Stop, Breathe, Think

Photo Credit: Mahat Tattva via Compfight cc
Photo Credit: Mahat Tattva via Compfight cc

We most likely have all heard about the benefits of walking throughout the day. However, do you know about the importance of paying attention to your breath during the day?  This is something Apple Watch users are reminded to do through the Breathe app (in addition to the reminders for standing and moving).  Why does the Apple Watch have this helpful reminder?  Because taking a minute or so during the day to focus on relaxing, breathing and meditating can help remove stress and reduce anxiety.

This practice of meditation, although quick, can be a great way to relax and get your thoughts back on track! Also, check out this awesome website called Stop, Breathe & Think– It has fantastic information that can help you learn how to meditate and do yoga exercises. Teaching teens how to use mindfulness to cope with stress is a healthy way to help with depression and/or anxiety.

Did you check out this website? Did you or your teen find any of the exercises helpful? Are there any other ways that you or your teen use mindfulness to relax? Let us know in the comments!!!

How to Help

Photo Credit: inertia_tw via Compfight cc
Photo Credit: inertia_tw via Compfight cc

Sometimes we see our children, other family members or friends post about their feelings on social media. If you see that someone you care about is feeling upset, try sending them a nice message! Letting someone know you are there for them through a tough time might be the exact support they are looking for. It is also okay to send someone a message when they post about being happy or excited! Saying “congratulations” or “great job” in a private message is reassuring and will make your friends feel awesome!

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Staying Active

Photo Credit: Edson Hong via Compfight cc
Photo Credit: Edson Hong via Compfight cc

We all know how easy it is to get distracted by social media! I can think of times, myself, where I’ve spent way too much time looking at posts when I could have been being more productive. Staying active and getting schoolwork done early can really help with your child’s stress management, especially when it is building up. Looking at social media sites is OK to do every day, but make sure you set a limit so they have time to do other things and keep themselves healthy! On average, it is said that an hour of physical activity a day decreases stress tremendously, which can then lead to a healthy mind!

Continue reading Staying Active

Positive Ways to Use Social Media

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We tend to always hear about the negative aspects of social media, but sometimes, it has the power to make the world a better place – IF you use it correctly! Although social media can be used in ways that can be harmful, like cyberbullying , there are many positive ways to use it to empower yourself and other people or groups. Here are a few ways social media can help with your personal or professional development in safe ways.

  • Spread positive messages! Sharing positive experiences (e.g., volunteering) might encourage others to learn more about or share your message.
  • Create profiles on sites such as LinkedIn. Advertising yourself for the future can be a great way to put yourself out there.
  • Expressing your opinion in a private social media status update can help give you the courage to voice your opinion out loud in public.
  • Social media can help develop cultural awareness and allow teens to discover how people their age live in other countries.
  • Familiarizes teens with technological functions that are used in many different career fields.
  • Social media has also been reported to help build confidence

Can you think of any other ways that social media has helped you or your teen? Have you ever talked to your child about the positive ways to use social media? Let us know in the comment section below!

Think Before you Post

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Have you ever stopped to think about how what you post may affect your peers’ feelings? It is important to remember that although you are entitled to your own opinion, posting about it may be a bad idea. Hurting someone’s feelings with a status post happens more than you think. Here are a few ways to reflect on what you post so that this does not happen.

  1. Make sure there are no derogatory words or phrases in your posts
  2. Think to yourself “how might the post make other people feel”
  3. Do not shut down other peoples opinions or values even if you think they are wrong
  4. Is your post bullying or harassing someone or a group of people?

Let us know about a time you thought it was best to rephrase a post so that it did not hurt someone’s feelings!

What Depression Really Looks Like

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An awesome article by Buzzfeed was published about what depression actually looks like. We think it’s important to understand that depression is a universal thing, meaning that it can affect ANYONE. Often, depression and anxiety are portrayed with sad, gloomy, black & white pictures- which is not always the case. In fact, people experiencing depression, anxiety, and many other mental illnesses often look exactly like somebody who is not experiencing mental illness! These dark and gloomy pictures used to portray depression are one of the major reasons people think the way they do about mental illness. It is crucial to share articles like this and inform people that these photos are not how mental illness actually looks. This is a perfect place to start in the battle to end the stigma around the topic. 

Click the link above and let us know what you think! Do you think the pictures used to portray depression play a role in the stigma around it?