This post comes from an interaction that I observed while attending a guest lecture at my college. But first, some background: there are fidget toys everywhere. I have never had a class where someone wasn’t knitting, coloring, or playing with a fidget toy during the lecture. Sometimes that person is me on the days … Continue reading Of Rubik’s Cubes and Lecture Halls: How the Myth of “Normal” Creates Stigma
Journaling for mental wellness is a great way to be mindful and get in touch with your emotions. If you are working to manage depression or another mood disorder, it can be very beneficial to keep a mood journal. What is a mood journal? Anything you can use to track your moods and jot down … Continue reading Mood Journaling for Mental Wellness
The holiday season is supposed to be full of happiness and joy. It’s a time for family, love, and giving, but sometimes these things just aren’t fulfilling enough. The holiday season also brings out stress and even depression. Seasonal depression is more common than you might think. What are some causes of seasonal depression? Seasonal … Continue reading Seasonal Depression and How to Beat it
Despite the cheerful twinkle lights going up on every house and the happy Christmas music on the radio, do you ever feel like the holiday spirit just isn’t sinking in for you? If you have depression, coping around the holidays can be extra challenging. Why is this? Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain, … Continue reading Coping With Depression During the Holidays
In part 1, we talked about 10 general ways to maintain mental health in college. If you already struggle with mental health challenges, college life can have a negative effect on your mental health. It becomes significantly more challenging to manage your mental health on top of work, school, and extracurricular activities. But, never fear, … Continue reading Mental Health in College: Tips and Tricks
Technology can be a double-edged sword when it comes to mental health. On one hand, social media has the ability to hurt your mental health by spreading negativity, but certain apps can also be very helpful for managing mental health. We’ve talked about apps once before on this blog. Part 4 of the self care … Continue reading Best Apps for Mental Health
College has a reputation of being a place where everyone parties too hard, gets too little sleep, and makes unhealthy choices. Depictions in movies and TV shows make it seem like one unending party with a couple classes thrown in. This is obviously not true; college is a new stage in a person’s life where … Continue reading Maintaining Mental Health in College: Part 1
Postpartum depression seems overlooked in discussions about mental health, despite how dangerous it can be for moms and for families. But what is postpartum depression? The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) defines it as “a mood disorder that can affect women after childbirth.” Feelings of extreme sadness, exhaustion, and anxiety can make it difficult … Continue reading Recognizing Postpartum Depression
“It’s all in your head.” We’ve heard that before. People say this to invalidating someone else’s mental health challenges. Problems in the brain cause mental illnesses, but that doesn’t make them any less real. It would be like saying that lung cancer is “all in your lungs” and therefore nothing to be concerned about. This … Continue reading It’s Not All in Your Head: When Depression Gets Physical
Increasing Rates of Depression and Anxiety in Kids A recent article from NPR discussed rising rates of anxiety and depression in kids and teens. According to one study, 1 in 3 adolescents (ages 13 to 18) meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder. The CDC recently found that 32% of teens reported persistent feelings of … Continue reading How to Reduce Anxiety in Kids
