Supporting Our Valued Adolescents: A place to learn, share your strength, be positive, and grow.
We know that sleep is important for our health and improving our mood. However, nightmares can really disturb our sleep, leaving us feeling anxious, spooked, and tired. The Nightmare Protocol is a multi-step process to help deal with nightmares. This DBT technique is really helpful for re-occurring nightmares.
Social media is inundated with posts about body positivity. While body positivity can be helpful for some people, it still inadvertently places emphasis on appearance as a measure of self-worth and promotes the idea that we need to love our body in order to love ourselves. There is nothing wrong with loving our bodies, but it can be hard to love or even like our bodies when we are starting from a place of negative body image. Simply put, body positivity can feel like an impossible feat for many people.
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.
Mindfulness is a state of nonjudgmental awareness of one’s thoughts and feelings. It is about being present in the moment and observing your thoughts without getting wrapped up in self-judgement or worries about the past or future. Mindfulness can be used as a means to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. What are some ways that you can incorporate mindfulness into your everyday life?
All-or-nothing thinking is just like what it sound:s when we view things as black or white with no gray in between. All-or-nothing thinking is a cognitive distortion or negative thought pattern that influences how we feel.
The hardest part was following through to set up an appointment with my university counseling services. So far, I’ve had two meetings with a therapist and my school allows me to have eight more sessions. This has been a long time coming, and I am very happy with my decision to reach out and get help.
It’s 2022. A new year filled with what seems to be a sea of endless opportunities and challenges to come. I was never a fan of New Year’s resolutions, staying up late when I’d rather be sleeping, and the loud parties. With that being said, I try to take the time to reflect on my life and what I can do to make it better in the new year.
Do you find it harder to wake up in the mornings when it is cold outside and all you want to do is stay in your comfy bed? Do you find yourself grasping for any bit of motivation along the way in the mornings? A lot of people feel these emotions during the cold and sometimes dark winter months. We are used to a couple extra hours of daylight, more outdoor activities, and just more sun in general. How can we find the positives in the winter?
I have been so self-confident over the past few months, but sometimes I wonder if it’s true or if it’s an act. When being faced with situations where it’s clear that I’m getting to know someone who doesn’t respect me, or it’s clear that an old friend is trying to take advantage of my kindness, I wonder what my responses to these things show about myself. Dealing with difficult people is not my strong point at all. I always go for the idea that it’s good to let people express themselves, but sometimes I question that thought and think to myself, “at what expense.”
How often have you looked at yourself in the mirror and thought, “I need to change this” “I don’t like this” or “Why can’t I look like this instead?” Trust me – you are not alone!
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