Have you ever experienced an upset stomach, a tight chest, clammy hands, or any other physical reaction when you’re stressed or depressed? The mind and body have an incredibly strong connection, and when you’re feeling an overwhelming amount of emotion, your brain can process it as being in danger even if the situation isn’t life-threatening. This initiates and is referred to as the fight-flight-freeze response.
I was recently on spring break. I was so excited to be able to take some time off from my classes to see my family, pick up a few shifts at my hometown job to make a little extra money, and relax. I made a grave mistake, however: I decided to scroll through Instagram.
During the winter months, depending on where you live, moods can change. You may feel sad and down during the winter months. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a common type of depression that can happen during the cold, dark winter months. Being from Pennsylvania, I have almost 4-5 months of frigid and dark days each year. I never knew why I felt more down, tired, and fatigued during these months. Knowing what I know now, I most likely experience Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. SAD is thought to be related to the lack of light during the winter months.
I have been crushed by the weight of anxiety and trauma, as I’m sure many of you are familiar with. I’ve felt like I couldn’t possibly bear the weight anymore, unable to think, breathe, or function countless times. But I’ve been investing in my safety nets lately, like hugging myself, talking to friends and family, and doing my favorite hobbies which are always there for me.
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.
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