SOVA Blog

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Gradual Goals for Growth

Life is complicated. That is no secret. Where the secret lies in how to approach life effectively, often one step at a time. Confucius once said, “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” This quote provides an effective illustration of this point.

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Positivity During Thanksgiving

You’ve probably seen a lot of posts and ads about giving thanks, especially now that November, and the holiday season in general, has started. This time of year is often one meant to be filled with joy and positivity, sharing events with loved ones and making memories.

Staying Awake as an Act of Rebellion 3

Staying Awake as an Act of Rebellion

Most of us do not like being told what to do. It can be as minor as a parent telling us to do an easy chore, or someone you don’t know that well telling you how to do something. This even includes your own brain: for example, you may tell yourself to start that homework assignment or put your laundry away, and instead…you would rather not.

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Can Schools Influence Stigma?

Our environments can have a powerful impact on how we view things, especially in how we view the things about ourselves. Because adolescents spent a lot of time in school, their teachers, their classmates, and the content that they learn can influence how they interpret information. This also includes mental health: conversations with peers and the ways that teachers talk about their expectations on students can have subtle, but lasting effects.

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The Act of Smiling

You might have heard the phrase that it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile. The amount of muscles that it takes is up for debate (some places say it takes 13 to smile and 33 to frown, some say 22 to smile and 37 to frown) and it’s not really a fact – it hasn’t even been proven to be true – but the mentality remains: it’s better to smile than it is to frown, and takes less effort.

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Getting Better Sleep without FOMO

Quite often, the first piece of advice we receive when trying to change our sleeping habits and to get a better night’s sleep is to put our phone (and all other types of screens and technology) away. Experts recommend that adolescents get at least 8-10 hours of sleep a night, and to ensure staying asleep, to avoid screen time at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before you plan to call it a night.

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You are not “so OCD”

Have you ever heard someone say “I’m just so OCD?” Have you ever thought about how someone who is diagnosed with OCD feels when that is said? I can say from first hand experience that it is an uncomfortable situation to be in.

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The Struggle in Finding Treatment for POC

Stigma towards mental health and mental illness has always been present, but the way that stigma is expressed and the level of stigma can depend on a variety of things. One of those ways is how stigma can differ among different races: posts here have covered how stigma acts as one of the barriers for people of color to seek treatment, including African-Americans, Asians, and Native Americans, for example.

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Calming Down Through…Smell?

Take a moment to think of scents that make you happy. It could be the smell of your favorite food, your significant other’s perfume, or the scent of opening up a new binder.

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The Benefit of Naps

You may have heard about the danger of depression naps before. However, this isn’t to imply that all naps are bad for you – in fact, they’re incredibly beneficial!