Supporting Our Valued Adolescents: A place to learn, share your strength, be positive, and grow.
I have had a complicated relationship with journaling all my life. Starting in elementary school and through early middle school, I was a pretty consistent journaler. I filled two journals within a few years, and wrote about once a week. The entries were hilarious to read back on; mostly they were just gushing over a boy I had a crush on or outlining what I did with my friend that day.
Now more than ever, I notice that many people, regardless of age and background run into stress – more so financial stress. Even before the pandemic, financial hardships can be found everywhere, and this is showing more than ever how we can change our ways to not have financial worries.
I’ve seen a therapist on and off for three years. As a college student, my campus provides free counseling for students by future therapists getting their hours. Since my freshman year (3 years ago) I have seen 4 different counselors.
I’m not sure if this will be a relatable experience or not but I’ll write it as a question anyway: Do you ever feel like something’s just off? Like you’re uncomfortable or irritated or tired and don’t know why or how to fix it? Well, if this has happened to you, my advice is to first make sure you’ve achieved homeostasis before looking towards any other possible reasons and solutions.
Everyone has faced tough, personal decisions since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes schools and universities, like the small, private university I attend. Many schools, like mine, are under financial strain, and have decided to risk reopening so that they don’t have to close their doors for good.
It is almost back to school time and I’ve never been more nervous in my life. Normally I’m very excited to go back but all of the safety changes is very nerve wracking to me.
When I was first seeing a therapist and diagnosed with anxiety, it felt like a secret. I didn’t know how to bring up this topic with my friends, it felt like something taboo and embarrassing. I was afraid I would be judged and seen differently if people knew that I went to therapy. When I had to miss class for therapy I didn’t tell people why. I was secretive about it and would hope that my friends wouldn’t ask questions about it.
We all know about the brain and its complexities, but is this the only organ to blame for mental health concerns? I’ve been studying medicine for awhile, but only recently did I become interested in the “second brain.” This is the enteric nervous system (ENS) – the nerve cells lining the entire gastrointestinal tract. Many people are aware of the link between the gut and mental health, but it’s being studied constantly.
I have been struggling lately and I am now not afraid to admit it. With school, COVID, family and relationship problems, I have been frustrated and stressed with so many different things. I have been mentally and physically exhausted. I finally decided, I need to do something about how I am feeling.
As someone with anxiety, I have learned, and maybe you have too, the tool to help you when you are feeling a panic attack. It is to think of five things you can see, four you can hear, three you can touch, two you can smell, (and one maybe taste). This act of bringing yourself to the present moment can be classified as grounding oneself. While very useful, I find that this is sometimes not enough.
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