalization has shown an overall trend of growth over the course of human history, major global events can cause a “ripple” in the process (either contributing or detracting from it). These ripples often have far-reaching effects on people across the globe.

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Educate Yourself

Seasonal Depression

During the winter months, I always begin to notice that my depression gets worse. A few years ago in therapy, my therapist informed me that I was most likely suffering from seasonal depression. I knew that I always preferred the spring and summer more than winter, but I had NO idea about the mental toll winter had on me. Not only do I always feel more depressed and anxious, but I find myself being super fatigued and having little motivation. Of course, moving to a warmer area could solve the issue of seasonal depression, but that is not something that I want to do, and a lot of people are unable to move due to seasonal depression. Rather than making a huge life change, here are some things I have found that help combat the winter blues.