With the coldness dwindling down, it’s easier to get our spirits up and be in a better mood now that nicer weather is on its way. However, it’s still a time when the weather is changing and you don’t know whether it’ll be nice out or we’ll get 5 inches of snow! The ending months of winter definitely feel the longest, so it’s important to stay positive until spring.
Shame, shame, shame. This term seems to be thrown around a lot in conversation about mental health. It is something that I remember hearing Brené Brown define as an “intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging.”
The modern world is one of increasing interconnection and complication. With that comes diverse interactions with diverse people, both on and offline. It is up to each individual who they choose to associate with and which facts and opinions they choose to buy into. A recent conversation with my fellow twenty-somethings ended up focusing on the construct of social media. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter consume the daily attention of hundreds of millions of users. While neither inherently good nor bad (in my opinion), it is important that social media users realize why they see what they see when using most commercialized social media apps.
This past week, I experienced one of the darkest periods of my life which has left me in a pile of medical bills, lost friends, and rash behavior. It had been going off and on for years but was never bad enough to the point where it affected each and every part of my life negatively. I was not able to go to work, my friends were getting tired of my antics, and I lost way more than I ever could have imagined. As a result of this, I consulted a new doctor who told me the news: I had been misdiagnosed for years and was in fact bipolar.
Journaling is a powerful mental health tool that you may want to consider trying (or may already be doing!). Journaling refers to the act of using pen and paper to put words to what you think and feel. Its positive benefits—such as helping with stress, anxiety, and depression—lie in the cathartic or therapeutic process of allowing self-expression in a safe, private space.
I am newly graduated from college (this past May) and currently dealing with a change of life adjustments. This has been extremely challenging mentally for myself and I am sure many of you could relate to this. As my final chapter came to an end, I was excited for what was coming next in life.
It can be difficult to speak up for what we need, whether in our personal or professional lives. Saying “no” can feel scary, and yet it can make a huge difference in setting good boundaries. If we don’t advocate for ourselves, or are passive, we run the risk of not having our needs met and not being listened to. This can lead us to feeling stressed and upset and can even lower our self-esteem. Aggressively asking for something can also be off-putting and set us back.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps us notice our negative thought patterns, also known as cognitive distortions. After we are aware of these patterns, what happens next? UnTwist your Thinking is a helpful CBT tool for challenging these negative thoughts. There are several different ways to “untwist” these negative thoughts. Here are a few helpful examples and tips.
When we are feeling low, we can easily forget our strengths. We can grow so used to our positive qualities that we stop acknowledging them. Reminding ourselves of our strengths can help improve our self-esteem, boost our mood, and even remind us of ways to push through rough times.
Thought stopping is a skill that can be used to interrupt negative and anxious thoughts. The idea behind thought stopping is that we can replace our negative thoughts or worry thoughts with thoughts that are more neutral, or maybe even positive.
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